About

A dad, and a trail.

Wild Wanderers started simply. One father, his own boys, and a hunch that the outdoors was where to start.

A portrait from the Baylands is on the way.

From Gabe

For my own boys, first.

I built Wild Wanderers for my own two boys first. Becoming a father cracked something open in me. It showed me how hard the job really is, and it softened how I think about my own dad. The Baylands is home. I watched my dad play baseball out here. I learned the outdoors out here, and I had the space to just be a kid. I proposed to my wife at the marsh. I have walked my dog thousands of miles on these trails, and a lot of this program was built on those walks. My sons are learning here now.

What we believe

Eight things we hold to.

Not rules on a wall. The way this fellowship actually moves.

The boys are the heroes

This is their story. We are not the point.

The mentors walk beside

Fathers and guides, shoulder to shoulder, not out front and not above.

Kyezen

Continuous improvement. One percent better, most days, for the long haul.

Brotherhood

We sharpen one another, hold one another accountable, and carry the mission together.

Stewardship

We care for the land, the community, and each other. Like the redwoods, we are only stronger together.

Wonder before instruction

Curiosity leads, and the curriculum follows.

Strong hands, soft hearts

We build physical courage and emotional strength in the same boy.

Embodiment over expertise

We become what we hope to inspire. In time, the student grows like the teacher.

Wild Wanderers is not a program built around one leader. It is a fellowship of mentors always trying to get a little better, bound by a love for boys, the outdoors, and one another.

Kyezen

One percent, most days.

Kyezen means continuous improvement. Not a drastic change overnight, but a small one today, and again tomorrow. Some days a boy gains a lot and it feels great. Other days he gains a little, or he rests, and that counts just as much. Small changes become habits, and habits compound. Like a boulder starting downhill, once it rolls it is hard to stop. We are in this for the long haul.

The word comes from kai, change, and zen, good. It is also the name of Gabe's first son.

The why

Honest about the research.

We will not wave studies around to scare you. Kids who move more, get outside more, and feel they belong tend to do better, in the body and the mind, and the research keeps pointing the same way. We built the program around the parts a family can do together, every week. No deficit talk about your son. Just a good trail and good men on it.

How we build

Slowly, and on purpose.

Before I invite a single family, I am building the curriculum, the mentor training, the risk management, the permits, and the partnerships. I take a parent's trust seriously, so I am taking my time. I am new at some of this, and that is fine. This is for the community, and the community is worth building slowly.

What he coaches toward

The whole picture.

Movement

A body used the way it was built to be, often, outdoors.

Time outside

Time outdoors in all kinds of weather, where attention and calm come back.

Food that fuels

Talked about plainly, not preached. What you eat when you are living well.

A steadier mind

Calm you can practice, and time to make sense of the day.

Come meet the trail.

The fastest way to understand Wild Wanderers is to stand on the Baylands at golden hour. Start a conversation and we will find a time.

Join the first Baylands circle