Ever since I was a kid, I’ve felt pulled toward the mountains. My grandpa used to take my uncles, dad and I backpacking in the Uintas, where we spent long days fly fishing in alpine streams and wandering from lake to lake. Those early moments—surrounded by forested slopes and rocky peaks—sparked a deep respect for wild places that’s stayed with me ever since.

I grew up playing team sports, but everything changed when I discovered trail running and rock climbing. The mountains became my playground—a place to test limits and quiet my mind—and soon I was hooked. In college, that passion turned into a lifestyle. I worked in outdoor rental shops as a bike and ski mechanic, guided trips in Moab, and spent weekends chasing big objectives—running Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim in the Grand Canyon, climbing the Grand Teton, or flying to Oregon to chase an FKT on the Oregon Coast trail. Monday mornings, I’d limp to class exhausted but feeling alive from the weekend’s adventures.

Image: My first backpacking/fly fishing trip. I'm the little guy in the blue jacket.

Image: Mile 35 of 410 on the Oregon Coast Trail

At the end of my junior year, I met Sophie—who’d later become my wife. Slowly, two of the biggest parts of my life—her and the outdoors—blended into one. The rest of college flew by in a blur of climbing trips, ski days, and nights planning the next adventure.

When we graduated in April 2025, the path ahead felt uncertain. We weren’t ready to trade our freedom for full-time jobs, so instead of doing the “responsible” thing, we packed our twenty-year-old car (stuffed with Squak gear, of course) and drove to Jackson Hole to spend the summer living out of it while working as whitewater photographers on the Snake River.

What started as a spontaneous idea turned into one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. Here’s some of the things we learned along the way:

Image: The Tetons

Image: Squak photoshoot on the way to our summer home

When it rains, it pours—but the sun comes back:

Our first night in Jackson was perfect—clear skies, crisp air, and endless excitement. The second night? Rain. Then more rain. Seven straight days of it. With a leaky tent, soaked clothes, muddy gear, and a stove that only worked outside, our dream summer quickly turned into a soggy nightmare. By the fourth night, I was ready to pack up and leave—but Sophie talked me out of it.

To cope with the rain, we started celebrating small wins: a hot shower at the rec center, warm Squak gear that dried fast, glimpses of the Tetons through the clouds, and laughter at the absurdity of it all. When the sun finally returned, we felt unstoppable. We upgraded our tent, fine-tuned our setup, and found campsites better protected from the weather.

Everyone faces seasons like that—times when the storm feels endless. Life can beat you down, then stomp on you for good measure. But eventually, the sun comes back. When it does, you realize joy was never gone—it was tucked inside the small wins, the fleeting calm, and the laughter in between.

Image: Night 3-Sleeping in the front seats of the car because our rooftop tent was soaked through and our gear took up the space in the back...needless to say, we didn't sleep great.

Cherish the memories:

Once we found our rhythm, adventure filled every day—long hours shooting photos on the river, or hiking, climbing, and exploring whenever we weren’t working. We hiked the Teton Crest Trail, summited the Grand Teton, paddle boarded on glacier lakes, and even had a few unexpected animal encounters—including a curious cow in our camp at 2 a.m.

Some of my favorite moments weren’t the headline adventures but the quiet ones: rinsing off in clear streams, falling asleep to the sound of wind rushing through the trees, or driving down endless dirt roads searching for camp, music blasting and hands out the window.

I’ll never forget designing, sourcing, and testing the Squak Hat from the back of our car on our off days—using a solar panel to keep charged, and a hotspot for internet connection.

 (Shameless plug: if you haven’t checked out the hats, go take a look! They’re affordable, built with love, and made to last—because good hats shouldn’t cost a fortune.)

Not every day was picture-perfect. Some were full of mosquitoes or annoyance at some parts of living in a small space. But I cherish all of it—the highs, the lows, and the slow, ordinary days that made that summer unforgettable.

Image: Snack Break on the way up to climb the Grand Teton

Image: View on the second day of backpacking the Teton Crest Trail

Image: Working on the River

Image: Testing out the Maverick Alpha in the Teton Mountain Range

Image: Biking past our rinsing off river

Enjoy the seasons of life:

Life looks different now. I’m an engineer by day and a product developer at Squak by night. Sophie’s deep in grad school. Our car isn’t home anymore, and we have a working toilet and warm showers.

We still miss life on the road sometimes, but we carry with us the lessons we learned along the way. We’ve learned to wait patiently during stormy seasons, celebrate small wins, and savor the quiet moments—like the silence on the drive home from skiing or laughter with friends around the dinner table.

We still chase adventure when we can—weekend trips, new trails, or daydreams about the next big one. If you’re on the fence about stepping out of your comfort zone, take this as your sign: do it. Buy the ticket, hit the road, start that thing that excites (or scares) you. Whatever season you’re in, adventure is just around the corner—sometimes all it takes is a Squak and a wild idea.

Until next time,
Tyler

Image: Sophie, me, our Squak Gear, and our 4Runner affectionally named "Hippo"

“We are not creatures of destinations.
It is the journey that shapes us—our callused feet, our strong backs, our eyes open to delight.”
—Brandon Sanderson