Greetings. I'm the founder of The Outdoor Society, a collective of outdoor enthusiasts and wilderness adventurers with a mission to change the world. Allow me to explain.

There was a time, not so long ago, when going outside didn’t require an account or a subscription or agreeing to terms and conditions written in dense legalese by a law firm with five partners on the letterhead. You just went outside and did stuff.

Somewhere along the way, however, something changed. One by one, the places we used to hang out at and socialize became closed off to us, and we gradually withdrew back to our homes to sit behind a screen. It was around this time that the Internet burst onto the scene, just in time to free us from our growing isolation and give us back a little bit of that human connection we'd lost. Only this, too, was quickly taken from us.

A great enclosure movement ensued, and the free and open Internet was slowly fenced off. Once thriving communities were turned into passive, consumptive audiences. People became users, users became profiles, and those profiles became segments to be bought and sold. Everything, even fundamental human connection, was monetized. We became crops to be harvested.

We don’t think that’s normal. Do you? No, I think not. The Outdoor Society exists to undo that.

We believe in the commons

The outdoors still exists. It's out there, right now. Don't believe me? Go stick your head out the window and see for yourself. Trust me, it's wonderful.

The great outdoors is not a product to be owned and sold. Human connection is not a feature upgrade on a monthly subscription plan, or an in-app purchase.

The Outdoor Society is a community for people who still believe that showing up matters. That being physically present, slightly uncomfortable, and a little sunburned and scraped up, is where life is affirmed and real community begins.

There are no paywalls here. No exclusivity tiers. No premium access to community. There are only people like you and me, going outside and doing amazing things together.

It's a radical concept, we know.

We believe in real people

You are a real, flesh and blood person. You have an identity. You exist. You matter.

This is not a place to lurk behind avatars, burner accounts, or suspiciously scenic profile photos with no human in them. Oh, yes, we see you there, lurking in the back. Step forward and be counted among us.

Out here, in the real world, in the wild lands that still dominate this planet, trust matters. You’re meeting people in real environments with steep cliffs, fussy rattlesnakes, obstinate weather, and occasionally questionable trail decisions. So yes, you are expected to show up as yourself.

If that feels like too much, your corporate masters will be happy to let you be a cartoon. The price? Not much. Just your humanity.

We believe in responsibility

Freedom is great. We love freedom. But if you’ve ever tried to organize an outing with a dozen strangers who may or may not bring water, then you already know freedom without responsibility is chaos.

Let us, therefore, make an accord:

• Please, take care of yourself
• Don’t put others at risk
• Respect the land
• Don’t be that person

 You know the one. We all do.

We believe in community over consumption

The Outdoor Society is not content.

The Outdoor Society is not a feed.

The Outdoor Society is not something you scroll past while half-paying attention.

The Outdoor Society is a community you participate in.

Your presence is intentional. You show up. You help create the experience. Sometimes, that means leading and protecting others. Other times, it means being a solid human and sharing your snacks.

Both are valued.

We believe in keeping things weird

Somewhere out there, Sasquatch may or may not exist ^((he does)).

We’re not saying he does ^((yes, we are)).
We’re not saying he doesn’t ^((because he does)).

We’re just saying, no one has ever successfully proven he doesn’t attend group hikes. Coincidence? Maybe. Who's to say?

The point is, the world is still mysterious, the outdoors still has magic in it, and not everything needs to be optimized, tracked, or turned into a growth metric.

Some things are better experienced than explained.

We are suspicious of systems that want too much

If something is free but somehow also extracting everything about you, is it really free? Tapeworms are free. Would you line up to receive one if I slapped a logo on it? No, probably not. We’ve seen how that story goes.

We reject that path. We’re going to do something different. Here, there will be:

• No ads yelling at you to buy a hydration pack you already own
• No selling of your data to someone who wants to sell you a different hydration pack
• No invisible algorithms deciding who you should meet  

The Outdoor Society exists to help people connect, and then it gets out of the way.

Revolutionary, we know.

Built by the people who use it

Call us optimists, but we believe in basic human goodness. None of this works if people don't care about themselves, the people around them, and the natural world we all share. There is no giant corporation pulling strings behind the curtain. There isn't even a small one. No shadowy boardroom is deciding how to increase engagement and profits at all costs. There is only a group of humans trying to keep something honest alive.

If you value that and want to see more of it in the world, then support it.

If you don’t, that’s okay. But understand what happens when things like this disappear. I'll give you a hint. They usually come back as subscriptions.

One last thing

Show up.
Be real.
Respect the people and the place.

And if you happen to see something large, hairy, and moving quickly through the trees, just remember:

You agreed to participate at your own risk.

 

Welcome to The Outdoor Society.

More to follow, soon. Until then, be well, my friend.