Gray Barbee

Growing up as the son of an elementary school teacher, while my friends got to go home, I spent countless hours after school in my mom's classroom trying to find ways to entertain myself. Computer games and drawing on the smartboard could never hold my attention forever, and when they got old I would always find solace in the same place, the outdoors. It didn't matter if I was finding other after-school kids to throw a ball around with, playing four square with my sister, or nearly busting my ass on the climbing wall out in the woods, the time just always seemed to go by more quickly when I was outdoors. I truly rediscovered this for the first time during the pandemic in the summer of 2020 as my friends and I found our indoor activities limited and spent hours upon hours out on the various lakes and rivers of the CSRA. As I grow older and the complexities of life continue to build, I find one thing that never changes is the joy and comfort I always find from the time I am able to spend fishing, hiking, target shooting, shooting hoops, walking my dog, or any number of activities that simply allow me to enjoy the outdoors.