Born into a working class family in the mid eighties, Samuel H. Gardner started life facing a considerable physical challenge. In his first year, he was forced to wear leg braces to correct the misalignment of his feet from birth. At 3 years old, his parents moved the family north, from Milwaukee to the woods and snow of Tapiola, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. There Samuel’s love of the outdoors began to blossom into an obsession. A winter backpacking trip with his father at the age of 9, tipped the scales and Samuel would never settle for an indoor life.

A home-schooled education armed Samuel with an unconventionally positive outlook and gave him a flexible structure and the freedom to explore. This allowed him to become involved with a wide array of activities and organizations. From soccer to the Boy Scouts, wolf tracking to competitive pistol shooting he was able to fully commit to each activity and quickly rose to the upper echelons of each; reaching the level of Eagle Scout, guiding groups in wolf research through the Earthwatch Institute and member of the two year champion Junior Pistol Team at U.S. Nationals.

By the age of 18, Samuel had gone deaf in his right ear and lost a significant portion of the hearing in his left. Doctors theorized the cause to be most likely due to the multiple concussions sustained during his teen years.  Although the hearing loss has stabilized, doctors have stated that his inner ear condition may worsen at any time resulting in loss of balance or hearing. The potential of losing his ability to enjoy the outdoors brought Samuel to a realization. If he could lose his hearing at any point he better take advantage of every opportunity. He committed himself to throwing all of his energy into whatever he was doing and never accepting complacency.

Upon entering college at Michigan Technological University, Samuel started to settle into the fact that his was not to be an ordinary life. In the five years spent earning a B.Sc. in forestry and working toward B.Sc. in Geology he not only spent his time on his studies but threw his life into outdoor pursuits.  He committed to testing his personal limits. A 100-kilometer day hike in the Porcupine Mountains expanded his view of his personal capabilities. Six months spent living outdoors in a snow cave during Northern Michigan’s legendary, brutal winters gave him a glimpse into just how tough he could be.  New hobbies sprung up like weeds. Climbing the local rock and ice, surfing the frigid winter waves of Lake Superior and collecting rare mineral specimens all furthered his love of the outdoors and provided new avenues to try bigger and more challenging adventures.

Leaving his beloved home in the Copper Country, Samuel moved west after graduation. Arriving in Boulder, Co, he began work doing land reclamation work in the western states. He was in his element: working outdoors all day at a job he could give his all to. His income left him with no real material needs and yet something was missing from his life. He began thinking about some of the great adventures he had planned and never taken. The purpose of his life began to take shape. Seeing a few individuals around him, slaving over simple dollars and letting their dreams fall by the wayside pained him. In a moment of enlightenment Samuel quit his job and returned to the Keweenaw to pursue his dreams and go All-In.

-Matt Abbotts