UnCommonwealth: Explore Kentucky wants to help you experience the outdoors

Gerry Seavo James is not a native Kentuckian, but he is becoming one of Kentucky’s most fervent ambassadors.

James began discovering Kentucky’s outdoor beauty — and exercise challenges — as a student at Campbellsville University.

James’ Explore Kentucky Initiative has grown using social media — first Instagram, then Facebook and Twitter — and a dedicated band of contributors willing to share information on, and sometimes even teach about, how to get outdoors by trail, rock and water.

On Feb. 15, the Explore Kentucky website — Explorekentucky.us — and its Facebook page featured a post about snowshoeing in Red River Gorge.

“While the lakes and rolling farmland of Minnesota have their appeal, nothing beats the geology of the gorge,” the post said. “The quiet, serene, calm was almost too much at the time. ... Many times the city noise, the buzz of life, becomes all too normal.”

Explore Kentucky partners with area companies such as J&H Lanmark and offers varying levels of membership options for the public. It offers group activities such as hikes but also wants to be able to teach skills: James is a certified stand-up paddle boarding instructor.

The goal is not to conflict with state tourism efforts but to complement them, James said. There’s an emphasis on showing Kentucky citizens and potential visitors how, with a little planning and the proper equipment, they too can hike and paddle and photograph their adventures. The organization also will also and share short films about Kentucky destinations.

James also has used the Explore Kentucky brand to get himself free-lance assignments, he said, so between memberships, business partnerships, free social media exposure and James’ income, the organization has stayed afloat.

“We, as citizens, need to patronize our parks more and help save them,” James said. “A lot of people love the work we’re doing and want to be a part of it.”

One way to do that is to work to popularize mountain biking at Kentucky state parks. Another is to teach more people to paddle board. James wants to buy 15 boards “to get the general public out to learn about paddling and paddling safety,” he said.

Josh Patton of London, a mountain biker who works at Mike’s Hike and Bike, said Explore Kentucky “has a huge reach that’s growing daily. Anything posted gets seen by a lot of eyes. … It’s an easy outlet to share what I know, to show places to ride, to spread the word.”

Patton said he plans to post videos on the Explore Kentucky website on subjects such as mountain bike riding at state parks. He also plans “a lot of beginner clinics (for) people who have been one or two times, who just want to get the gist of it all.”

While Kentuckians sit in the midst of a perfect area for outdoor exercise, some have “the fear of failure — of not enjoying it, or not being as good at it as their buddy,” Patton said.

“They’re just not wanting to embarrass themselves,” Patton said. “It’s hard to get started without investing in the gear.”

Kerri Bonner of Paducah, who is a communications associate with Explore Kentucky, said James is the ideal individual to run Explore Kentucky.

“The one thing that struck me about Gerry is how authentic he is,” Bonner said. “He lives it. He has a passion, not only for photography, but for paddle boarding, rock climbing, snow shoeing, you name it. … People look to him for ideas.”

Explore Kentucky is also working with LexEnomics, which works with Kentucky runners and entrepreneurs.

LexEnomics founder Eric Patrick Marr said that James’ enthusiasm should help him develop a business plan and succeed: “It’s a huge opportunity,” he said.

“I’ve had people talking to me, saying, ‘We’re hungry for this,’” James said. “We’re not the first people to do guided hikes, obviously. But we’re the first people to do it linking to social media.”

This story was originally published February 29, 2016 at 12:26 PM with the headline "UnCommonwealth: Explore Kentucky wants to help you experience the outdoors."