Here are a few Lore-approved things:
- The first touch of light on a mountain peak
- White snow on red desert sand
- Early alarms and alpine starts
- Cast iron pans
- Staying out past sunset
- Waking up in your sleeping bag on a chilly morning
- Socks n Chacs
- Wildflower season
- Dads with Nikons
- Alpine lakes
- The feeling 10 minutes after jumping in an alpine lake
- Coffee
- Pine and juniper
- Trees, generally
- Camp stores
- Dogs on summits
You get the idea.
The outdoors can be a wild and intimidating place. But I believe everyone should be able to experience it. Sometimes it just takes a little nudge, a helping hand, to get you there. Lore exists to be that helping hand. On the other side of any fear is a sprawling vista, a meandering river, or a quiet forest waiting to be enjoyed.
Lore instructs with educational content, tips, and guides to help you learn key outdoor skills. My goal with educational content is to reduce any fear that may hold you back and take out any unknowns that keep you from going. Lore inspires with stories, images, and stoke to show you what’s possible when you get outside.
This is about a life outside. There’s plenty of time, and no better time than now.
Why ‘Lore’?
We all have our own lore, the traditions and values passed down to us over time that we carry with us. I was lucky enough to grow up camping with my family in the forests and quarries of southern Indiana. My favorite childhood memories are from these trips—whittling a small stick with my pocket knife, hiking the “rugged” trails, dinners cooked in the campfire. I learned how to do many things outdoors through osmosis—building a campfire the same way my dad did, eating the same campfire recipes. But I’ve also pushed beyond that and made my own traditions, my own way of doing things.
I know not everyone is so lucky. So Lore exists to pass down those outdoor traditions to others. Everyone should have access to the outdoors, but it can be intimidating for those who didn’t grow up in it. I believe sharing our outdoor lore is a way to bridge that gap.
Meet Alex
Nice to meet ya. I’m Alex, a writer, photographer, and the founder of Lore. The state parks of southern Indiana are where my outdoor journey began. Family camping trips remain my favorite childhood memories and became the foundation of something bigger than I knew at the time.
Now, more than 20 years later, I live in the rocky mountains of Colorado and adventure all over the world. My love of the outdoors has taken me many places—backpacking in the highlands of Iceland, skiing peaks and photographing the northern lights in the Norwegian arctic, running marathons in the mountains I call home. That all may sound big and serious, but you’re more likely to see me munching on Sour Patch Kids or carrying four cameras freaking out during golden hour than setting any land speed records. I believe big technical ridge traverses and cozying up by the campfire with a book are both worthy pursuits.
I started Lore because of my first three years in Colorado. Moving was a major change from the flat farmland I grew up in. It took me a long time and the help of friends to learn what I know today. I’ve dealt with more fear and uncertainty outside than I’d like to admit. Frankly, I still do. But pushing through those moments and all the struggle of beginning lead to, without exaggeration, the best moments of my life. I want you to be able to experience the outdoors the way I do, with all the awe, joy, suffering, adrenaline, and quiet that comes with it. My goal is to help get you where you want to go, as long as it’s outside.
I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite photos and memories from my time outside. Feel free to reach out to me anytime with questions, comments, stoke, or your secret campsite location. It’s alex [at] loreoutdoors.com.
