Get In The Wild

Wow—what an amazing journey it has been over the past ten years. Little did I know then that I would be leading a small, outdoor adventure company in the remote, tiny little town of Hanksville, Utah—population 260.

No, I didn’t choose Hanksville on purpose—it chose me. More on that later...

I had just been laid off from my job as a city Public Works Director following the economic downturn in 2009. While at the time I assumed I would continue on in my pursuit as an engineer, and NASA astronaut candidate, that was all about to change. Following an extensive three day interview process for the City Manager position in Leavenworth, WA--I came in second, and a job offer from the City of Laguna Beach, CA for their Publics Works Director position--I turned it down, something life changing came over me. I had spent the last thirty years of my life on a journey to achieve one of life’s greatest adventures and become a United States Astronaut. This was all I knew. It was the first time that I came to the realization that I probably wouldn’t achieve this goal in my life. After all, I had applied to NASA three times already—the last one of 8500 applicants, our country no longer had a spaceship, and I wasn’t getting any younger. As I look back today, I consider this awakening my “mid-life epiphany”. With this new awakening, and the freedom it realized, my first ever business—Get In The Wild—was born.

The idea of starting an outdoor adventure company was easy. After all, from as early as I could remember I always had a passion for exploration in the outdoors. Throughout my youth I was always the one organizing trips and trying to convince friends and family to join me on wild, remote expeditions. Equally apparent was the types of tours and classes I wanted to offer as well as their location. I had become an accomplished alpine mountaineer in the Pacific Northwest and could never get enough of climbing and crawling through southern Utah’s amazing canyon country.

The specific location of where to guide in southern Utah was initially a bit more daunting. Everywhere within this vast and otherworldly landscape seemed ideal. Developing Get In The Wild’s mission is what made the process easy. I pulled out my maps and decided “where not to go”. I quickly eliminated all of the most popular and overcrowded destinations that already had plenty of guide services. Just about center of the Colorado Plateau geographically was this equally beautiful and amazing wilderness area that had just as much to offer with one small difference—there weren’t any people. Very few had heard about the fascinating landscape that comprised the Dirty Devil/Robbers Roost Wilderness. At the time I didn’t even realize it had an extremely unique quality that even fewer people knew about—solitude is protected here. Yes, you heard that right, solitude, the essence of untouched wilderness had a federally designated protection here. How cool was that? ...and yes, the nearest town just happened to be Hanksville.

This past year I was looking to create GITW’s first professional, technical canyoneering video. As part of this process I looked at one of our wonderful partners—the Utah Office of Tourism (UOT). I knew the Visit Utah website was a treasure trove of wonderful travel information for the state of Utah. I recalled seeing a variety of professional, outdoor videos on the site and took another look. I quickly discovered that the state didn’t have a technical canyoneering video. This seemed to present a great win, win opportunity as the state of Utah is one of the best canyoneering destinations on the planet. I reached out to one of my contacts there, proposed a canyoneering video collaboration, and we were off and running. We spent five, long and very rewarding days filming at this incredible outdoor landscape that I am fortunate to call my office and my home. A requisite for filming was to keep specific filming locations private to protect this area’s unique and invaluable resources. Since the birth of GITW, it’s been our mission not to reveal specific locations that we travel in an effort to protect them for future generations of Americans. I hope you enjoy the new video as well as the new website pages that were created for the project. They do a great job of capturing this very special landscape as well as a few of the exciting activities we take in along the way.

Christopher Hagedorn
Owner, Lead Guide
Get In The Wild

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As yoga steadily gains popularity, yoga studios are saturating the market like Starbucks. The abundance of studios makes it tempting to keep your practice confined within four walls.  While many yoga studios are cozy, serene and welcoming places, studios can't compete with the awe-inspiring beauty of nature that is ever present. As Labor Day approaches, you may be looking towards the fall but don't discount summer yet! There is still plenty of time left to take your practice outside into the days of summer. And there are plenty of reasons to do so.

• Sun – Nothing new here but a reminder that vitamin D provides many physical and mental health benefits.  Don't forget to apply a natural sunscreen before stepping outside.
• Mix it up – Perhaps you are like me and you have reached periods of burnout from your yoga practice. As the teacher guides you through another sun salutation you are secretly thinking "How many of these have I done in class already today?  Can't we do something different?"  By taking your mat outside, you add variety to your practice and take preventative measures against yoga burnout.
• Birds and Bees–When you practice outside, you are connecting with the roots of your being - all of our beings – Mother Earth.  Take the time to reconnect with nature. Close your eyes and take in the sounds of the birds calling in the distance, the scent of fragrant blossoms, and the feeling of the subtle breeze on your skin. Let life be simple.

Now that I have convinced you to get outside, you might be wondering where or how to practice outside. Here are my suggestions:

• Check with local yoga studios- Many studios are starting to offer outdoor yoga classes in the summer.
• Gather a group of friends – Round up your nearest and dearest yoga buddies for a fun, impromptu outdoor gathering.
• Hire a Teacher – If you can't find any outdoor yoga classes, propose the idea to your favorite yoga teacher or hire a teacher!
• Retreat to the outdoors – Find a retreat that takes place outside (camping, in the jungle, at the beach, etc.) or incorporates outdoor yoga classes as part of the retreat.

Bio:  Melissa is looking forward to taking her yoga practice outside this fall at the Red Rock Yoga and Hiking Retreat in otherworldly Goblin Valley, Utah with Get In The Wild Adventures. Besides practicing yoga with goblins, Melissa founded and directs the Northwest Yoga Conference which takes place in the Seattle, WA area each February.

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