My Story

I didn’t grow up in the backcountry, but I did spend time outside.

My dad ran a kids’ camp, so I had access to 300 acres of forest where my parents let me roam freely, but venturing into the backcountry wasn’t much of a thing for me.

The only true “backcountry” experiences I had were on horseback. One of those trips makes me laugh just thinking about it, because now, as a dad myself, I wonder what my dad was thinking.

It was early November, and elk season in Washington. My dad trailered two horses and drove 2+ hours to a trailhead, where we saddled up with guns and headed into the wilderness area. 

We camped between a couple of lakes with no tent, minimal gear, and a basic cotton bedroll to keep us warm, with our horses tied to nearby trees. All I recall from that night was being very cold and wishing the fire would keep burning. 

The following morning, we rode around a few nearby meadows looking for elk and headed home.

Growing Up

After high school, I joined the Marines, served two combat deployments, and came home to start a new life. I bought a house, started a career, and got back into hunting, but it was never more than a short walk from the road. 

I was a few years back into hunting when I realized I needed to get away from the roads and find more space, so I packed my things and drove further up the mountain to a place I hadn’t been since I was a kid to find the quiet I was looking for. I didn’t see much, but it felt like the right direction, and that started my journey toward backcountry hunting.

Around that time, I became fascinated by the idea of hunting from a backpack, but I had no one to teach me, so I taught myself. I had no idea what I was doing and made a lot of mistakes early on. That’s when I decided to start writing about it. I wanted to document my journey and share what I was learning so others wouldn’t have to make the same mistakes. I launched a website, started a blog, and got to work.

Backpack hunting gave me a reason to hike farther from the trailhead and experience the backcountry in a very different way than before. The more I tried, the more I liked it, and eventually being out there became more important to me than filling a tag, but I still had a lot to learn, and information was scarce. YouTube wasn’t what it is now, and the websites I came across felt fake and curated. From the beginning, I promised myself that By Land would always be real, honest, and transparent. I wanted to tell it like it was, share my stories regardless of the outcome, and bridge the gap between outdoor cultures because I wasn’t just a hunter. I was also learning to love backpacking in general.

Early on, someone told me I couldn’t blend the two worlds of hunting and general backpacking because they’re too different, but that only reinforced my belief in what I was doing. I knew there had to be more people like me out there, so I kept writing and covering everything I was learning, whether it was hunting-related or not.

The Pacific Crest Trail

A few years into backpacking, I learned about thru-hiking, and on April 10, 2017, I found myself at the U.S.-Mexico border, looking north at the Pacific Crest Trail, wondering what I had gotten myself into.

I hiked over 2,000 miles of the PCT that summer, and it completely changed my perspective on backpacking. The trail boiled everything down to the basics and gave me the confidence I had been searching for all along.  From then on, backpacking felt easy, letting me focus on the experience rather than gear or techniques.

After I got home, I started my podcast and YouTube channel, and in 2020, I launched my backpacking course for anyone who needed a structured way to learn to backpack. I realized then that my real passion was helping others learn how to backpack and encouraging them to find the adventure they’re looking for.

Life as an Outdoor Dad

I am now in a new chapter of my outdoor journey, and it might be the best one yet: introducing my kids to backpacking, hiking, camping, and hunting. Learning to lead by example, plan differently, and adapt to what kids experience in the outdoors is a wonderful challenge, and it’s made me an even better outdoorsman.

This chapter is different, and it builds upon the ones that came before it. Seeing the outdoors through your children's eyes never gets old. They appreciate the tiniest of things that, as adults, we would never notice. It forces you to slow down, notice the details, and enjoy the moment.

The Journey Continues

The journey is ever-changing. I’ve learned to let certain seasons of life come and go. Some years are full of adventures, and some aren’t. Regardless of how often I find myself in the backcountry, I do my best to make the most of it and appreciate it when I’m there.

As for By Land, every bit of it is a reflection of my time spent in the outdoors.

Thank you for finding my little corner of the internet. I hope you find what you’re looking for, and if not, don’t hesitate to reach out because that’s what I’m here for.

-Emory, By Land

It’s a journey, not a brand.

By Land is where I come to document and share what I’ve learned in the backcountry. It’s my creative playground where I work out my ideas and be myself. Its name is inspired by the journals of Lewis and Clark, and, at a minimum, it’s a record of my time outdoors.

I used to think it might one day be some big outdoor brand, but after more than ten years of writing, filming, and creating, I’ve realized it isn’t, and it doesn’t need to be.

I want By Land to be a place you can come to learn and be entertained, knowing I won't blow smoke or give you an unrealistic version of the outdoors. I have a knack for telling it like it is, and that’s exactly what I do. By Land reflects my first-hand experiences, my research, and the people I’ve learned from. It has no expiration date and will exist as long as I do, and maybe beyond.

It’s not perfect, but it’s all mine, and I think that’s what makes it special. By Land is still here because I believe, now more than ever, that the further into the backcountry we find ourselves, the better it is for us. The outdoors has a way about it unlike anything else.

If we need an adventure, it can be that. If we need it to be quiet and still, it can be that too. And if it’s been a little too long since we were last there, it remains ready for us to return when we do.

But it won’t do the work for us. We have to prepare, observe, and respect it.

The wilderness is a wonderful canvas for self-improvement and reflection, but it can also just be a pretty picture. Not everything we do or see has to be sensational. It can just be what it is for a moment in time.

Whatever the outdoors is, or means to you, is just right. Do what you love and go where you feel led. Try and fail, but just keep going, because that’s where the magic is.

Thanks for being here. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I have.

-Emory, By Land