Daniel Wesemann

I came to BOSS because:

After car camping and day hiking for years, I had been to many remote corners of Utah, but I got increasingly turned off by the heavy logistics of it all. The irony wasn’t lost on me that I was seeking out remote wilderness, but was doing so while dragging along a two ton jeep complete with ice chest, propane stove, and plenty other accoutrements. I wanted to change, but before I dared to switch to ultralight backpacking with minimal gear, I aimed to learn some of the tricks. “Know more, carry less” is one of the mottos of BOSS, and the school delivered in spades for me. In the years after my BOSS course, I solo backpacked my way across most of southern Utah, always on the lookout for ephemeral water sources that would allow me to extend my trip by another day.

I am on the BOSS board because:

My BOSS course completely changed my approach to hiking and backpacking, but it also influenced my everyday life, by subtly adjusting some of my priorities to the better. “Do more with less” and “Always compare down” turned out to be two very powerful philosophies that can be universally applied. Slurping water from a tiny puddle on a scruffy slickrock ledge and feeling the residual warmth of the red rock cliffs radiating into camp after sundown had a way of grounding the mind and spirit that made a lot of the tribulations in work and life that came after the BOSS course seem … trivial in comparison.

Talking to other former BOSS students, I learned that many shared a similar experience. 

So when the opportunity arose to give back to this awesome community and pitch in, I didn’t hesitate.