Travel Awesomely
Group hike to Mt. Cook, New Zealand.
Guide Vern Nelson specializes in world-class adventures to roads less traveled around the world.
Story by Don Gilman Adventure Photos Provided by Vern Nelson
For Vern Nelson, the call of adventure began in the Calapooia Mountains outside Oakland. Experiencing the chilly creeks and verdant hills of southwest Oregon grew in Nelson the heart of a modern-day global explorer.
“That was before we had iPads and iPhones, so we spent a lot of time running up the river, swimming,” Nelson recalls.
When the river ran high, Nelson and friends ran it in an old, patched-up raft.
“I completely should’ve died a couple of times, literally should’ve died a couple times,” Nelson says. “My childhood was great.”
Meet the founder of Roseburg-based Big Life Adventures, a personalized guide service specializing in explorations both around the world and right next door. Nelson’s calling is leading unforgettable visits to places few have seen.
Vern Nelson photo by Thomas Boyd.
That wasn’t always the plan. The original scenario involved Nelson earning an advanced degree then settling down, becoming a high school teacher, maybe getting married and leaving behind his youthful escapades.
His lifelong love of adventure clearly was no passing fancy. But that was his plan, and it took a happenstance or two to get him fully back in the game. While Nelson was relaxing in the waters of Nat Soo Pah Hot Springs in southern Idaho, a group of international travelers appeared out of the dark to join him at the remote spot.
When he learned that a guide working for Trek America had brought them there, a light went on. He recalls thinking, “I could probably do that job.”
Then he promptly dropped that thought for a few months until he ran into another Trek America group while in Mexico. This time, he turned his thought into action, mailing the company an application.
“I sent it in from the jungle I was in, with apologies for the mud stains it had on it,” Nelson says. “Surprisingly, they hired me.”
Nelson stayed for a decade, spending the first four years as a guide and the next six as a training and recruiting manager.
But as he worked for what was then the largest guided-tour company in the world, Nelson noticed potential clients longed for something more in their travels, something personal and meaningful — an experience uniquely theirs.
Nelson’s next revelation, however, was nearly a tragedy. He had ridden his motorcycle to the tip of South America and was returning north to the Arctic when he had an accident in downtown Portland.
Instead of continuing his trip north, Nelson wound up in Oregon Health & Science University hospital with broken ribs, a punctured lung, a broken scapula and spinal injuries.
“I spent 10 days at OHSU and had a lot to think about, and just decided I wanted to get back into guiding,” he recalls. “I had a friend that started a company in Vegas, so I ran a few small trips for her in the summers and then, in 2015, I ran my first tour with my own company.”
Under Nelson’s guidance, Big Life Adventures has thrived following roads seldom traveled.
“That’s what my job is,” says Nelson. “That’s why people go on trips with me. They know I’m going to find the right people and I’m going to take them to places they couldn’t find with a Google search. Finding secret spots is a big part of my job.”
“People know I’m going to take them to places they couldn’t find with a Google search. Finding secret spots is a big part of my job.”
— Vern Nelson
Umpqua Valley travelers Cheryl and Dan Yoder joined Nelson for an adventure in New Zealand in November 2017.
“It was one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever been on,” Cheryl says. “Vern was such a knowledgeable host of information and places to see. It made the trip just perfect.”
The Yoders have enjoyed through- hiking on the hut-to-hut system and sea-kayaking in fjords. They’ve hiked in to see a collapsing glacier and stunning waterfalls. And they aren’t finished.
“Vern’s been trying to get us to do a couple more of his trips as the world opens up again,” Cheryl says. “He’s very knowledgeable and he’s just fun. He’s very entertaining.”
Lem James, another Nelson client, says Big Life Adventures provides exactly what he wants out of a travel experience — more local knowledge and spontaneity.
“Vern is at home around the world and enjoys showing his customers the most beautiful natural wonders from Alaska to Africa and beyond,” says James.
Kevin Mathweg, a Big Life Adventures veteran traveler, endorses both international travel — when it becomes safe — and Nelson’s ability to provide experiences found nowhere else.
“Whether you want to dirt bag it on a beach in Baja, relax in a secluded kayaking cabin in Alaska or live it up in a private retreat in New Zealand, Vern offers it all,” Mathweg says.
Take a look at these incredible adventure photos provided by Vern Nelson:
Like many other businesses, Big Life Adventures was slammed by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially on international bookings. Nelson is hopeful 2021 is better for business.
“This year’s a tough one,” Nelson says. “I’ve got a private tour planned for Alaska. Mongolia is supposed to happen in July. The Spanish Company (a hiking/vineyard trip) is supposed to happen in August. Another Spanish trip in September. I’m supposed to hire somebody to run a second Mongolia tour in September, if they happen. Who knows? I’m hoping for the best and planning for the worst.”
That could be a tall order given Nelson’s clients seem to think he is only capable of planning for the best.
