Lance Garland

Lance Garland is an award-winning and bestselling author. His writing appears in Outside, Travel and Leisure, Backpacker, Orion, Climbing, The Seattle Times, and elsewhere. Awarded the 2024 Pathfinder Prize and an American Alpine Club Catalyst Grant, his work is listed as The Best American Journalism and Best Backpacker Stories of All Time. His debut memoir, OUT THERE: DISPATCHES FROM MY PERSONAL WILDERNESS, was a Favorite Reads of 2025 and debuted as a #1 Indiepubs Bestseller.

Lance has been on the forefront of major societal changes of our time and has focused his life in the service of others. As a veteran of the US Navy during Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, he became a first-generation college graduate and an equal rights activist who fought to repeal DADT and for the freedom to marry, now serving as his department’s first openly gay fireman. With a background forged in adversity, he advocates for diversity and inclusion.

As a leading voice of the queer wilderness experience, he speaks about resilience and representation in nature, highlighting the power of being different while fostering courage in hostile environments. With an emphasis on how individuals who are othered can build community and deepen environmental roots, his work welcomes outsiders to a transformative personal relationship with natural spaces while garnering stewardship of our world.