At Burgeon Outdoor, our mission is to build a community that thrives in and for the mountains—and few people have embodied that spirit more than Matt. Today, we say goodbye (for now) to an incredible teammate and friend as he sets off to finish one of the most ambitious achievements in hiking: the Triple Crown. Below is a note from our founder, Rudy Glocker, reflecting on Matt’s contributions to Burgeon and the incredible journey ahead of him.
Today is a day of mixed emotions.
Today is Matt's last day.
In just an hour or so, Matt's tenure Burgeon Outdoor will come to end (at least for now). Matt joined the team in October and has done an outstanding job. He has pitched in an helped whenever and wherever he was needed and has also become a pretty darn good sewing machine operator in the time. We are grateful for all he has done for us, but it is sad to see him go.
We are, however, so excited to see him go. In about 48 hours, Matt will be hiking the Appalachian Trail. Assuming he finishes, he will become a Triple Crowner (PCT, CDT, AT). Only a miniscule percentage of hikers complete one of these hikes, let alone all three. We are thrilled for his adventure and wish him the greatest hike of his life.
"One of the great challenges I have as the Founder and leader of Burgeon, is that people like Matt are exactly the type of people we want to hire. People who live the outdoors, people who use the products we make, people who live a full life. We love to have them join our team, and we hate to see them go - but we know that have to - and deep inside we are happy for them.
Matt (trail name Plinko) - please have an amazing adventure. May all your trail dreams come true. May the wind always be at your back and may the sun always land on your face (but not too strongly). We look forward to hosting you when the path takes you through Lincoln (and we can squeeze in a Gorham stop too!).
Godspeed.
PS - assuming Matt (he is the one waving) completes the AT, he will be the 2nd member of the Burgeon Triple Crown Club."