Many people classify themselves as either city dwellers or backcountry lovers. It’s a common misconception that those who wander the streets of Manhattan do not also yearn to climb a mountain or hike a long, winding trail far from the nearest Starbucks. The growth of companies like Discover Outdoors may prove that combining city life and backcountry experiences is easier and more natural than most people think.

Creating an Outdoor Community

For the last 10.5 years, Discover Outdoors Founder and CEO Kirk Reynolds and his team have attempted to bridge the gap by offering a variety of adventures that give city dwellers the opportunity to participate in outdoor adventures.

Reynolds, who grew up hiking, biking, and participating in other activities with his active parents in Missouri, first moved to New York in 2002. It didn’t take long before he realized how much he missed the outdoors. “Moving to New York, you find out quickly what is important to you and you seek it out,” he said. “After a little while I got curious about what was north of the Hudson, so I began to travel [to hike]. Then I started taking people with me.”

It was from those humble beginnings that the company, which now employs more than 30 guides and offers a variety of trips in and around the city, as well as internationally, has become a haven for lovers of the outdoors. “Our purpose is to get city dwellers into the outdoors because that is personally important to us,” Reynolds said. “We want to inspire our members to get outside and hope to provide them with an unforgettable experience.”

Each Discover Outdoors trip is a unique and elaborate experience facilitated by expertly trained guides who are focused on providing specialized experiences to each adventurer. Special accommodations and cutting-edge gear provided by partners like REI and Eastern Mountain Sports, as well as looking to local leaders and chefs to infuse culture into the trips, are just some of the features that have helped to create such a strong network of return customers.

“The first trip I went [on with Discover Outdoors] was a rafting trip for our firm,” said Christine Strumpen-Darrie. “I was so impressed by the originality of their ideas, how well they were organized, and the professionalism of their guides that I decided to look into trips with them outside our club.” Since then, Strumpen-Darrie, whose upbringing in Salt Lake City helped her build a love of skiing and hiking, has participated in a number of expeditions.

“Over the years I have probably been on a dozen trips with Discover Outdoors,” she continued. “My favorite trip was our marathon day hike of Devil’s Path. It’s one of the hardest day hikes in the country. A grueling 25 miles of terrain that goes straight up and then straight down seven times, for a total of 18,000 feet of vertical change. Last summer I climbed [Kilimanjaro], and the Devil’s Path day hike was exponentially more challenging.”

Lauren Billings, another Discover Outdoors adventurer who moved to New York from Salt Lake City, also cites the Devil’s Path day hike as her favorite adventure, though she admits she was only able to make it through the first 13 miles. “The reason this one stands out in my mind is not just because of the intensity, but also because the people involved were amazing and made it a really fun team experience,” she said.

Billings began her involvement with Discover Outdoors after coming across a day hike deal on Groupon she just couldn’t pass up. “I absolutely love living in New York City, but one of the things that I miss most here is being able to easily get out and be in nature,” she said. “I’ve just always felt very free and peaceful when I’m outside.” Her experience was so positive that since then, Billings has thrown herself into the organization and is now one of the lead advocates for its newest program, the Discover Outdoors Foundation.

Making Every Adventure Count

A few years ago, the team at Discover Outdoors realized that something needed to be done to bring their services to those who may not be able to afford the elaborate trips they provide. “Two years ago, we founded our nonprofit in an effort to reach the large part of the community that wasn’t being served,” said Strategy Officer and Marketing Specialist Kennedy Reynolds. “There is still a great part of the community that isn’t aware of how great the outdoors is for them, especially kids.”

According to Kennedy, inner-city children only receive about 45 minutes of outdoor activity each week. “This is tragic to us,” she said. “At the company, we have youth programs but we recognized that we were not serving some of the schools that really needed our resources most.

“Through the Foundation, we partner with schools and help to not only get kids outside, but give them the experience of learning that can be better achieved outdoors,” Kennedy continued. “Instead of reading a biology book, we take that learning outside and let them experience it. For example, we take them fishing on the Hudson so they can look at that fish, and apply that learning to real life.”

Originally, the Foundation funded its programs organically; donating a portion of the funds from each outdoor adventure. Now, hoping to be more transparent with customers, Discover Outdoors is launching a new program. “The Michael J. Fox Foundation has sponsored events through us, and raised [more than] $60,000. We have actually had a number of climbers raise money for other charities as well. So, when we launched our own [foundation], it became a natural partnership,” Kennedy explained. Through the new offerings, climbers who go on the larger, international trips can select to have their entire program fees donated to the Foundation.

Completely unaware of the Foundation before this point, Billings was thrilled by the option, and immediately signed up for the Mount Kilimanjaro trip. “I had recently been on an amazing trip to Patagonia and was looking for another. Kilimanjaro caught my eye because I thought it would be a great way to push myself out of my comfort zone,” she explained. “When signing up, I saw the option of climbing for the Discover Outdoors Foundation. I love the outdoors, but I also love the idea of inspiring and empowering others.”

Billings has been training hard for her trip that’s scheduled for the end of August, but the more she learns about the Foundation, the greater the pull she feels to increase her involvement. “I fully support the mission of the DO Foundation and plan to continue my involvement beyond my climb,” she said. “Right now I’m working with Kennedy Reynolds and Beth Harrison at the Foundation to figure out how we can best use my skill set to support the Foundation’s needs.”

Strumpen-Darrie also plans to get involved with the Foundation. Her decision to climb Mount Everest next summer for the Foundation comes from experiencing the needs of inner-city children firsthand. “There are kids in NYC who are struggling every day, and the Discover Outdoors Foundation helps them,” said Strumpen-Darrie, whose daughter attends New York City public schools. “It helps them get educational support outside the classroom, in a setting and with educators who inspire instead of instruct. It helps them get exercise, get healthy. It helps them feel the sun on their face and the wind [on] their back and see the beauty that is around them, to get a break from the struggle.”

Looking Ahead

Though the company only offers the fundraising option for its bigger events, Discover Outdoors has big plans for the future. “What keeps us on our toes is the changing world of adventure,” Kennedy explained. “We are always trying to stay ahead of that, so we just launched our first Appalachian Trail trip, and we are researching international opportunities in Nepal along the Himalayas. This type of trek would be a little more doable for someone who is a mid-level climber, for example. But it’s trips like this that might become our fundraisers.”

Kirk Reynolds is incredibly optimistic, attributing the success of his thriving company to lofty dreams. “It has never been a small vision—we try to think big first,” he said. “For the Foundation side, we hope to serve 1 million students in NYC over the next 10 years, so we are forced to think big and utilize our partnerships so we can achieve that.

“The way the company and the Foundation work together is going to be very interesting over the next few years. Right now we are New York based, but we are very excited about growing locally and repackaging current offerings, as well as domestically, and thinking about reaching out to other cities. We are figuring out how to customize for each market so that we can also adopt more kids into the foundation.”

Their climb of Mount Kilimanjaro on August 31, which Billings will be part of, is just the first step toward reaching these goals and creating a global outdoors community for everyone. “I am so excited to be involved with Discover Outdoors and the DO Foundation and the amazing work they are doing to help New Yorkers get out into nature,” Billings said. “I think it’s worthwhile for all of us, not just those living in large cities, to think about ways to increase the amount of time we spend enjoying the great outdoors.”

To learn more, check out the Discover Outdoors and Discover Outdoors Foundation websites.

 

Images and video courtesy of Kirk and Kennedy Reynolds/Discover Outdoors