Many years ago, before our original FJC Magazine publication began (and long before our kids arrived), Angie and I started a project called "Colorado Insider". Soon this idea merged with that of a good friend, and Adventure Insider was born. One of the first articles in AI was "Trooper Traverse" a backpacking trip Erick, his dad Ed, and I did retracing the route the 10th Mountain Division accomplished from Leadville, CO to Aspen just before the shipped to WWII. You can read it here: https://www.livetoexplore.co/trips/trooper-traverse
Adventure Insider kept going for a few years, covering Outdoor adventure in all its forms. As it turns out though... time goes by, and contributors come and go. Eventually Erick decided to focus on his FDNY career and I ran AI solo for a couple of years.
Not long after we merged FJC Magazine and Tacoma Magazine, I decided to revive Adventure Insider, but change the focus just a little so that we could more accurately tell our family stories of adventure. That is when Live to Explore was born.
On the pages of Live to Explore for the last couple years, you'll find articles, videos, and photo galleries that cover our various adventures around the country, and around the world. There is information on just about everything you can do outside. Skiing/Snowboarding, Mountain Biking, Hiking, International Trips, Mountains, Deserts, and Forest. If it’s adventure you can experience with your family – we’ve probably written about it, or will soon.
Up until now I've done most of the creating, but as our children grow and mature, they're starting to do their own writing. Soon I'll be asking them to give their opinion on the adventure and exploration we find.
With my Survival Instructor background from the US Air Force combined with my SAR experience from Civil Air Patrol, another idea came to mind when Brenden was in first grade. It's a Search and Rescue education program meant for young children, it's called "Hug a Tree and Survive". I read through all the material, watched the training videos, and created a short presentation that I've now given to elementary students at our local school. This presentation is the first step in an upcoming educational initiative to teach young people about safe, responsible outdoor recreation called Explore Smart. You can also keep tabs on Live to Explore site to find out how Explore Smart will be growing in the future.
Finally, Live To Explore currently has plans to begin publishing a few niche guidebooks that are beyond the scope of Toyota Cruisers & Trucks. The idea is to create compelling content for the vehicle based adventurer (aka overland enthusiast) that could assist in planning and executing amazing trips all around the planet. Keep track of TCT Magazine and LiveToExplore.co for details coming in early 2021.
If you're a lover of all things outdoors like we are, head over to LiveToExplore.co, or find us on Facebook or Instagram to check out what we have going on. We would love to hear your feedback and can't wait to share our future adventures with you.
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