who’s liam? why is he always Going outside?
I grew up in upstate New York on a secluded cul-de-sac in a largely suburban town. I was lucky to have a nature preserve within walking distance of my home, and a large backyard that spanned almost an acre. The best memories of my childhood are running around with my friends, exploring the forests and trails around where I lived.
As I grew older, I started to lose that connection to the outdoors. Something always felt like it was missing. I have always had an intense romanticism about my childhood years, but was never able to pinpoint where that joy came from. I now know that joy was something too often forgotten as we grow up – playing outside.
Fast forward to 2017, I was a recent high school graduate still living in the same suburban town. I was traveling the path I had been told was the only one available – get good grades and get into a good college. I had everything going for me – and yet I felt that nothing was ahead. I was lost.
One day, my best friend Sam texted me to say he wanted to hike Mount Marcy – a 17 mile trek up a 5,344 ft peak in the Adirondacks and the highest point in New York State. I had never hiked anything before, but of course, immediately said yes.
It was the hardest thing I had ever done, and also the best day of my life. A switch had flipped inside my brain – a switch that I did not know existed, illuminating a path forward that been completely concealed from me; a life dedicated to exploring the outdoors. I remember vividly being in the passenger seat of Sam’s car on that drive home, looking out the window and frantically googling the name of every single mountain and hill and trail I laid my eyes on. I just kept audibly saying “I have to go do that.” It was like I had spent the past 10 years of my life looking down – and now I was looking up at a whole new world.
It was over 3 years before I hiked again. College was intense – and the lifestyle I adopted during those years even more so. I once again lost that connection. When I did finally get back out there, I climbed a small mountain in Saranac Lake, NY. It had no view. But yet again – the switch was turned back on. This time, I would not let myself turn it off.
I became a fanatic. All my free time devoted to drives up to the Adirondacks. When COVID-19 hit during my senior year and shut down the world – I reacted much differently than everyone I knew. To me, this meant more time outside and less time in class. With all this extra time, I decided to try running. I had never run before, but it turned out I wasn’t half bad. I found this made me better at every outdoor activity – I was stronger and faster and could go longer.
I took off. I hiked all 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks, I climbed all the state highpoints on the east coast. I ran a 4:40 mile. I got into more technical climbing. I did it all and I needed more. I took a cross-country road trip in 2021, and the minute I crossed the plains from western Kansas into Colorado and saw the mountains, I knew it was where I was meant to be. I finally moved to Denver in 2024 and once again, opened up a whole new world. I can’t wait to share what’s next.
