‘Live the Life You Love.’

I was so excited to hear back from Rick when I asked if he would participate in my ‘Meet the Explorer’ Series. I have followed his Instagram account and have been super impressed with his photography skills and the awesome adventures he goes on. Lets learn more about Mr. Anthony!

Instagram:

@rantnv

@rickanthonyphoto

What do you do for a living? 

I am a real estate investor, specifically I renovate houses that I purchased from the bank and resell them to new owners. I started this back in 2012 after selling my security company.

When did you find your passion for the outdoors?

I have enjoyed the outdoors my whole life, some of my oldest memories of me being outside and dirty and loving every minute of it. Some things never change!

What is your favorite place to explore? 

I live in Las Vegas currently so I am always out at Red Rock Canyon. Such an amazing diverse landscape with so much to explore.

How many of the 50 states have you visited? 

I have visited 23 of the states. Almost half way there.

How many countries, where? 

Outside of the United States I have only been to Mexico, Peru and Iceland. I will be visiting Costa Rica and Guatemala next month and Iceland again in the fall.

Best hike you have ever had? 

Best hike I’ve ever had is a tough one, I’ve had some incredible ones. Bridge Mountain out here at red rock after trying to find the route several times and then succeeding was pretty awesome. Standing on top of my first 14er Mt. Elbert was pretty awesome as well.

Essential items for summer hikes/winter hikes.

The most important item for hiking in my opinion is shoes. The right shoes for the situation. I have about 10 different pairs of hiking shoes, approach shoes, trail runners, mid boots, high boots, winter boots….. Always have the right footwear. 

Most comical hike/adventure story? 

So many to pick from haha. I don’t know which to use so i’ll share the adventure of my first drone. I bought a new drone, my very first one  the GoPro karma. It was huge and bulky but I didn’t care and was super excited to go fly it. A buddy and I hiked out a few miles to a waterfall with this monster drone strapped to my back. Finally we got to the waterfall and I set it up and put it in the air for the first time. It was controlling strange and was a little windy so I wanted to bring it back and land it  I hit the “Return to home and land” button within the first three minutes of the first flight. Something had to be off on the GPS though because instead of flying towards me to land it streamlined right at the waterfall smashing into the wall and breaking into tons of small pieces. Ive come a long way with my drone flying since that day haha.  

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Scariest hike/adventure story?

One day out at Red Rock we were trying to find a particular peak, we ended up off route and thought we had to go up a large 100′ wall that was at about a 65 degree angle. Realizing that was not the way, we had to down climb that wall. We had no rope, no harnesses, no nothing. It was the most terrified i’ve ever been out there. A great learning experience though as I never left the house unprepared like that again.

Upcoming trips planned?

I always am planning little adventures nearby. I just got back from Utah an hour before writing these responses. I will go to Moab to visit Canyonlands national park in two weeks, Arizona to the superstitions the week after that and then Costa Rica and Guatemala in a few weeks.

Favorite outdoors gear/lifestyle companies? Any local? 

I like The North Face clothes and Black Diamond equipment. There isn’t much local here… Maybe I should change that…

What does conservation mean to you? 

Conservation and protecting the lands and animals that can not protect themselves is one of the most important things to me. One of the best things i’ve ever read spoke to me in monumental proportion… it said “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it” I plan to do more to help raise awareness. A lot of little things can be done by everyone to do their part.

What can we do to make sure our parks and wild lands stay clean and pure forever? 

This is a really good question to follow up with the previous one. Education is important. People leading by example is important. With the rise of outdoor adventuring following social media, the people that are the “influencers” should be teaching leave no trace principals and how to respect the lands with their posts. People will listen and every person just needs to do their part in the world we live in, the world we share, the only one we have will be a much better place. 

Thank you so much, Rick! I am happy I had the chance to meet you and look forward to future adventures! Big things coming, and I am sure your stories and photos will inspire others to enjoy the great outdoors as much as we do.