Going back in time, Davey Edwards, the founder of Open Doors Outdoors had a vision to share the outdoors with others. When he was a late teenager, he would go seek solace in the woods fishing, and imagined a future where he could give people a similar sense of peace, wonder and contentment. Little did he know, but many years later, his dream would come to fruition when the timing was right. However, the road to Open Doors Outdoors was bumpy, and made the work all the more rewarding and meaningful. 

Divorce. Bankruptcy. PTSD. During the darkest times, Davey had three young children, 9, 8 and 6 half time, and needed to keep them moving.  He learned very quickly that if you have money for gas and snacks, you can accomplish anything with your kids! He started with free zoo and museum passes from the town library. It wasn’t long before he started tackling local mountains to help pass the time and entertain his kids. The mountains started easy and increased in difficulty; they started locally with small climbs like Case Mountain in Manchester, CT and Talcott Mountain in Simsbury, CT. It wasn’t long before his kids ascended Mount Lafayette and Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Looking back, he shares that at any given moment one of the kids was laughing, one crying and one completely confused on the tougher hikes. But, the outdoors brought healing to all of them.