Four years into life outside of military service, 50-year-old Robert Simpson peered out over a waterfall in Bali, Indonesia, as the excursion guide pointed down the canyon and counted down: “Three, two, one … go!”
Simpson, a 23-year Air Force and Air National Guard veteran from Nevada, jumped into the water with an erupting splash. Bobbing to the surface, he heard his fellow traveling veterans cheering his name from the top of the waterfall.
He learned later that the guide said he was the oldest participant to ever jump.
The canyoning adventure was just one excursion on his trip to Bali with The Roaming Vet, a community of service members, veterans and dependents who have a passion for the outdoors and travel spent with people. The international trip is one of many opportunities for veterans to connect through nature while rediscovering the camaraderie that is difficult to recreate from outside the laced boots of military service.
While in Europe on an Eagle Expedition — a trip focused on yoga and surfing lessons — with Team Red, White & Blue, Navy veteran Jordan Richbourg organized a rock climbing adventure with three other veterans. The quad broke off from the group to scale rocky terrain on the coast of Portugal.
Following the adventure, 20-year retired Marine Corps veteran John Forshtay expressed that the trip was “life changing.”
Outdoor summit for veterans
The veteran impact from nature immersion is why Erick Burgos wanted to bring organizations tied to the great outdoors together for the inaugural Veterans Outdoor Recreation Summit, held October 1-3, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
“As I retired, throughout my service, just outdoors was always my reset, personally,” Burgos told Military Families Magazine. “When things become very chaotic, I go camp or hike or climb a mountain. Then, the more I started talking to other veterans, that became the constant theme that there is a lot there for veterans to reset and go through their own physical, mental, spiritual journey of helping them in that message.”
Burgos immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 14 years old. He joined the Navy and served 22 years as a hospital corpsman, 16 of which were spent among Marine Expeditionary Units.
In his final year before retirement, he started a master’s degree in outdoor recreation through University of Colorado Boulder. His capstone event was on veterans in the outdoor industry, through weather, recreation, careers and entrepreneurship.
“I feel like there’s a lot of ecosystems out there for veterans, but there’s no synergies behind it,” Burgos said. “The aspect of, ‘How do we get more veterans into careers in the outdoor industry?’ ‘How do we get more veterans to start their businesses and outdoor industry?’”
Through the conference, Burgos is focused on building an ecosystem of collaboration and a pipeline to help veterans move from simply recreating to building businesses in the outdoor world.
“That was my focus: to bring a lot of people that are way smarter than me into a conference to not only network, but also start having this conversation,” Burgos said.
The event will include a bonfire kickoff at Jordanelle State Park and breakout sessions that follow four pillars – Recreation, Careers, Entrepreneurship and Advocacy. An exhibitor expo will bring veteran-focused nonprofits with small businesses together so attendees can see concrete programs, trips and services available nationwide. Following the expo is an evening networking event meant to break down silos and encourage collaboration — instead of competition.
“That’s my focus for my conference: to make sure that we build, we start the foundation of an ecosystem that could be very fulfilling for veterans and various aspects of the outdoor industry,” Burgos said.
The summit won’t end in a ballroom; on Saturday, attendees will choose from yoga, hiking, archery, rock climbing, and mountain biking. Having experienced many conferences, Burgos insisted on including physical events so veterans are “not just sitting in rooms all day” but actually experiencing the reset that the outdoors brings him.
“I’m not saying it’s for everybody,” Burgos said. “All I’m saying is that if it can be funded properly and added as a tool to the toolbox of helping veterans, it can have great impact.”
For information about the Veterans Outdoor Recreation Summit, to register or get event updates, visit the website.