Mountain Fork

Adventure, Leadership Opportunities and Nature Education

Mountain Fork creates outdoor adventures that provide unique opportunities for nature education and leadership skills development. Wilderness living skills education includes: planning, organization, risk management and route finding. Indoor and outdoor classroom experiences provide opportunities for individuals to develop leadership skills including:  expedition behavior, self awareness, judgement and decision making and team dynamics.

Nature and environmental education play an especially important role in the Mountain Fork mission.  Environmental ethics and discovery are key components in all Mountain Fork outdoor learning; they provide students with the sensory experiences, group bonding and educational opportunities only available in the outdoors.  Wilderness classrooms provide benefits to students young and old.  

Elementary aged children receive important sensory experiences in an outdoor classroom.  These sensory experiences are necessary for developing early childhood creativity and exploration, and helping them making sense of their world.  The outdoor environment supports emotional, behavioral and intellectual development.  Mountain Fork assists schools in the implementation of outdoor learning curriculum.   

Wilderness classrooms provide adults with nature's many sensory benefits as well as the historical and ecological understanding of the environment.  All Mountain Fork adventures include a nature education component that enhances the adventure experience and provides greater awareness, understanding and enjoyment for our clients.  

Travis' Bio & Background

Founder of Mountain Fork Outdoor Adventure

Although I'm not a natural risk-taker or thrill-seeker, I love the outdoors and the many benefits and activities it offers.  Those benefits and experiences multiply as you acquire and build your wilderness skills. 

My collection of friends have been my pathfinders to outdoor adventure.  Thankfully, I have among my friends: an avocational archeologist, SCUBA diver, fly-fisherman, rock climbers, mountaineers, ski instructors, wilderness guides and summer camp directors.  And with them I've been able to cultivate close relationships while expanding my outdoor knowledge and skills.  Most of my closest relationships have included time spent in the outdoors.  

My basic outdoor skills development began when I was young.  My dad loved to take me and my brother to the mountains and woods of southeastern Oklahoma.  I learned to operate a chainsaw and wield an ax early in life when my family gathered winter firewood in the forests of Oklahoma; and I now look for reasons to help my friends when Oklahoma weather creates opportunities to clear storm debris.

Once, when backpacking the Kenai Peninsula, I helped a gold-miner clear his road after a competitor had felled a four foot diameter Spruce tree across the path to his claim.  His was the largest chainsaw I had ever handled and he made a much appreciated “thank you” breakfast for us in return.  

Mountain biking and hiking took me into the Rocky Mountains as soon as I could drive my car to Colorado. Two of my friends and I took a long trip in the late 1980’s to Buena Vista, Colorado where I grew to appreciate popular outdoor activities - mountain biking, whitewater rafting, hiking and star-gazing.  I have since spent part of every summer in the mountains of Colorado.

That first whitewater, Royal Gorge rafting trip was in the spring when the snow melt was running particularly high.  Our guide “Dom” told us we would need to pay attention to a large hole called Sunshine Falls under the gorge bridge, in front of the camera station.  Our boat dove into that hole at an awkward angle and I was tossed into the air, landing in the roiling waters.  My friend performed the rescue maneuver, we had learned that morning. to perfection and before I knew it I was back in the boat.  I learned a lot about the importance of rafting safety that day.

Most of my outdoor experiences have been in the form of backpacking.  I have logged many miles in: Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, the Kenai Peninsula, Sangre de Christo and San Juan Mountains, the Ouchita wildlife refuge in Arkansas and Oklahoma, Wichita Mountains and Northern Cascades.  I spent the month of June (2016) in the Absaroka Mountains of Wyoming.  The Sierra’s, Big Bend and Northern Alaska are on my bucket list.  

One of my favorite backpacking trips was an out-and-back three-day trip with my then 10 year-old son Jackson in 2005.  We slept under an old NOLS tarp ("Thelma") as I carried most of the gear.  It rained and hailed and lightening struck all around our high-mountain lake camp the first night.  A mule deer stuck his nose around our tarp and it was below freezing both nights.  My son described the events to his mother and then proclaimed, “It was awesome!”  I was so proud of my new adventurer and it was then I realized the joy in helping others in the wilderness.  Jackson became more confident with every return trip to the Colorado high country; and now I hear him giving advice to his friends.

I have run a 24-hour adventure race that really pushed me to my limits; I'm not sure I need to do that again.  And my favorite ski destination is Crested Butte.  I love testing my abilities on any black diamond run with an intriguing name. 

As an Open Water certified SCUBA diver I have been on over 25 dives in Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Hawaii.  My most memorable dive was in Cozumel when a curious nurse shark caught us from behind on a drift dive and bumped my fin looking for the Lion Fish our dive master was carrying.  The five black-tipped reef sharks that circled me and my dive partner off the western coast of Costa Rica was the most thrilling dive as my kids were just 40 feet above us snorkeling.

Hiking highpoints:

Family summit of Mt. Princeton (14,197)

Waterfall hike in Puerto Rico

Cloud Forest hike (with Howler monkeys) in Costa Rica

My son’s first ascent of Mount Yale is a particular highlight (see "Summits Lost and Found" blog).  We had abandoned an attempt when he and his sister were much younger.  It was a special day when he stood atop that peak as he has a very real aversion to heights.  He has bagged a few more since that initial peak.  

Rock climbing and mountaineering have been a more recent passion.  I enjoy rock climbing and learning the skills required for the proper use of protection.  I've begun lead climbing and assistant guiding a route in the Wichita Mountains that my mountaineering friend uses to introduce novice climbers.  The routes we climb are between 5.4 and 5.7 and provide a great experience for beginners.   

My first trip to Mt Baker, in the Cascades, in 2013, was the year the 7 mile road to the trail head was washed out.  I talked my cousin into helping us ride and push his mountain bike with attached trailer up the seven miles and 2700 feet to start our trip.  It was a 5 hour hump to establish our supply cache and reach the trailhead.

Including that week of training and climbing on Baker and the annual father-son Colorado 14er trip two weeks later, we logged 45.7 miles and 19,373 feet of altitude gain.  It was a great month of hiking, climbing and backpacking.  

Kayaking is another recently acquired activity.  Oklahoma rivers are great for kayaking and overnight camping. The fall foliage in southeastern Oklahoma is particularly beautiful.

Other skills I work on as time (and location) permits:

Guitar - because life is better when you make your own music.

Surfing - surfers seem to be the most relaxed athletes.

Zip-lining - the one kilometer zip-line above the Monte Verde rain forest was thrilling.

As a Boy Scout I worked at month-long Summer camps teaching merit badges, participated in a fifty mile canoe trip, and completed a Philmont Scout Ranch adventure.  Scouting provided for my initiation into backpacking and I support their outdoor education efforts.

I enjoy volunteering with Earth Rebirth, a local gardening and environmental awareness non-profit, the local YMCA Outdoor Club, Norman OK Parks and Recreation and The Nature Conservancy.  I am fortunate to work with college-age counselors and young campers at Sanborn Western Camps during the summer months.

Summary of outdoor skills/experiences:

Backpacking

Kayaking (sit-on style)

Canoeing

Flyfishing

Mountain biking

Mountaineering

SCUBA

Whitewater rafting (would love to learn to guide)

Climbing / assistant guiding new climbers - Elk Slab (Wichita Mts)

Certificates & Degrees

Wilderness First Responder (current) / NOLS Outdoor Educator - OECW June 2016 (recert 2018)

PADI - Open Water Certification 

Leave No Trace - Certified Trainer July 2016

Blue Thumb / Project Wet Educator - January 2018 

Masters Business Administration, University of Oklahoma 1992