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ALEX: I started working at Backwoods as a full time employee, and worked my way up to General Manager. I started working here primarily for my love of the outdoors. The first time I walked in through those doors, I wondered what it would be like to spend every single day here. Next thing I knew, I was spending every single day here.
HCRB: What do you love most about the outdoors?
ALEX: This is a difficult question. I love to simply enjoy the presence of the outdoors and immerse my senses in it. My senses get stale from the indoors. Inside, you hear the same things, smell the same things — it all has a certain “indoor” feeling to it. When you get outdoors, it is all a different sensation. From the sound of the crunching of the snow under my boots to the smell of the autumn leaves; the vibrant greens of new leaves to the sun drying off the sweat of your brow; I love it all. Everything is always the same inside. When you go out, you never know what your body will need to do to adapt, but it does, and it reacts to the environment flawlessly.
HCRB: Do you embrace any special diet philosophy? and why?
ALEX: No. I try to eat cleanly and naturally, but I really enjoy dessert. I enjoy a real German Chocolate Cake. I may not want a not-natural-frozen-yogurt-with-
HCRB: How do you personally practice “Leave No Trace” in your everyday life?
ALEX: I recycle, pick up after myself, pick up after other people, clean up trash whenever I see it, that kind of thing. I try to walk as many places as possible. I’m also a bit of a dog poop stickler. I have a very hard time understanding how someone can justify not picking up after their pet, whether it be on the trail, at the dog park, or even at home. If it is your private yard, sure, let them do whatever they want and don’t pick up after them, but any shared place, come on. I hate walking in poop. Wherever I go or camp, I want to leave that place looking like I had never been there.
HCRB: You are an avid reader…suggest some fantastic books to our readers.
ALEX: I love the classics. I think many people think they are too tough and are intimidated by them, but authors like Jules Verne and Jack London are not difficult and highly entertaining. I personally really enjoyed Verne’s The Mysterious Island and London’s The Call of the Wild and White Fang. I’m on a cycle where I read a non-fiction, a novel, an educational or informative book, a classic and a biography or autobiography. Also, the Horatio Hornblower Series by C.S. Forester is wildly adventurous and entertaining. If you can find them, I highly recommend them.
HCRB: What is your favorite part about your job at Backwoods?
ALEX: I love hearing the stories of people’s adventures. I get to live vicariously through their trips every day. It might be a trip to camp for a teenager or something larger like a trip to the North Pole. I love talking to people and hearing about what works for them, what doesn’t, and what gets them excited to spend as much time outside as possible.
HCRB: Remind everyone what discounts are available to shoppers.
ALEX: We have a 15% KCCC discount on climbing gear, a 15% Boy Scout discount on technical apparel and camping supplies, a 15% military discount, and we launched a loyalty program a few months ago where every $500 you spend, you get $50 in store credit. Oh yeah, and the birthday bag promo. Once you sign up for the mailing list, if you spend $250 over the course of a year, you will get a postcard for a free Osprey Trip 20, a bag Osprey makes specifically for us, with our name and logo on it. Outside of last year, Osprey has helped sponsor this with a unique bag for the past 6 years. Last year Icebreaker helped us celebrate our 40th Anniversary with a Tech-T-Lite for your birthday.
HCRB: How can everyone know about the different events that Backwoods hosts, supports, or sponsors?
ALEX: Facebook is the best way. Check out and keep an eye on our events page. We update it pretty regularly: https://www.facebook.com/
HCRB: Which are your favorite brands (any gear) and why?
ALEX: As far as gear goes, I really like Osprey, MSR and Big Agnes. I like Osprey because their packs fit me really well, and one can tailor it to fit just about any body shape. The warranty is also unlike anything I’ve seen in the industry. They call it the No Matter What Guarantee. Any product, any era, any reason. If a squirrel chews a hole in your pack because you left a granola bar in there, they will patch it up for you. If you overload your pack and snap the frame, they will replace it for you. You don’t need to register it, hang on to the tags or anything. All it has to do is have Osprey’s name on it. We’ve had burned remnants of packs come in and Osprey completely replace it for them. It is amazing.
I like MSR stoves because they are easy to maintain, even in the field, the operate well, and they push the technological envelope. They are always getting lighter and more fuel efficient. And they last. I have customers coming in telling me about a whisperlite they have had for 20+ years. And the kicker is that MSR hasn’t changed that stove for 20+ years.
Big Agnes tents are some of the lightest and highest quality tents out there. They are easy to set up, light, and big and spacious compared to other tents of the same person capacity. I’m a bigger guy, and an extra inch in length makes a big difference for me.
HCRB: Which Brand(s) do you feel is the greenest and best for the environment?
ALEX: Easily, Patagonia. They founded 1% for the Planet, an organization with hundreds of businesses that donate 1% of their sales to any sustainability-oriented
HCRB: Which Brand(s) is the longest lasting in your personal experience?
ALEX: This is a tough one. All of our brands are innovative and always pushing the envelope when it comes to weight and new products, but a downside of that is sometimes durability. It is difficult to say in an all-encompassing manner which brand is the longest lasting. If I had to pick one product to last the longest, a Western Mountaineering sleeping bag would be it. They use the highest quality down, and a well-taken-care-of bag should last you 40 years. 40 years!
HCRB: What is a piece of gear that everyone should replace more often than they actually do?
ALEX: I’d say either a synthetic bag or your climbing harness. Your harness has a limited shelf life, meaning even if you don’t use it, you may still need to replace it. Shoes or boots are another one. Once the EVA foam in your boot starts to break down and compress, it is time to get a new pair. Do your feet hurt? Most likely your old boots are worn out.
HCRB: What suggestions do you have for first time hikers?
ALEX: Buy comfortable footwear. It doesn’t matter how long your boot is made to last, what kind of sole it has on it, the aggressiveness of the tread, if your feet hurt, that is all you are going to be able to think about. Get out and make the experience as enjoyable as possible. Bring friends. Bring snacks. Bring Fido. Bring a Frisbee. Once you have fun, you’ll be dying to get out again and again, and that is when you truly grow fond of the outdoors. Also, trekking poles make a world of difference.
HCRB: What suggestions do you have for first time campers?
ALEX: Set up your tent and all your gear before you head out. It may take an extra hour, but it will be worth it to know how to set your tent up, that your headlamp has new batteries, how to turn your stove on, etc. That and eat well. Food is an easy way to turn a bad experience great.
HCRB: What suggestions do you have for first time rock climbers?
ALEX: Double check your knots and don’t be afraid to ask for assistance or advice. Don’t fit your shoes too tightly. Go for comfort!
HCRB: What are your favorite pieces of gear:
for cooking? MSR Reactor, Backpacker’s Pantry Pesto Salmon, Swiss Miss Dark Hot Chocolate, Soto Pocket Torch
for sleeping? Thermarest NeoAir, Grand Trunk Double Hammock, Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32, Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3
long car rides? Yeti Tundra 45, Subaru Outback, a good book on cd.
HCRB: Tell us a story about how you had to “MacGyver” something on a recent outdoor trip.
ALEX: I feel like every trip something goes wrong. I have never had a major piece of equipment need “MacGyvering” If anything else breaks, I usually just go without it. Hole in sleeping pad on trail without patch kit? Looks like I’ll be sleeping on the ground. Water filter break and clog? Looks like I might be getting giardia. Stove breaks? Will be eating granola and straight up freeze dried food. Tent breaks? It is going to be a cold, wet and buggy night. I was backpacking with a buddy who had an external frame pack when the aluminum frame snapped. We were five days into a seven day trip. We ended up duct taping a stick to the pack to try to make it work. Lesson of the day? No external packs.
HCRB: Any tough lessons on your adventures that you want others to learn from.
ALEX: Yes. It was the first weekend of December, I had one more PTO day to burn, and I was planning on taking a two night solo backpacking trip with my dog, Denali. After bringing up my plans to my wife, Kaitlyn, she expressed a desire to go with me. I got really excited, borrowed a backpack from a lady at work, got all our gear packed up, and we drove out to the Big Piney Trail, a 16 mile loop in the Paddy Creek Wilderness area. We started on the trail around noon, and everything was going great. Then the sun started to go down. This was my first cold weather backpacking trip, and I had foolishly forgotten how short the days are in the winter. Every other time I had gone out, I had sunlight until 8, now it was 4, and already growing dark. We stopped, set up camp, built a fire, and started to grow cold. We hopped in our sleeping bags at around 7, ate some dinner, then fell asleep. We both woke up two hours later freezing. I got up, stirred the fire and got it going big again, and tried to start the stove. I found out that canister stoves are not nearly as efficient in below freezing temperatures as they are when it is warm out. We did not sleep too well that night.
We got up the next morning and tried to finish the loop. We got lost a few times due to poor trail maintenance and signage, and before we knew it, it was starting to grow dark again. I stop to check on morale, and it was down…MAJORLY down…like I’m-never-doing-this-again-
Lessons learned:
- There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear
- Always make sure someone’s first backpacking experience is as perfect as you can make it, i.e. not December
- Know your gear before you head out
- Understand the importance of body temperature regulation
Luckily, I have an amazing wife, who still camps and canoes with me and gave me another chance to help her experience the great outdoors.
HCRB: What are your favorite outdoor activities.
ALEX: I spend the most time outdoors running with Denali. I enjoy disc golf, canoeing, backpacking and camping. Any time outside is bound to put me in a good mood
HCRB: What are two things that make an outdoor adventure perfect for you?
ALEX: Big fires and good friends. Those are really the only things I can think of. Everything else just makes the story better. If you run into bad weather – well, you are going to have a better story. The only thing that matters is that the person I am with is experiencing the same thing I am. And there is just something about sitting next to a big fire sharing those experiences with others.