The air was thick with flies. I was squatting over a fish I had just speared and was now cleaning on the shores of an abandoned island off the coast of Panama. I was tired, hot, hungry…and having the time of my life!

I wasn’t always so eager to challenge myself in the outdoors. My parents could be considered less-than-happy campers. My only memory of camping as a family growing up was under circumstances we were wildly unprepared for. The middle of a rainstorm is not a great time to discover your tent wasn’t properly sealed. Eight hours of Chinese water torture didn’t exactly inspire ten-year-old Sam to embrace the outdoor lifestyle.

So what changed between a failed family camping trip and making the outdoors a major part of my life? When I was twelve, a friend encouraged me to join his Boy Scouts troop. Troop 39! And that’s when I fell in love with the outdoors… right? Well, not at first. On my first three-day hiking trip, I packed a single can of beans and a packet of uncooked bacon. During a river crossing, I threw my bag into the river. Oh yeah. and it rained the entire time.

But as the years went on, I picked up some skills (only after learning the hard way…twice). During this time, I learned to respect the outdoors, and from that, my appreciation for wild places grew. The outdoors was no longer an inconvenience, but a place my soul went to find rest and connect with itself and others. Any outdoorsman can relate, and it’s hard to point to the exact moment the switch occurred.

Adventure has changed me for the better, and I want to share those moments and stories. first by capturing them in the most raw and honest way, then by sharing them to inspire others to challenge themselves in the outdoors. May each photo be a prayer that beckons you to explore wild places where trouble refines your character, and your soul finds rest through connection with yourself and with others.

Sam