After 24 years of service in the US Air Force and Army, Steve Seager was ready to hang up his uniform. It was 2000 and the world felt young. His kids were still small; Steve and his wife had built a house in Northern Michigan and they wanted to focus on raising their family in one place, with Dad home for dinner on a regular basis. Civilian life was calling, and Steve fully embraced a new career and a new community.
Of course, Steve has never been the type of person who “settles down.” Don’t let the house and the Michigan accent confuse you.
For his whole life - and now at 60 years old - Steve runs trail ultramarathons, competes in nordic ski races, scales mountains, bikes, backpacks, and he takes his kids rock climbing. Steve and his wife had a goal of camping in every state, and they recently achieved their goal.
One day in 2016, as Steve thumbed through a Sierra Club magazine, he came upon an article about the Military Outdoors program and outdoor adventure trips geared toward veterans. He was immediately drawn to an invitation for a week of ice climbing in Hyalite Canyon, Montana (read about that trip here).
Hyalite Canyon is a deep, glaciated valley surrounded by 10,000 ft peaks in the Gallatin National Forest. Hyalite has the highest concentration of natural ice flows in the Lower 48, and since it is public land it has become a renowned climbing destination. Steve knew the ice climbing routes in Hyalite would be taller, fatter, and have more diverse features than anything he had climbed in Michigan.
So Steve signed up for the Military Outdoors trip. He packed his bags and drove his Subaru 1,600 miles across the frozen Midwest, through Yellowstone, and high into the snowy canyon of Hyalite - 6,000 ft higher than his hometown.
Steve and eight other military veterans camped in the woods on snow-packed ground, each day hiking deeper into the northern Gallatin Mountains to the base of frozen waterfalls. They climbed, belayed each other, tested out different styles of ice tools, and learned better technique from the local Montana Alpine Guides.
In Hyalite, Steve discovered more than a beautiful and wild canyon and experienced something deeper than multi-pitch ice climbing adventures. For the first time since he retired from military service in 2000, Steve spent a week with all veterans. Far from the distracting pull of cell phones, emails, meetings, family obligations, and all the joys and struggles of his current civilian life, Steve reconnected with his military community and the camaraderie he had set aside 16 years ago.
Steve returned home to Michigan with a new perspective on the outdoors. Steve, who has always loved and recreated in the outdoors, wanted more of his fellow veterans to have the same experience he had in Hyalite: high adventure, meaningful human connection, and wild untroubled mountains.
“I was on fire,” Steve explains. “I needed to get back in the veteran culture and get back into the group. My life had taken me, up to that point, in another direction, [and] I’d been missing it.”
Hyalite ice climbing inspired Steve to be more involved with outdoor programs for veterans. In October of that year, Steve participated in the Military Outdoors’ volunteer training program called Outings Leader Training. Steve drove his Subaru 1,400 miles to Leadville, CO and joined a diverse group of 30 veterans to network, share best practices, and improve their outdoor leadership skills.
“I’m looking to give back,” Steve explains. “My kids are grown up, work isn’t as challenging as it used to be. I said it’s time to give back, but I’m going to be smart about what I’m doing. I’m going to take this outdoor leadership course and come back to Michigan and help out where I can.”
Steve had led outdoor programs in the past, working for the State of Michigan to take at-risk youth rock climbing. In his personal life, Steve also frequently planned adventures for friends and family, taking them backpacking in Zion National Park or skiing in Colorado.
“But what about for veterans?” He asks. “I needed to learn the culture and flavor. I’d been out 16 years. Here’s what I needed [to know]: how to be around and work with other veterans.”
Outings Leader Training gave Steve the exact thing he was looking for - an avenue for supporting veterans through outdoor adventure. “It,” he says -- specifically referring to wilderness adventure, “absolutely provides something special to veterans. When you’re rafting, ice climbing, or hiking I believe the wilderness is a very strong therapeutic tool. And I think it’s a great tool to bring people together, to challenge them, and it brings out the best in them.”
Back in Michigan, Steve began looking for any and all veterans’ programs he could join and support. “The struggle in northern Michigan,” Steve found, “[is that] organizations are few and far between.”
It can also be tough to find local partners interested in the type of outdoor activities Steve seeks -- big mountains, deep snowpacks, whitewater rivers, and colorful canyons. Michigan isn’t known for these things and not many people Steve’s age have his desire to seek out such adventures. “As life changes…[and] as you get older, it’s harder and harder to find people who want to be active with you.”
Fortunately, Steve found the Team Red White and Blue Gaylord Chapter, which encompasses northern Michigan. Team RWB Gaylord actively organizes community service projects, hiking, softball games, yoga, and running events.
A lifelong runner, Steve took a leadership role on the trail running team. In July 2017 Steve organized and ran a trail running clinic for Team RWB during a three-night outing at a nearby state park. About 25-30 team members participated in the event, which included a full or half marathon on the final morning.
“My main thing is that I want to give back. You have to fall into the culture of [your] location, what those veterans appreciate and do. If that’s where you are and they need help in that area, that’s what I’m going to do. That’s the bottom line, giving back.”
Through organizations like the Sierra Club’s Military Outdoors and Team RWB, Steve can find activity partners, adventure, camaraderie, and volunteer opportunities. Regardless of when or where one served, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or ability -- this is the benefit that Sierra Club Military Outdoors strives to create: an inclusive community that enjoys the wild outdoors together.
Steve has always been passionate about the outdoors; now, through his involvement with the Sierra Club and Team RWB, he has expanded his passion to incorporate his community of veterans. “It’s a good fit for me,” he remarks, “I don’t just want to go a long for the ride … You get a lot more out of life by expanding your boundaries and getting involved with organizations that you’re passionate about.”
Be a part of our next outing. Sign up for our Hyalite Ice Climbing trip in March 2018 by applying here. Or check out our other featured trips at www.sierraclub.org/outings/military/featured-trips.