Summer internships. That yearly bid for big dreams every college student knows well. They are often deciding moments for young professionals trying to find their best path in life and I wanted to get everything out of my first big opportunity.
The Path to Hyperlite Mountain Gear
I had long suspected that I would find some way to make my living off the outdoors. After my thruhike of the Appalachian Trail in 2017 and a fairly successful first attempt of the Greater Yellowstone Traverse in 2018, I became more focused in my passions of the outdoors. On the GYT hiked with a few Hyperlite Mountain Gear ambassadors and used a Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Windrider and an 8x10 Flat Tarp. By the time I finished that trail I had become enamored with HMG.
In unbelievably lucky fashion, two of my backpacking buddies had been hired by Hyperlite shortly before my attempt on the GYT, so I had a way to make sure my best shots were seen and I was even featured in an advertisement from a shot taken on the GYT! With the help of my friends, my name had begun to be noticed.
As soon as the applications for an internship opened, I applied for anything I could. Within a few weeks, I got the call that I was in! From Trail Days in May to the beginning of August, I would be interning with the Hyperlite Mountain Gear marketing team up in Portland, Maine.
Highlights of Interning With Hyperlite Mountain Gear
The saying “hit the ground running” is more than appropriate for my first experience with Hyperlite. AT Trail Days, a major event for the backpacking community, was my very first experience with the team. I was assigned to document as much as possible with my camera, such as covering our team working at our tent, the hiker parade, an event at the local brewery and anything else Trail Days!
While at Trail Days I got to meet many amazing people including Mike St. Pierre, the co-founder and CEO of the Hyperlite Mountain Gear, as well as his brother, Dan, who is the CFO. Of course, most of the marketing team was there, too, and meeting them was a blast! To help with the coverage of Trail Days, HMG called in a contractor by the name of Dan Ransom who has a wealth of knowledge and a bit of an inspiration to me since.
Before heading back up to Maine, a few members of the marketing team, Dan Ransom and I went to the Grayson Highlands for a photoshoot focusing on a new product release, the Junction! I was delegated the responsibility of producing most of the stills allowing Dan to focus on the video side of the shoot. In just a matter of days, I picked up far more information, techniques and contacts than I thought I could have absorbed in a whole summer!
I honed far more than just photography skills over the summer. Another major project I worked on was competitor analysis for a few different products on Hyperlite’s radar. To do this I became proficient in multiple Google Cloud based applications, went deep into various forums and even helped create questions for a survey customers could fill out to make sure their ideas and voices were heard!
One of the most important tasks I was given while interning at Hyperlite Mountain Gear was to run their Instagram page. From May to August the page grew from roughly 51,000 followers to nearly 60,000, a 17% increase. In that time we implemented some new best practices, including a new hashtag, #hmgtribe, which grew to over 1,000 posts in a few short months. I was also tasked with more day-to-day actions including responding to comments, direct messages and attending to anything else that needed my attention on the platform.
My time at Hyperlite Mountain Gear was highlighted most by the people that I met. Mike and Dan St. Pierre were exceptionally nice and welcoming. The head of marketing, Kelly, made me feel welcomed and always pushed me to dive in with the rest of the team. Sam and Mark, connoisseurs of all things hot dogs, were wonderful role models with years of experience and expertise a field I am highly interested in. Amy, one of the first members of the team that I met, was more than helpful to me since the beginning. Tyson and Kendra are easily one of my favorite couples together and some of the nicest people I have met. The list for people that supported me through various ways goes on and on; Erin, Brock, Victoria, Burkett, John, Adam, Evan. Especially I need to thank Dylan, or Superfly, who I hiked with on the Appalachian Trail and has always been a great friend to me. We would spend nearly every weekend that summer hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and get into plenty of other shenanigans during the long summer days of Maine.
My path to interning for Hyperlite Mountain Gear was not the most direct but it would be hard for me to wish for it happening any other way! I had amazing experiences with amazing people and learned more than I could have hoped.
Thank you Hyperlite Mountain Gear!