“In wildness is the preservation of the world.” – Henry David Thoreau
Hello! My name is Chap Grubb. I went to HMI back in 2008, as a member of RMS XXI. My time exploring the wilderness with Molly and Danny made me the man I am today. The choices I have made to this point are a direct result of learning in the Rockies with mentors and peers. I used to think I hated everything about school—but, HMI taught me how much I love to learn. The lessons taught through those formative months so many moons ago still advise me.
I am so grateful for my opportunity to have experienced such a legendary approach to teaching. My goal for the past decade has been to make outdoor education, and wilderness in general, more accessible, while maintaining a strong moral compass and respect for the undisturbed wild.
I wasn’t quite sure how I planned to accomplish that ambitious goal. I studied English, Education and Linguistics at the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO. I considered teaching. I studied Wilderness Medicine. I lived in a Westfalia. I climbed. I skied. I rafted. I guided.
I have been blessed to experience so many of the complex systems that make adventure sports exhilarating and safe. It is so important that we help facilitate both access and education for all wilderness sports. This is about training humans, young and old, to appreciate, respect, preserve and advocate for Mother Nature. This thinking is a direct result of the discipline and education I received at HMI.
To pay it forward, I created a business that hopes to achieve this goal. The company is named The Rerouted Co-op. We are a new way to buy and sell used outdoor gear on the internet. Our focus is to get gear back in the mountains and provide additional funding for local, wilderness charities. We are encouraging people to not hold onto their gear until it’s outdated and only a collectible. The Rerouted Co-op is gearing up for good in many ways. Supporting other small businesses, up-cycling all equipment, and making accessing the outdoors more affordable.
We accept both consignments (we take the photos and do all the work, you get the money) and full donations. On consignments, The Rerouted Co-op gives 10% of profit back to wilderness charities. Donations will earn 60% of the total sale for local wilderness charities and nonprofits. HMI will be an option for people to choose to donate to when selling or donating gear through The Rerouted Co-op. We are gearing up for good and ready to rock and roll.
The High Mountain Institute achieved its mission when it came to young Chap Grubb. I am a die-hard adventure athlete and passionate wilderness advocate. I connected with nature, became a leader, became a critical thinker, and fell in love with learning. The lessons I learned at HMI inspired me to bring The Rerouted Co-op to life. I am ecstatic about the responses I have received across the board. We are actively growing relationships with the Access Fund, Leave No Trace, and the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, in addition to HMI.
The rerouted co-op is currently planning Gear Up events (collection and sales) in our home state of New Mexico and the front range of Colorado around Memorial Day weekend. We are actively accepting consignments and donations—building inventory is our most pressing goal. If you have any gear to sell through our program, and are interested in earning money for HMI—PLEASE CONTACT US.
We are easy to find on the web—www.reroutedcoop.com. Our social media handle across the board is @reroutedcoop. Additionally, my email address is chapgrubb@reroutedcoop.com and my phone number is (575)-741-6153. Either find us at one of our Gear Up events (schedule coming out shortly) or contact us directly to organize a pick up.
I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Ed Abbey’s Desert Solitare, “wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself.” There is no better way to sum up our mission at The Rerouted Co-op. #gearupforgood.