About Crafton Outdoors

Why am I telling my story?  First, in a world of deepfakes and AI-generated content, it is nice to be able to speak in the first person and your own authentic narrative. And secondly, I have found myself in some of the most amazing situations with remarkable people who have influenced my life. Sometimes I can identify with Forrest Gump, “How did I end up here?” I love to share some of these stories, but as my wife reminds me, not everyone has the same interests as I do. Thankfully, social media can “narrow-cast” to people who share common interests. I personally enjoy following many voices on podcasts, social media posts, and blogs.

I had an epiphany in 2025 when I was fortunate to sit next to Dame Jane Goodall at a lunch for Texan By Nature.  I shared my admiration for her contributions to wildlife conservation and compared her to some of my conservation heroes, such as Jacques Cousteau, John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, etc.  She is a tremendous listener and was asking me about my interests. Toward the end of lunch, she told me that I had an obligation to share my story with others. She reminded me that there is a group of people, maybe a few, maybe many, who will be interested and possibly inspired. “Think of all the people who have inspired you but can no longer tell/share their experiences.”

Jane was adamant that I needed to use the media of the day to speak my truth and shine a light on the good works being done by people I know. This is my first attempt to do just that, and I am grateful to give it a try.