Olympic Dreams – My Video Entry for Backpacker Magazine’s Field Scout Contest

“Backpacker Magazine is hosting a video contest to send someone on a paid week-long trek to any destination in the lower 48 states?”

Sign me up!  I first heard about this contest back in November from my friend and hiking buddy Greg Soster, a self-made mountain-man who has climbed over forty 4,000 foot peaks in the White Mountains (NH) in the past year alone.  It took Greg and I all of two seconds to decide that we should enter; both our resumes are overflowing with epic outdoor experiences that span the forests, rivers, deserts and mountains of three continents.  Greg and I both enjoy savoring the memories of our trips with stunning photography.  I also seek the intense meditative qualities of outdoor adventures that seem to clear my head and provide personal inspiration for stories, reflections, and videos (which can be found right here on IGORoamandreport).  To put it simply, Greg and I are the dream team for Backpacker Magazine’s Field Scout Contest.

It was a cold and rainy December night when I packed up my camera equipment and hopped on a bus to see Greg in Littleton, New Hampshire, a quiet town on the outskirts of White Mountain National Forest.  After a hard night of sleep, we didn’t waste much time getting to work the next day.  We poured over books and magazines, researching a list of potential destinations.  Once we chose our destination, we came up with a few potential hiking routes, using maps and Greg’s GPS.  Then we brainstormed creative direction with the film.  The ideas kept flowing over pints at a local brewery and we came up with a loose script for our video.  We filmed scenes at Greg’s house the following day and finished in the snow covered peaks of the Whites.  Since then I’ve been editing like a madman.

[Rewind: Conquering Hypothermia and 40 Miles of Strike Blockades in Peru]

It’s been two months since we initially decided to enter the contest and I’m happy to announce that the video is finally out.  I hope you enjoy it.  Watch it on YouTube, please comment on it, ‘Like’ it, etc.  Do what you can to help us out and spread the word!  And send us to Olympic National Park this summer!

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