The Mission
What is the point of Wilderness Wayfinder?
First and foremost, I don’t want it to be about me. I want this to be a place for the Bushcraft and Outdoor community with contributions and participation from the community itself. I know that I can not complete the vision for this undertaking on my own.
Why am I doing this?
I know I am dating myself here, but many years ago, prior to social media, a lot of folks used to hang out in bushcraft and outdoor forums, and they were extremely active. There were many new posts per day, and it seemed very easy to keep up with what people were doing, what events were going on, and I made many friends that way that I would have never met in real life.
Fast forward to today, and everything seems disconnected to me. I hate scrolling through social media, and even if I do, unless I am following all the right people, it just seems to be an extremely random experience.
I would like to centralize information for a one stop shop for what is going on in the community.
How do I plan to do that?
My plan is for this website to contain the following types of information for the community.
- Event Information - Details about events that could otherwise be hard to find.
- Industry News - What new things are going on?
- Articles and content including:
- Skills Showcase
- Instructor Spotlights
- Interviews with people in the community
- Adventure Stories
- Location Spotlights
- Company Spotlights
- Instructor Spotlights
- After Event Reports
What is in it for me?
A rising tide lifts all boats. Everyone in this industry that I have met in real life are great people and I want a space for everyone.
Final Thoughts
Finally, I have one more goal for this adventure.
For decades now, the outdoors for me has always been a big "reset button." Whether I have wanted it to or not, it has always brought me humility, perseverance, perspective and awareness. I am assuming that this is the same for many others, as practicing things like "bushcraft" can be a way to greatly simplify a chaotic life.
I believe time in the outdoors can bring about self-knowledge and self awareness through the observations and activities that we participate in. This type of self awareness can not only change yourself, but help you achieve your goals, improve your performance and do the same for others around. Whether those goals are outdoor related or not, improving life in general is the goal.
If this website, community, content can help motivate people to be outdoors and aid in their own form "resetting" I think it will be worth the effort.
I chose the name "Wayfinder" to describe someone who can access their inner compass to stay on the right path. Since it has a nautical history, I chose "Wilderness" to more specifically define the content I intend to share, but also generic enough to not limit the type of outdoor pursuit that calls to you. I like to spend time at the beach as much as I do hiking in the mountains, and to me, it is the outcome that is important.