The Happy Camper: My First Year Being a Full-Time Canadian Outdoor Writer
Some stranger came up to me at a Christmas party and asked what I did for a living. I said I was an outdoor Canadian writer. You know, that’s the first time I ever said that, and it came out so quickly and with such ease. Maybe I should have left my college teaching gig years ago?
I spent over three decades instructing post-secondary Ecosystem Skills and Environmental Issues, and in between class time, I would head out on wilderness trips, write about them and then present about my time out there at a bunch of outdoor shows. During that time, I published 20 books, countless articles and became one of the key speakers across North America and the UK. The writing part sure made for a busy life, to say the least, but it was the teaching job that mostly paid the bills.
Just over a year ago, however, I made the decision to write full time, with no more college cheque acting as a safety net. As a Canadian outdoor writer, I would make a mere pittance scribing down my wilderness adventures. My college job—even though it was only part-time— was still guaranteed employment so I can throw money into the savings account.
I’m not saying that the money was the main reason for being an educator. I’ve always loved my interactions with the students. Time spent outdoor with them was absolutely amazing, which is why I was beyond anxious and emotional about leaving them.
What helped finalize my decision was that the campus I worked 34 years for—Sir Sandford Fleming’s Frost Campus—had become a sinking ship. In mid-2024, the college dropped 29 programs, with a good majority of them in the School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences. That meant no Conservation and Environmental Law Enforcement, Ecological Restoration, Ecosystem Management Technology, Environmental Technician/Technology, Fish and Wildlife Technology, Urban Forestry Technician, Waste Resource Management—and that was just the beginning. The campus was soon to become a ghost town, and environmental protection was doomed in the province and across the county.
The administrators blamed significant cuts to the number of international students permitted by the federal government, low projected domestic enrolment and programs no longer being financially sustainable. Lots of instructors, especially part-time, would lose their jobs—but an interesting note is that no main administrator would.
I called bullshit on the whole thing, grabbed a life vest and jumped overboard with pride and no regret. When I left the college, some people speculated that I lost my job. I didn’t. The college announced I retired. I didn’t. Part-time employees like myself don’t get a pension and don’t retire. I quit!
They definitely reduced my hours, but I wasn’t deprived of my position. For the last dozen or so years, I had taught students at risk, and it seemed no full-time prof wanted my position; they made claims that my students were beneath them. I, however, loved every minute walking through the woods with them and teaching species identification and ecology. They were unique beyond words, and being out in the woods with them every day allowed them to excel. Their grades soared, with average marks at graduation being in the mid 90s. The majority of them went on to extend their education and get amazing jobs in wilderness and wildlife protection. I miss them dearly.
I left the college because I didn’t believe in the ethics of dropping so many environmental-based programs. I washed my hands of the self-interest and downright greed of the administrators. I loved my students and colleagues greatly, but it was time to clean the slate and move on to another bend in the river.
Now, a year later, I decided to look over what I had accomplished in 2025 to see if I made the right move. I looked over my journal entries, and let’s just say it was definitely the right choice to leave that sinking ship. Since then, I’ve found more time and energy to do greater things.
I gave 31 presentations with an approximate audience totalling 7,500 (ranging from 20 to 500 in attendance for each). I gave 53 radio and podcast interviews. My KCHappyCamper YouTube channel excelled with 70 videos loaded, 30,000 average views per month (466,000 total in 2025), and an average retention rate for videos being 62 percent to 87 percent (no boosting, all organic—meaning they watched it to the end). My audience gained 59.1 percent with more younger people and more new Canadians. Social media was up with Instagram: 1,246 posts, 7,542 followers. My personal Facebook is at 7.4K followeres and The Happy Camper is at 9.4K and 8,000 likes. And my new kid’s book A Spark of Courage sold like hot cakes.
Most important, however, is the I got out in the woods more. I slept in a tent a total of 74 nights, paddled across a lot of water, shared time in the woods with some amazing paddlers, got cozy out there alone, spent awesome times with my dog, shared campfires with my incredible partner Kristine Redmond (who I now live with), interviewed some amazing outdoorsy people, read and reviewed some magnificent books, presented in front of phenomenal audiences and, all the time, promoted wilderness values and protection… as we all should.
And rest assured, I also made more money! Never stop believing in your dreams… just say’n.
AND it’s going to get even busier for 2026. Here are the shows I’m booked to present at so far…more to come.
- January 17-18: Toronto Boat Show
- January 23-25: Hamilton Adventure Show
- January 27: Nature in the City—London, ON
- February 20-22: Toronto Outdoor Show
- February 27-March 1: Vancouver Outdoor Adventure Show
- March 11: RACCC Outreach—Ottawa
- March 13-15: Kitchener RV Show
- March 31: Durham Outdoor Club
- April 21: Nature and Leisure Group—Peterborough
A big thanks to everyone who bought a book, watched a video, read a blog and said hello on the portage. Thanks also to my regular sponsors (friends) who help me along the way:
- Explore Magazine
- The Canadian Outdoor Equipment Co.
- Nova Craft Canoe
- Algonquin Outfitters
- Adventure Medical Kits
- Badger Paddles… for those who dig the water.
- Recreational Barrel Works
Check out my 2025 overview video on the KCHappyCamper YouTube channel:
I believe you made the right decision also and congratulations!
A Happy Camper now!