For a long time, I have been passionate about travel and adventure, but was always limited by the constraints of a normal day job. Considering things like climbing Denali, or setting out on a month long cross country epic were very appealing yet just out of reach. This will all be changing at the end of July. I intend to liberate myself from a traditional career model and forge my own path. I will be celebrating this with a 5 week trip across the country that will include mountain biking, rock climbing, a week at the Outdoor Retailer summer trade show, the climbing of Mount Rainier and much more. along the way I will be documenting this journey via a weekly video series, which I have yet to name. Suggestions are welcome! I have started building an itinerary for this road trip, though I am sure it will change many times. As of this writing I plan to leave my home in Northeast Pennsylvania on July 29th with my friend Bill Urbanski who will be heading with me to the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market event. We will be making our way to Salt Lake City over several days following the 29th which will include stops in Columbus Ohio, St Louis Missouri, And a climbing adventure in Colorado’s Eldorado Canyon.

Welcome to Colorful Colorado

Welcome to Colorado

On the 3rd we will arrive in Utah where we will head to the Summer OR open air demo and try out some super cool outdoor gear. The rest of the week will be spent making connections with all the wonderful folks in the outdoor industry and learning about what is up and coming. Following the Outdoor Retailer convention, Bill and I will head north to the Tetons in western Wyoming to climb the Grand Teton before parting ways. The next leg of my trip is somewhat free form. I have over a week to make it to Seattle to prepare for my Summit For Someone climb of Mount Rainier. As of right now I plan to make a stop in Bozeman Montana and do some hiking in northern Idaho. After exploring areas of Montana and Idaho I will head to the Seattle area where I will climb Mount Rainier after spending some time with several friends I have made through my involvement with the Outdoor industry. If I make it to Seattle before the 13th I would like to try and get some folks together and go up to Squamish, BC for a day or two do some climbing. Squamish is one of those legendary climbing destinations I have only read about in magazines. By August 17th I plan to be near Mount Rainier National Park to prepare for my climb. Mount Rainier has been in my sights for quite some time so this will be a particularly special part of this trip. This trip initially started as just a week long trip to the Pacific Northwest for this climb, and has evolved into something so much greater. In addition to my personal goal to climb this mountain, I will be climbing it as part of Big City Mountaineer’s Summit For Someone program which will help put teenagers into outdoor programs. Once I leave Seattle, I will head south making stops in Portland, San Francisco, and Yosemite on my way to The high Sierra where I hope to climb the Charlotte Dome or the East Buttress of Mount Whitney, if I can find a partner. If I can’t find a partner, I will probably just spend a few days backpacking and enjoying the region.

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park

By this time it will the 24th or 25th, I’ll probably head to Los Angeles to meet up with some friends and explore more of the city for a day or two then head to Joshua Tree National Park if the temperature allow. Las Vegas has recently made it into my plan despite my lack of interest in gambling. I figure it seems to be a pretty wild place, and it is close to the Grand Canyon and Hoover dam, so why not make a stop at Sin City. Next I’ll head to Canyonlands in southern Utah, where hopefully I can get some canyoneering and mountain biking in without melting. Once I recover from sunburn and dehydration i’ll make my way to Denver for my rendezvous with Bill who will be joining me on my way back across the great plains. Our trek back to the east is really a blank canvas of adventure, as of right now, all I can tell you is that we will be making a stop in Minneapolis and driving through Canada. It’s a round about route, but hey someone’s got to do it and that someone might as well be me. In total I plan to be on the move for about 40 days. This will be the longest road trip I have personally taken and I am looking forward to the new perspective I will gain, the freedom I will have and the friends I will make. Like I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I will be documenting this trip the best I can with video and blog posts right here on CampTheSummit. I would like to leave you with one last thought: A friend once told me that you will never regret the trip you take, but you will forever regret the one you don’t, and with those words I have committed myself One Hundred Percent to this project and have a feeling that it will open doors to new things, great things. I have been bitten by the adventure travel bug, and there is no cure, only experiences.

My Planned Route (click for details)

Dear outdoor industry brands! This trip was born out of passion for the outdoors, do you want to be part of this journey? I will be using plenty of gear during this trip that will certainly make its way into blog posts and videos. That gear should be your gear. Send an email to patrick@campthesummit.com if you are interested in getting involved.