Behind the Scenes of Keystone Land & Sea
A life long allure to the outdoors, with an affinity for quality camping and outdoor gear. Tim Swavely has followed his passions to all four corners of North America to gaze upon exquisite petroglyphs, million year old fossils, and dinosaur bones in undiscovered caverns in Tucson, Arizona; to climb steep sandstone and granite faces of our countries finest mountainous regions and canyon lands like Cochise Stronghold, Joshua Tree, Mt. Lemon, and the East's Red and New River Gorge, Rumney, the Gunk’s, and local favorites, the Bird and Green Lane. He has left only footprints on many of North America's best wilderness trails, the Hoh Rainforest, the San Juan's, the Grand Canyon, the Appalachian and Black Forest Trails, Acadia, and the Pisgah National Forest, to just name a few of Tim's favorites. Throughout his travels, Tim has been guided by the connection he has with nature. Learning along the way how to become part of the scenery and find tranquility in all that surrounds him, no matter the adventure. Tim also practices leaving only (slow) footprints and taking only pictures, lots of pictures (Turtle, his lifelong nickname is a perfect fit, say his outdoor friends). Keystone Land and Sea will be honorable stewards of Nature, aligning with it's followers to truly follow and defend their natural resources.
Who is this guy anyway?
Remember when you’d get kicked out attempting to snowboard?
With Tim's skateboarding background it only seemed natural to give away his skis in 1986 when he acquired a Burton Performer Elite 150. Growing up in hills of Berks County created great opportunities for bombin' hills on any board! Though he was not allowed to snowboard at any of the ski resorts at the time, Tim would sneak in and hike up the mountains at night to ride, only to be caught once. This lit a spark, which began the quest to snowboard on top of some of the most pristine endless snowy peaks from the San Gabriels and Sierras of California, to the Southern Cascades up to British Columbia, throughout the endless peaks of the Continental Divide, and the entire northeast. Chest deep in powder, ignited a fiery passion that will forever drive his ambitions. Finding himself daydreaming of yesterday, Tim anxiously awaits the day he will be able to use his Level 2 snowboard instructor certification to light the same spark in his two sons, much like he was able to do with his wife, who's always excited to get out on the slopes as soon as winter arrives.
Really, a surfer from PA? Or maybe just a waterman?
On his quest for adventure and following his passion Tim has found an undeniable love for the water. Yes born in Pennsylvania his family travelled to the mountains where they would camp, hike, hunt, canoe, and fish but the beach trips were always the ones he looked forward to the most. Tim moved to the beach after graduating high school and the surfing life consumed him. Battered by the enormous learning curve and unpredictability of surfing the east coast, Tim eventually became an accomplished surfer. Following the tides like a lifelong fisherman Tim found himself surfing both coasts in epic conditions, usually on the days preluding major storm swell like head high at Malibu, OCMD Inlet for a 12 foot Hurricane Bob and Mannasquan during Category 5 Hurricane Isabel at 15 feet, before finally getting the guts to surf some prestigious spots on the Hawaiian Island’s of Oahu and Kauai.
Though grounded to the earth in spirit, in liquid is where Tim finds his peace. When not able to get to the ocean, he will most likely be out paddling either one of his kayaks or paddle boards in the multitude of diverse waterways we have in and around the Keystone State. From the northern Delaware to the Brandywine from Pine Creek and the Susquehanna to Black Moshannon, Blue Marsh, Nockamixon and Green Lane. The rivers and creeks are abundant in Pennsylvania , the winding riverbanks lined with oaks, hemlocks, maples, birches and sycamores offer a home to a diverse and extensive ecosystem. Tim frequents two specific rivers and their trails, the Perkiomen and the Schuylkill, year round on foot, bike, kayak, paddleboard, or snowshoes. Keep you eyes and ears alert, you'll be amazed by what you will see and hear along paths of these quaint waterways.
Tim has spent most of his life traveling, snowboarding, skateboarding, surfing, climbing, bouldering, hiking, kayaking, paddleboarding, and camping, through many regions of our natural landscape in search of the perfect peacefulness and serenity to be taught the next lesson in adventure, the next lesson in life. (Or insert a specific inspirational quote by John Muir) And much like the turtle returning to its native beach, Tim always returns to the Keystone state to celebrate its diversity of recreational activities. Allow Tim to share with you his passions for what he believes to be the necessity of our future; to bring us all back to where we started...back to nature, by land and sea.