Off-Duty Confidential: The Morning Fresh

While many of her precocious cohorts can be found conquering tabletops and investigating the insides of cavernous bars, 23-year-old Katie Boué’s curiosity steers her in the direction of mountaintops, deep into the hollows of caves and onto rugged boulders. She chronicles her copious, outdoor escapades (trust us, there’s many!) on The Morning Fresh, a site that’s brimming with photos and tales of everything from solo camping and cross-country road tripping to hiking and rock climbing. Read all about Katie’s fearless exploits, peep more impressive photos (she’s shaking her picture-hoarding rep) and learn how Nike’s ubiquitous slogan is more than just an exercise mantra—it’s a way of life—on this week’s Off-Duty Confidential. And be sure to check out her blog: The Morning Fresh.

• Name:  Katie Boué

• Occupation: Adventurer might be the best overall word to describe my occupation. I’m a climber, travel blogger, hiker, camper and addicted road-tripper—and to pay the bills, I’m also a freelance copywriter for LivingSocial.

The Backstory 

• At what age did you have your first outdoor experience?

Thanks to zealous parents, I’ve been exposed to the outdoors my entire life. My childhood molded me to be naturally curious about the world with family excursions like weekend camping trips in Yosemite National Park, cruises to Alaska, and a road-trip from coast-to-coast after spending a year living in California.

• Looking back, how did that first experience shape what you do today?

The way I was raised instilled me with this insatiable itch to explore, and looking back at my family hallways lined with my father’s photography, it’s no wonder I’m now so passionate about sharing my travel experiences and inspiring others to embark on their own journeys.

• Why’d you start blogging about outdoor travel?

TheMorningFresh.com started out as an outlet for me to chronicle my climbing trips and share my photography from outdoor bouldering, but quickly turned into a travel blog after I spent the summer of 2010 blogging about my adventures on the road during a chaotic road trip with three dirty boys in a crowded Jeep.

• What’s the most challenging aspect of what you do?

It is so overwhelming to keep up with all the photography that needs to get edited and watermarked, plus the accompanying stories that need to be written. I have over 100,000 photos on my external hard drive, and I’ve really only grazed the surface of the adventures I’ve collected in recent months.

• What’s the strangest thing to ever happen to you on a camping/hiking/biking/etc. trip? 

Strange and funny things always seem to be on the menu during nonstop hauls across the long state of Texas—like alien prophecies written on scraps of cardboard along a farmland fence that I read for at least a mile.

• You’ve got tons of great pictures paired with equal amounts of text on your blog. Do you find one to be more representative of your experiences outdoors than the other?

This is a tough question. I am foremost a writer, with my overall career and four years of university studies focusing on creative writing—but, I think my photography takes the cake on TheMorningFresh.com. Each relies on the other to fully narrate my adventures, but I think my photography rises above the words to best paint a picture of my travels.

• What’s your preferred medium to capture your journey?

I treasure my Nikon D7000 like it’s my child. I take it everywhere with me, and it’s absolutely my favorite medium for capturing my exploits. Whether it’s snapping a shot during a tense moment of climbing, or delicately composing a dainty frame of nature’s tiny plants, I love documenting my travels through photography.

• What’s something most people wouldn’t know about you?

I had to ask my climbing friends for some advice on how to answer this question. The consensus was, most people wouldn’t know that I’m actually pretty intimidated by most of the escapades I get myself into. Lead climbing, being in the woods at night, and trusting failed plans to work out top the list of my secret fears—but don’t tell my readers, I have a bold image to uphold!

Top of the List

• What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten when it comes to the outdoors?

Just do it. That’s what my faithful co-pilot/boyfriend constantly tells me, and I’m sure it will inflate his head to hear me admit it, but he’s always right. Whether I’m at a tricky section of a climb or am feeling apprehensive about trying a new food, he always pushes me to “just do it.”

• What’s the most underrated piece of advice you could share with us? 

Pack snacks. I always get heads shaken at me when I’m loading my bag up with Clif Bars, beef jerky, fruit, and pistachios—but halfway into whatever outdoor pursuit we’re on, everyone comes begging me for some munchies. It’s absolutely worth the heavier sack to have an ample supply of snacks.

• What’s your favorite food to snack on? 
  

I am such a sucker for peppered beef jerky, and one of the few times I can justify munching on a giant bag of it is during climbing trips—how else is a lady supposed to get her fix of protein?

• If it were not for Pocket Ranger® app…?

I would be scrambling to find safe and exciting places to camp. I think state parks are really underrated, and Pocket Ranger® does a great job of giving users convenient access to places they may not have otherwise known about. Since most of my travels take me through places like Florida, Colorado, Utah, and the southeast, I am waiting with bated breath until the Pocket Ranger® app expands to include even more states.

• What are some of your favorite outdoor app? 

I’m a huge fan of the Mountain Project app. It is absolutely essential for climbers on-the-go, providing users with everything from climbing area directions, beta for routes, photos of boulders, and more.

• Music or natural sounds? What’s your outdoor soundtrack consist of? 

I’m a natural sounds kind of gal, all the way. A lot of climbers like to bring music along while they hang out at a crag—which is pretty nice when you’re with a big group basically socializing while taking turns climbing a rock—but most of the time, I prefer a soundtrack of a creek’s running water, critters in the thistle, and wind rustling through the trees.

• What gear or piece of equipment can’t you do without? 

Anything else I could replace or make do without, but I absolutely must have my La Sportiva climbing shoes. They’re like an extension of my body, and I’d be so bummed to come across a sweet climbing spot if I couldn’t just slip on my shoes and hop on the rock. My camera equipment is also pretty crucial – but I just discovered the amazing camera on the iPhone 4s, which is a pretty decent substitute when I’m caught without my Nikon.

• We know it’s like picking your favorite kid, but what’s the most memorable place you’ve visited?

I appreciate that you guys own up to asking such an unfair question—but I’m willing to play favorites. My favorite place I’ve recently visited is Moab in Utah. I spent about a week out there in May to visit two friends who were working as rafting guides on the Colorado River, and fell in love with everything about living in the desert. Arches National Park is one of my favorite parks I’ve visited in America; it’s extremely underrated.

• What’s the question you get asked most often about your profession? About your blog?

People are always curious about how I manage to make a living while heading off on all my extended adventures, which naturally leads to a slew of questions about working remotely on the road while freelance copywriting for LivingSocial. The question I get asked most from my close cohorts about The Morning Fresh is easily, “when are you going to post those pictures of me from the trip we went on?”

• What sorts of easy, go-to outdoor recipe you could recommend to our readers?

My go-to meals during camping trips are very simple, very adaptable, and very delicious. Just stock up on your favorite vegetables, maybe add some diced up chicken or tofu, sprinkle on a few seasonings, and wrap it up in an aluminum foil pouch. Toss your cornucopia of campfire feasting over hot embers on the outskirts of the flames, wait until juices start bubbling out the sides, and you’ve got yourself a delicious dinner.

• What keepsake or memento that you’ve picked up along your travels do you treasure most?

My favorite travel souvenir is actually perched next to me on the couch at this very moment. During a winter trip to climb at Stone Fort near Chattanooga, Tennessee, my companions and I made a pit stop at our favorite gas station at the base of the mountain to stock up on gummy worms and cheap coffee. While there, I spotted this old abandoned beagle scurrying around the gas pumps looking for love. Needless to say, we didn’t think twice about loading her in the car with us and returned home to Florida. Her name is Sender now, and she’s the best companion a lady could ever ask for.

• What’s next for you in 2012?

Every year brings me a collection of unbelievable adventures, and 2012 is no exception. This year I’ll be trekking all over Colorado, the southeast, and hopefully Moab for a few weeks. My main focus for this year is preparing for 2013 when I plan on selling all my stuff, buying a van, and living on the road for a period of fully committing myself to a life of adventure—and of course, I invite everyone to keep up with my travels on TheMorningFresh.com and via Twitter @themorningfresh.