Explorer Spotlight: Korey Taylor

Name: Korey Taylor | Age: 26 | Location: Dallas, Texas

What’s your day job?
Barista/Bartender

What are your favorite things to do outside?
Take my dog on hikes and find places to swim to escape the Texas heat.

What first drew you to the outdoors?
Not by choice at first, my parents took me to hike the Grand Tetons when I was four. I've been in love with the outdoors for as long as I can remember, but what keeps me coming back is the beauty, solitude, and disconnection from every day life.

What’s your favorite hometown adventure? ...and, almost as important, where’s your favorite spot to get a beer after?
I love going to White Rock Lake, it's got a 9 mile trail around it, dog park, paddle boarding, and sailing. I love grabbing a beer at the Meddlesome Moth- tasty tasty craft beer.

What’s your essential gear that never gets left at home?
Honestly, a first aid kit. I'm prone to falling on my face and I always choose the least path taken.

What’s your favorite trail snack?
I like making PB, honey, and banana sandwiches before my hikes.

Any go-to soundtracks when you’re hitting the road?
It changes frequently, but I've been on an Alabama Shakes- Sound and Color soundtrack kick.

What’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened while you were adventuring? And/or, the funniest?
Last February I was hiking down the Grand Canyon by myself to camp at Bright Angel and I got a late start. It was getting really dark and I still had about 3 miles to get down. When I went to get my headlamp I realized I had left it in my other backpack... so I hiked the last three miles in almost total darkness. Every step I thought I was going to fall off the edge, I was terrified... Better believe I pack three different headlamps in several places now.

Who’s your number one adventure partner-in-crime? Who inspires you?
My dog is my adventure partner, I work abnormal days and hours so I generally go during the week and it's hard to find people to join me! For inspiration I read, a lot. John Muir is my spirit animal and I always have the complete works of Emerson and a copy of Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer in my car.

What are your top destinations for adventure travel?
It's nearly impossible to pick! I've been fortunate enough to do a lot of travel, though backpacking in NZ and Switzerland are pretty high on the list.

What’s on the top of your must-do adventure list right now?
South America!! I want to through Chile.

Show us your most memorable photo, and tell us about it!
My most memorable photo is the one I took at Death Valley at dawn. I drove through the night to Death Valley through a crazy rainstorm. Although it was a scary drive, I knew this was going to be a once in a life time experience if it kept raining until morning. I entered the park around 2 am and parked my car in the parking lot of Bad Water Basin, anxiously awaiting for sunrise. The rain kept at it through the night and I was rewarded with some beautiful shots.

And last but not least…What’s your personal motto?
"The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” - Alexander Supertramp