Clay Abney is a freelance writer that recently returned to the Carolina coast, where he spends his days trail running, mountain biking, hiking and paddling the endless waterways. He has swam with penguins in Antarctica, kayaked in the shadows of glacial giants in Greenland and once hiked out of Rocky Mountain National Park after breaking his ankle a few hundred feet below the summit. After that break, he then left less than three weeks later to stand-up paddleboard (SUP) down the Yukon River in Canada, boot and all.
When not writing about awe-inspiring locations around the world, he loves abusing gear, traveling to off-the-grid locations and sharing his love for all things outdoors with family, friends and anyone that he can coerce into an adventure.
He has been a freelance writer for nearly two decades and has covered topics ranging from adventure, travel, backpacking, mountain biking, snowboarding, trail running and paddling.
He has always had an affinity for being outside but it was his time during Boy Scouts (Eagle Scout-1985) that expanded his scope of activities and exposed him to backpacking (external frame packs), rock climbing and whitewater rafting (non self-bailing boats). He has even been a whitewater rafting and sea kayaking guide and done primate research in the jungles of northern Argentina.
His travel plans over the next few years include – climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, SUPing down the Wind River in northern Canada, systematically paddling across Switzerland (connecting areas via train) and a long term goal of retracing the route of a famous Scottish explorer.
You can find his work on outlets such as Matador Network, Men’s Journal, The Manual, Fatherly and more.
Clay Abney