Every fall in Wyoming and across the nation, bright orange hats and vests dot the woods, and the lights from headlamps and trucks can be seen in the early hours of the morning. Hunting season:a time where men and women suffer through cold darkness in silence in order to provide food for their families and preserve the traditions of mountain heritage. 

For many, this kind of relationship with the natural world —hunting, fishing, or camping — seems out of reach. For some, it’s the lack of a mentor. Others might not have access to parcels of legally-huntable land. For others still, the physical demands of such an adventure  may seem too great to overcome. 

Through their outdoor education programs, The Outdoor Dream Foundation and Polestar Outdoors strive to prove that anything is possible. The Outdoor Dream Foundation has been helping youth who have been diagnosed with terminal or life-threatening illnesses make their outdoor adventures come true. So far, over one-thousand youths have been impacted through Outdoor Dream. 

Polestar Outdoors, based out of Powell, Wyoming, uses hunting and fishing as venues to bring together adult mentors and young people from all walks of life. Their programming focuses on tradition, conservation, and leadership through backcountry experiences. 

Through resourceful and dynamic approaches to facilitating hunting and other outdoor activities, these organizations help hunters achieve their dreams and goals in the field — even in the face of some staggering odds.

Take, for example, Kenneth “Chip” Madren, a twenty-five year-old from Georgia, and Elk Team Six: made up of his closest friends, and his mentor Ron Vining from Polestar Outdoors. Chip has been undertaking expeditions with Polestar Outdoors for several years, and most recently, he traveled to Wyoming to fill his first elk tag.