Welcome to Wilderness Innovations, a fun little website where I post pictures, video, and stories of my adventures from around the world. I started this website in 2001, after I returned from our first group backpacking trip to Lost Lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. This was shortly after meeting fellow founding members Steve and Lopez, who quickly became two of my closest friends. The three of us formed a bond based on a shared love for the outdoors and the thrill of testing our mental and physical limits.
Back then, the concept of ultralight backpacking was still relatively new, and I thought Wilderness Innovations might evolve into a small business which would specialize in outdoor gear. After some early trips where we experimented with tarps and other methods made popular by Ray Jardine, it became clear that this wasn’t going to happen. Sleeping under a tarp sucks. So, I abandoned that idea but we continued to travel as much as our schedules would allow, and now, ten years later, we’re closing in on 100 trips. It’s been a fun ride.
Over the years, we’ve added many new faces to the crew. We’ve lost a few furry friends. We’ve all gotten married and some of us have had kids. Lots of changes, but one thing remains the same: we love to travel and we continue to pursue outdoor adventure, together.
I am the owner of a small manufacturing business, though my passion lies in landscape and nature photography. I am a goofy-footed kook, I wear my hair high, and I am prone to anxiety attacks. Dirty Dancing is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I once famously pooped on the shoulder of Interstate 5 in San Diego. These are facts.
Vitals:
Favorite board: 7’4″ Pearson Arrow (courtesy of Tom)
Hero: Eddie Vedder-Tristan Ludlow hybrid creature married to Meg Ryan-Natalie Portman hybrid creature
Achilles’ Heel: Mustard, mayo, or mushrooms (take your pick)
Books: Merle’s Door, Pillars of the Earth, They Shoot Canoes, Don’t They?
Food: NY-style pizza or carne asada fries
Beer: Fat Tire
Fears: Aliens, small English schoolboys, malicious ghosts, mustard
Biggest Regret: Referring to myself as “Dorado Jason” before that damn fish was gaffed and on the boat
Proud Of: U.S. Patents # 6,156,209 & 6,436,295
Not Proud Of: The Marie Callender’s Incident
Nickname: The Safety Prince
