Our Story
As many people are aware, the world we live in becomes busier by the minute and many people become disconnected from our ancestral home in nature. Everyone has an expiration date. Being in nature makes us feel alive. We want to live a life with no regrets, a life that we can look back on and know that we shared the ultimate experience together.
We’re Chuck and Holly Winchester. We’ve been planning our adventure for nearly five years.
It has been a long process of readying ourselves financially by eliminating as much financial burden as possible. Chuck has done hours of research seeking the best equipment and gear to support our new lifestyle in an efficient, yet comfortable manner to meet our needs. We’ve been on several Overlanding adventures to test our knowledge of self-sufficiency while living relatively off-grid. With that, we have experienced many trials first-hand, but have learned and grown through the process.
What We Are Most Excited About
We are most excited about being able to have the freedom to explore God’s tapestry with no set schedule or obligations to the machine of corporate America. We are looking forward to seeing and experiencing nature in its raw form as well as educating ourselves about different cultures and ways of living.
MEET CHUCK WINCHESTER
Growing up in a small community in Southwest Georgia, I enjoyed playing outside in the woods and on the dirt roads around my home. I looked to the world that was beyond my sight, and beyond my ability to travel, as what was next. As I grew and became a Boy Scout, my passion for the outdoors was fueled further and blossomed into a strong connection with the natural world. I learned all I could about outdoor living skills. During this time I traveled into the mountains and rivers in Georgia and the Carolinas. I enjoyed hiking and found that with a canoe I could explore this world more comfortably with the gear it allowed me to carry.
I learned how to cook on an open fire, use cast iron, and smoke meat for meals that were outstanding if I do say so myself. I have never had a bad meal cooked outside. Man has sat around fires for centuries for heat, light, cooking, and to share their experiences. By cooking outside, I felt a connection to my past. By gazing into a sunrise I looked into my future and what today might bring. These adventures and planning for the trips came naturally to me, learning to be self-sufficient and ready for whatever nature might put before me lead to my desire to educate others and prepare them for those “unexpected adventures” life throws our way.
A career in Emergency Management was a great fit for me—it was a place where my mind was constantly challenged to figure out how to handle unexpected adventures. In the healthcare emergency management world, I found a way to help the South Georgia communities that had given me so much as a child. Of all the events I have helped my community through—hurricanes, tornados, epidemics, and mass casualties—the COVID-19 pandemic has been the hardest. During the pandemic, I have seen sadness, loss, and despair. However, more often than these I have witnessed love, selflessness, compassion, and true bravery. I am proud of the part I played in helping these brave people, our healthcare workers, continue to do what they do best. All of my experiences have prepared me for what lies ahead.
I approach our travels the same way I approached all the unexpected adventures that came before them. I will use these skills to embrace unexpected adventures and explore a world that many have lost focus on and many fear.
I’m looking forward to sharing these experiences with my wife and soul mate. Here's to seeing this beautiful world through her eyes and living our best life—together.
MEET HOLLY WINCHESTER
I grew up in a small town in Southwest Georgia with a huge love of music and animals. I shared these passions with my late father who passed away in 2020 unexpectedly. I was a horse fanatic growing up but didn’t get my first horse until I was 9 years old, despite begging Santa for a horse every year. My first horse was Jet and I loved being on his back feeling the wind brush my hair with the sun kissing my skin, exploring the land around me, and seeing it for the first time. I loved looking at the stars at night after a long day’s ride while feeding up. I’ve always been enamored with how small the stars made me feel. My father also shared a love of the stars. We would make it a point to track and watch the meteor showers, even watching them from the rooftop of our home.
As I matured, I became fascinated by the human body and how it worked. I chose to become a nurse, following in my mother’s footsteps. While in nursing school, I studied abroad in Nicaragua which is where my passion for travel truly began. I was in awe of the mountains, vegetation, and landscapes that had been foreign to me up until this point in my life. I got to experience the Hispanic culture for the first time and my eyes were opened to a different way of living and loving. I knew that once I returned, there would be many more adventures to come.
I graduated with my bachelor’s degree and immediately began nursing in the emergency department at a local hospital. I was amazed at what the human body could endure and overcome. I felt honored that I got to be a part of that healing process for so many people. My goal was to always be the best part of a person’s worse day, if at all possible.
While working as a nurse, I met my husband, Chuck. His love of the outdoors drew me to him. I wanted to know what he knew and wanted to go where he went. I was privileged enough to be invited by him to an annual camping trip that he called “Chickenstick” where we paddled in a canoe together for the first time. The rest is history. We quickly fell in love and have since experienced many camping and paddling trips together.
Nursing is my passion and through nursing, I found my husband. Throughout my nursing career, I have acquired many skills that translate to wilderness medicine. I am prepared for medical emergencies of many sorts that may occur in the field. I plan to continue my nursing career as a travel nurse in order to have the best of both worlds.