Ember Range Adventures
I'm starting something new. This time, it's actually risky.
You would think I’m used to this. I’ve started lots of new projects. A theatre company, a podcast, this Substack, plus countless short stories, plays, novels. I started my consultancy in 2017 and have kept it going until today. A few years ago I thought about getting into video game design: I bought some books, wrote a newsletter, did some YouTube videos. But I never put two feet in.
This is already different. Those endeavours were all safe. Ember Range Adventures, could fail just as all the rest—but I’ve never put so much of myself, my time and my energy into a venture. And I only launched it to the public this week. That’s why you haven’t heard from me in a while, by the way. Website, research, marketing, site reservations, insurance, logistics, business administration, becoming a Wilderness First Responder… This is a lot of work.
Ember Range leads group adventures in the Alberta backcountry where a tabletop RPG campaign (like D&D) is woven into the journey. We hike during the day. We play around the campfire at night. I handle the route, the food, and the monsters. You show up ready to roll.
Are you wondering how much the two circles of the Venn diagram overlap? I know there are people out there who would love this—because I’m one of them. The leap of faith I’m taking, I think, is less about the fact that enough people would want to do this, and more about the difficulty of finding them. That could be why nobody else is doing something quite like this. I’ve looked hard. There are luxury D&D retreats in European castles or D&D in a cabin, and there are guided backpacking trips in the Rockies, but nobody has married the two. My bet is that being out in nature and playing TTRPGs go together like peanut butter and jam.
This summer is Ember Range’s founding season. Three adventures, nearly free, with small groups who’ll help me learn what works and what doesn’t. The first departure leaves Calgary in June. Everything — the adventures, the FAQ, how to apply — is at EmberRange.ca. You can also follow along on social media (Facebook and Instagram).
I won’t pretend I’m not nervous. The market is niche, the season is short, my initial target market in Alberta is small, and for now there is a single point of failure (me). But I also know this feeling. It’s the same one I get when I write something real and hover over the publish button. I am here to walk down the street naked. Might as well try the same thing in the bush with some dice!
If this sounds like your kind of thing, sign up. Our first adventure is called Messengers of the Sunset Rift and it runs June 19-22, 2026. Applications are open now until May 19. If you know someone who might be into this kind of thing, please pass it along. And if you want a poster or know where I should put one, let me know!
Oh, and don’t worry. I’ll always be writing. More to come soon.
Did you enjoy this piece? What do you want to see more, or less of, in the future? Let me know!
Quote of the Week
“The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.“
— Vincent van Gogh
Very cool, that you’re striking out on a bold new adventure, both of the imagination and of the more reality based risk-taking type. this is gonna be exciting to see how it unfolds. My quick ideas for finding customers or people that might want to join you on your adventure would be to contact game stores and places where they do lots of public Dungeons & Dragons type of events. I would imagine they might be interesting outlets. Another idea might be contacting places like mountaineers clubs, or even Boy Scout type organizations that do a lot of hiking and outdoors, exploration and might be up for more of a combination. Maybe it’s more for the parents of the Boy Scouts or something? Just roofing on a few ideas. Hope that’s helpful.