The Happy Camper: Outdoor Shows Busier Than Ever in 2025
I’m only halfway through my spring 2025 speaking tour (a big thanks to Explore Magazine for being one of the sponsors), and I’ve got to say, there’s a lot of outdoorsy people out there. More than ever, actually.
I started off with a few talks at the Toronto International Boat Show about a month ago. They had a giant flooded lake in one of the auditoriums, with water skiers and wakeboard champions doing jumps and flips in front of a hyped-up crowd. I stood on a much smaller stage talking about the joy of canoe tripping—and surprisingly, I got a full house for it.
Next was half a dozen presentations to naturalists and outdoor clubs across southern Ontario. I expected to have a dozen or so elderly men with beards, bellies and Tilley hats. I didn’t. The ages ranged from early 20-year-old multicultural camping enthusiasts to thriving late 30-year-old single women wanting to head out on their first solo trip. Cool!
Next was a new show for me—the Hamilton Adventure Expo. The organizers wanted to put on something different, something more organic. Less smoked meat vendors, tourism booths and cotton socks on sale. It was a massive hit. A few thousand gathered to the small event. The only negative comment from was that it was too busy. Ya gotta love that!
I recently attended the annual Outdoor Adventure Show in Toronto. I was there for the full three days, presenting four times. I had a packed house for all of my presentations. That was incredible. But the highlight was the new audience I had gained—a mix of cultures and ages. And they weren’t newbies or weekend warriors. They all had grand stories of their extensive wild outdoor adventures across northern Ontario.
Next on my schedule are a couple of shows in the US. The Quiet Adventures Symposium in Lansing, Michigan and Canoecopia in Madison, Wisconsin. I’ve got to say, my stomach is in knots. It feels like I am about to blindly paddle down a Class III rapid. I’ve received some nasty messages on social media. Some Canadians labelled me a traitor for going across the border, and some Americans say they’ll boo me when I get on stage.
My emotions are going back and forth like a yo-yo. One minute I want to boycott the American shows like some of other Canadian outdoor writers have chosen to do. Then, the next minute I’m excited to visit my old Michigan and Wisconsin paddling friends and swap canoe trip stories. This year will also be the one when legendary US author and canoeist Cliff Jacobson hangs up his paddle and retires from the show circuit. To not go see his last swan song would be like missing a best friend’s funeral.
What encouraged my decision to go across the US border to present is the ability to help motivate our neighbours to protect what wilderness they have left. Recently, under President Trump, 1,000 national park ranger jobs were terminated, and thousands of more seasonal staff cuts are soon to come with more than 2,000 US Forest Service employees fired. Heck, they were already understaffed.
The 63 national parks reported 325.5 million recreation visits in 2024. With limited staff, that equates to not just unclean washrooms, closed outdoor education centres, unmaintained campsites and more potential for raging forest fires—but an enormous lack of wildlife and wilderness protection.
To me, it just seems more logical to help out my neighbouring paddlers than to snub them. It looks like their last remaining wilderness areas need as much help as they can get. I’ll just refrain from drinking American bourbon and make sure to proudly wear my red Team Canadian hockey jersey.
We all love you. Period.
Definitely show up. It’s more important than ever to engage them and remind them we are joined at the hips!
It was awesome to meet you at the show, Kevin!