about jamie. #teamMSO #overland #conservation #appalachia

A little about Jamie and his vision for Mountain State Overland -

Hi, I’m Jamie, a member of Team Mountain State Overland (MSO) and a West Virginian; born and raised.

I grew up in Raleigh County, near Beckley. When I was a kid, we had just 3 channels to watch on TV; not much variety, so we found other things to keep us busy. Apart from chasing each other with sticks, the occasional fight or driving my folks crazy we spent a lot of time outside.

We lived on the other side of my grandfather’s property; when I was 8, we moved to the other side of Beckley. While living on my grandparents property the trip from my house to my grandparents was not a long walk, but for a couple of kids, it seemed endless; we always found things along the way to keep us busy.

I remember that old hollow log that caught my eye, maybe even the big tree that grew sideways from the ground and turned its trunk toward the sky! After we moved off my grandparents property, I always looked forward to the summer.  I knew the summers would allow us to spend more time on that 40 acre farm of my parents.  But we quickly learned that beyond the farms boundaries were new and exciting adventures.

It's pretty obvious, I've always enjoyed the great outdoors; funny thing is, I've never stopped loving being outside. I love the excitement of a 100 or 1000 mile journey, or what lies around the next river bend, trail, or turn in the road; the unknonwn.

MSO is taking me back to my childhood; the world can be larger than life but anything is possible, just go beyond your boundaries. I preserve that excitement for everyone to experience, but the truth is, our forests, natural habitats and resources are dwindling.

If we're not responsible for taking care of this place we call home, then who is? The answer sadly might be, "nobody."

We're gonna take MSO to the road and educate.  Educate on renewable energy and preserving Appalachia for the next generation of explorers, outdoor enthusiast and overlanders.

So join us on our journey, not to go where others have not, but to go there a little differently. We'll make things a little more interesting and maybe we'll even learn a little more about ourselves along the way. Maybe when this is all said and done, we'll emerge wiser and more versed on the abundant opportunities available along the Appalachian Mountains.