Backcountry With Darryl

My love for the outdoors has shaped my life. As a kid, I roamed forests near home. As a young man, I found adventure on my grandfather’s dairy farm in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Later, while building a career as a scientific researcher in the Texas Medical Center, I fueled my passion for the wild through family camping trips, scoutmaster adventures, and solo wilderness escapes. Over the last 15 years, I’ve led or joined backcountry treks across Arizona, Texas, South Dakota, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Alaska. Retirement brought my most ambitious challenge yet—a solo through-hike of the Idaho Wilderness Trail. Though wildfires cut my journey short, the experience inspired me to share the magic of the wilderness. Through cinematic documentaries and practical tutorials, I’ll take you deep into the backcountry, showing the skills and tools to thrive and inspiring you to treasure and protect these wild places.