Who Am I?

woman hiker

I’m a beginner, just like you.

Until a few years ago, I never even owned a pair of hiking boots.

I grew up in Maryland running around in the woods like a wild child, either on foot with my dog or on the back of a pony that I’m sure was wondering why the @#$* it was out past dinner time thanks to my ridiculous hijinx.

But then I grew up. 

I always wanted to be outdoorsy, but it wasn’t really part of the culture in the suburbs where I grew up. You do that stuff as a kid, but then you grow up and go to the mall. You know, to be cool. My friends didn’t want to go hiking (I was also too afraid to ask), and I was too scared to get outside my comfort zone and do it on my own.

When I met my now-fiance, his dating profile said he wanted to someone to hike the John Muir Trail with. I had no idea what that meant, but in the first year of dating he took me on my first real camping trip, taught me why I needed hiking boots, and introduced me to my new lord and savior, REI.

But not everyone has that someone.

And what I really wanted was information from other beginners.

I quickly discovered that none of the “beginner’s guides” I found were actually written by a beginner, so I thought I’d solve the problem myself.

And that’s why I started this blog. Besides my random reflections on being an outdoor beginner, I’ve got campground reviews, trail guides, gear reviews, and how-to’s like how to pack for your first camping trip and how to pick out hiking boots when you have no idea what you’re doing.

I’m still no expert, but I hope Outdoor Beginner is enough to help you get your own adventures started.




Published by Laura Cardon

Laura Cardon moved to Colorado as an adult and quickly realized how difficult it was to get started exploring the outdoors in a state full of experts. She founded Outdoor Beginner in 2014 to fill the gap in beginner-friendly content for camping, hiking, skiing, and other outdoor activities. In addition to Outdoor Beginner, she coaches beginner trail runners and works at Runners Roost in Golden, Colorado, where she lives with her spouse and toddler.

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