During Bobby’s NFL career, the Massies would spend the off-season and bye weeks on guided fly-fishing trips, often in Colorado. But they note that the experiences varied and not all were up to par — despite premium prices. Some guides would have gear strewn across their vehicles and no space readily available for sitting, while others simply wouldn’t engage them in conversation.
“We've been on some guided trips where we showed up and the guy looked like he was surprised we're Black," Angel recalls, "and that's something that me and Bobby can laugh about. But those microaggressions for some folks make it so that they don't have a good time in outdoor spaces.” It’s no secret that the great outdoors lacks diversity in visitors, but the extent to which this is the case may be surprising. According to the U.S. Forest Service national visitor use report, 94.5 percent of national forest recreators from 2018 to 2022 identify as Caucasian.
“There's a history of Black and Brown folks being excluded from the outdoors, whether that's a national park or your local pool,” affirms Angel. “There were laws on the books that historically kept us from feeling safe and recreating in those spaces. We wanted to further dismantle those perceptions about what it means to be Black and Brown in the outdoors.”
Wanderland Outdoors also serves as a platform to uplift minority guides. Partners include Emma Brown, owner and head wrangler of Brown Family Ranch in Boulder County, and Erica Nelson, one of only two Indigenous women fly-fishing guides in the state. Austin Campbell also leads fly-fishing excursions, which take place in Rocky Mountain National Park, the Arkansas River and other Colorado fishing destinations. On select excursions, the Massies will work alongside them and other contracted guides. Bobby will lead all Food x Fire bookings, available as an add-on to half- and full-day outings. Guests can choose from one of three seasonal menus, each featuring three courses. The current ranch-inspired menu spotlights a grilled wagyu tomahawk steak, while the river-themed menu includes smoked rainbow trout, among other seafood dishes. A vegetarian menu is also available.
“ESPN and Food Network are the only two channels I really watch,” jokes Bobby. “Cooking has always been a passion of mine. I grew up in a family that would cook out two, three, four times a week during the summer.” He adds that hunting and fishing were other major pastimes where he was raised, in rural central Virginia.
Campbell impressed the Massies on guided fishing trips prior to them launching Wanderland Outdoors.
Chermetra Keys
Angel’s roots are in Baltimore, Maryland, but she experienced the outdoors with her parents at an early age. Then, when she was a young professional journalist working in D.C., she started a women’s hiking group.
“I've always loved to hike, and then I found mindfulness and meditation,” says Angel. During the pandemic era, she attended and taught wellness, meditation and mindfulness courses at the University of Wisconsin, and became a certified mindful outdoor guide through the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.
Now she implements and teaches these skills when hosting Wanderland Outdoors’ mindful hiking experiences, which take place on trails in Rocky Mountain National Park, along the Boulder Flatirons and other destinations.
"You're not just hiking — you're using your senses to be very present," she explains. "We meditate, then proceed on the hike, and at the end, we do a council by the fire. It's a really cool experience, and a way to deepen your relationship with the outdoors.”
Additionally, every trip hosted by Wanderland Outdoors begins with the history of the area and an Indigenous land acknowledgment. Concludes Angel: “We're a family-run outfitter that is driven by our values [of] kindness, empathy and cultural competency. We’re an outfitter for everyone.”
