Part I - Live more adventures
Live More Adventures became an official business endeavor over Fiores sandwiches with my college friend Nick. We were both disillusioned with the corporate world and ready to try something of our own making.
The vision for “LMA” was to provide all-inclusive, outdoor getaways from the NYC region. I would rent a house for a weekend and with the indispensable help of supporting friends we’d drive up a group of people, cook up a delicious spread of meals (still drooling over that Oktoberfest meal we pulled off) and coordinate skiing, rafting, yoga, hiking or whatever else was going on. A main goal for the project was that the guests wouldn’t know each other and meet in the best possible way, time spent outdoors.
Although there was a general vision for the project, I tried just about every type of trip to see what would stick. Looking back at the [partial] list is quite comical with how all over the place we were:
Scavenger hunts
Paintball & Wine Tasting
MEGA CAMPING!
Rescue dog hikes
West Virginia Gauley Retreat
Corporate Outings
International, let’s go to Colombia!(?)
Organizing parachuting from the top of Chicamocha Canyon, into the bottom to awaiting rafts for an overnight whitewater excursion was my definitive trip logistical peak
Yoga & Picnics
Vermont, Catskills, Poconos
Fitness retreats
It was super fun when it worked, but sadly, it rarely did. For all the enthusiasm I received when I was out promoting the trips, I received a minuscule fraction of folks actually signing on for a trip. I’m willing to admit now that all those “Sold Out” trips listed online years ago were just just to spark hype for the other dates. Funny enough, the tactic worked pretty well - it definitely created “the illusion of success.”
Nick and I amicably parted ways shortly into the venture so this became my own personal ride. I stubbornly persisted and kept lying to myself that ‘if it just scaled up enough, it would work!’ It never did and in just a couple of years I burned through all the savings I had amassed during my corporate career. Oops
Despite watching my bank account drain, I was enjoying life more than ever. I don’t think my enthusiasm levels have ever been as high as the first few years of getting LMA off the ground. Each successful Mega Camping or Big Haus trip would feel more rewarding than anything I accomplished in an office.
In my last stretch of corporate life I took 3 month sabbatical and went to South America to scout potential LMA trips and also to do every awesome thing imaginable in Colombia, Ecuador & Peru.
After these 3 months I knew I could never sit in an office again.
I was rather enjoying my transition from being an over-bearded consultant to an appropriately-bearded dirtbagger. I inevitably moved out my Hoboken apartment and had no official place to call home. And that was a-ok by me. Life was a mix of crashing on friends couches, overstaying my welcome at a gf’s place and camping. I loved almost every minute of it!
I remember early on I was scouting a campground for a potential Boston Mega Camping (who was I kidding?) - I arrived at night, setting up camp in a downpour, then settling into the tent with a soggy meatball parm hero and thought fun this life is. “I’ll take this over room service at the Hilton” I yelled into the wind.
But enthusiam only goes so far before reality bitch slaps you across the face. I was considering a number of exit ramps all the while dreaming of hitting my stride and running a bunch of trips. Despite a mountain of support from my Hoboken, Rutgers & hometown friends, it never happened.
There were still glimmers of hope and after a particularly fun rafting, yoga & hiking weekend in the Adirondacks, I was still determined to make this work!
End Part I
Some fun Mega Camping photos I dug up..
