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HomeOutdoorsI love The OutdoorsI Love The Outdoors Interview #6 – Fat Man Little Trail

I Love The Outdoors Interview #6 – Fat Man Little Trail

I Love The Outdoors - Fat Man Little Trail - Greg

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There are so many great bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters, and photographers out there creating amazing outdoor content on a daily basis.

Not only did I want to personally get to know them better, but I also wanted to explore outdoor influences and passion for nature.

Thus, we’ve launched the I Love The Outdoors Interview Series.

If are interested in participating in the series, please contact us and let us know!

Greg @ Fat Man Little Trail

Greg @ Fan Man Little Trail

1. Tell us a little about yourself. How old are you? Where are you from? Where do you live now? Are you married? Kids? 

My name is Greg and I am a Fat Man.  Well I guess I might be THE fat man, I am the founder of FatManLittleTrail.com.

Basically I’m a hefty hiker who found the outdoors later in life and now I’m a chubby 40 something from Denver who is spending as much time on the trails as possible.

I saw when I was starting out hiking all of the blogs were from 22 year old athletes and I wanted something that was more for the other half of the hikes.

My mantra, and most popular blog, is “Screw It, I’m Trying” and that is my approach to hiking and the outdoors.

2. What is your favorite outdoor activity?

I am a day hiker. I feel like as you get a bit older the knees and joints tell you that hiking is the speed you belong and I embrace that!

3. Where is your favorite trail?

Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park (Photo Credit: Greg @ Fat Man Little Trail)

Such a hard question, there are so many amazing trails out there.

I was fascinated by the Devils Garden at Arches where you see 9 arches.

Mount Sniktau is a trail that beat me a few times before I could finish it but I kept coming back.

Everything at Rocky Mountain National park is beautiful.

It is so hard to choose so I think I will cheat and say that:  my favorite trail is the next one!

4. What was your first outdoor memory as a kid?

We used to camp as a family as a kid and had a lot of great memories.

We also did what was called the Boys Fishing Trip.  That was my dad taking the three boys and friends out camping over Mothers Day Weekend so my mom could have a pamper weekend without the hell raisers around.

Well on one of the first of these trips I caught my first fish.  I think it was a bass.  This fish was about half the size of me at the time and there is a picture at my parents house of me holding on to this “giant” fish. That is a great memory.

5. Who was your biggest outdoor influence?  

I consider my friend Scott as my hiking mentor.  He is a born and raised Colorado guy and has spent a ton of time in the outdoors so whenever I have questions I ask him.

But my biggest influence might be the pandemic. I wasn’t an outdoorsy person until everything got shut down except the outdoors.  I live in a tiny apartment downtown Denver so had to get out when travel was allowed.

After my third hike I think I was hooked.  I couldn’t believe, even in that crazy time we were going through, the peace and joy that the outdoors brought me.  I haven’t looked past since.

6. What was your all-time best camping or hiking experience? 

Ooh Aah Point - Fan Man Little Trail
Ooh Aah Point (Photo Credit: Greg @ Fan Man Little Trail)

So many! I am going to say the Grand Canyon.  I took a trip out there about a year after I started this journey.

I got in after dark and decided to head over in the morning for sunrise.  So I had no reference of what it should look like because it was dark and then the sun started to rise. The light was slowly revealing the canyon to me almost an inch at a time. It was amazing.

And then to make it better I hiked down to Ooh Aah Point!  For me to think how far I had come in basically a year from not being an outdoors person to hiking down into the Grand Canyon was an amazing experience for me.  I just couldn’t believe it was something I was doing!

7. Who is your favorite person to camp or hike with? 

Fan Man Little Trail w: Mom
Fan Man Little Trail w: Mom (Photo Credit: Greg @ Fat Man Little Trail)

I really enjoy hiking with my hiking mentor Scott who I referenced above.

Also, my dear friend Alex. I met her on a trail and now we hike a couple of times a month together.

But I have to say that hiking with my Mom was really special. The last time I visited over the holidays I had a chance to hit a couple of trails with mom and it was the first time I hiked with her so it was pretty fantastic.

8. What is your favorite piece of gear and why?

Kuhl Traverse Pants

If you can’t tell, I am no good at picking just one thing!

If I had to say one piece of gear I am going to say my Kuhl Traverse Pants.  This was the first pair of clothing or gear I really put some money into and it was when I knew this was more than just a hobby and it was a passion. They are comfortable, they are flexible so stretch a bit on those big steps, and they have zippered pockets so nothing falls out.

Since then I have bought packs and clothes and shoes and all the gear but that first thing I bought is still special.

9. What do you love about the outdoors? 

The simple answer is that there is no cell service!  But in all actuality it is a bit of everything.

I started my journey to the outdoors as a way to get into a better physical shape.  I still contend that round is a shape but I wanted to smooth it out a bit.

After hiking for a bit I realized that my mental health was improving as much if not more than my physical health.  The woods and mountains have an amazing calming power.  I think part of it is that you can hike for 5 miles and never see another person but never feel alone.

I wrote a blog called “Hiking Alone, not Lonely Hiking” about how solo hiking can be more fulfilling than being surrounded by people and the rush of a city.

The energy of the outdoors is different. It is almost so big that it seems small.  If you look at a mountain peak from the base it seems impossible but after taking one small step onto the trail you are on your way to conquering the impossible. The perspective from the top of that same peak is one of accomplishment instead of impossibility.  The outdoors give you all of that in one hill and it has plenty of hills, trails, woods, rivers, and lakes to have that same experience with every time out.

10. What outdoor places are on your bucket list?

Redwood Forest Trees
Redwood Forest (Photo Credit: Wilderness Times)

I really want to get to Yellowstone. I went as a kid but don’t remember much.

Also, Glacier and Teton national parks.

And I really want to see the giant redwoods out in California.

Currently I am also trying to do a  hike in all of the counties in Colorado.

11. What is your goal as an outdoor content creator? How can we support you and where can we find your content?  

Fat Man Little Trail LogoMy goal as an outdoor content creator is first and foremost to inspire others who were like me to get outside.  I was embarrassed by my weight, and didn’t have much confidence in hitting the trails in Colorado. But now I have hiked over 1,200 miles and 200,000 feet of elevation gain and I hope to inspire people and show them that if I can do it so can they!

I have one website called Fatmanlittletrail.com with product reviews, trail reviews, and fun anecdotes from my time on the trails to help them see what the journey is really like.

I have a second website that I just launched called 13hikes.com.  13 Hikes is a hiking challenge and outdoor social media community. I have done a couple of the 52 or hike every week challenges and they are amazing, but I was worried that people would be intimidated by that commitment. So I started 13hikes as a way to ease people into the outdoors at a bit slower pace and help them build that confidence so they can transition into bigger hikes and bigger challenges.

I also have a podcast, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, a book on Amazon, a TikTok and I’m sure there is more but it’s hard to keep track.

Like I said I am trying to get the word out there for people to give the outdoors a shot. No matter the skill level there is something out there that can give someone the same mental and physical benefits that I have gotten.

Greg – thanks for the great interview and participating in the third ever I Love The Outdoors Interview!

If are interested in participating and sharing your story, please contact us and let us know!

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