Hi! I’m Nick Doctor.

I was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. Our home was on the dead end of a dirt road, five miles outside of town. I got to spend much of my childhood off gallivanting in the Wyoming wilderness, exposed to the wonder of being humbled by mountains and mystery.

When I moved to the “big city” (Tulsa, Oklahoma - it’s big by Wyoming standards!), I felt like I’d lost the ability to escape to the outdoors: to step away from the black-top streets and pavement, and find the same challenges and calm outside I’d experienced earlier. That longing only increased as the complexities of a hard but fulfilling career, a relationship with a wonderful-but-not-outdoorsy partner, and community commitments made time less available.

To cope, I began planning short weekend camping and backpacking trips. I started inviting good friends to come with me, and designing the trips to introduce them to the outdoors that I love. And I soon had a number of friends who wanted to join me, or who hoped to go on trips of their own. But questions of how to begin planning, the high cost of gear, and safety concerns were tough barriers for them to overcome.

I’ve seen how much joy a new outdoor adventure can bring someone: how freeing it can be to lose cell phone reception for a few days, and how humbling and awe-inspiring it can be to see mountains, valleys, and canyons shaped by power beyond our imagining. And I want to use the knowledge I’ve gained and the equipment I’ve acquired over the years to make those experiences possible for others.

And so I started Outside Made Easy, hoping to make the outdoors more accessible, safe, and welcoming for everyone who wants to wander in the wilderness. My goal is to lower barriers for you to get outside - whether that’s through helping plan a trip itinerary, getting you the right equipment, or guiding you personally.

I specialize in day hikes, quick overnights, multi-day backpacking excursions, and river float trips. If you’re looking to learn how to fly fish or hunt, I’m happy to help there as well. But if you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask - we’ll figure it out together.

I look forward to seeing you outside!

Experienced

I want to plan an adventure that you’re excited about, and one that fits your travel style, budget, and timetable. To meet that goal, it’s important to have experience in both a) those landscapes and situations, and b) planning for individuals at all levels of skill and experience.

In the last ten years, I’ve built up my experience taking friends, family, and clients on every kind of adventure. I’ve led shorter 1-2 night trips: car camping at Devil’s Den State Park, primitive backcountry camping in remote sections of the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, a 27-mile hike along the Buffalo National River. I’ve also guided groups on much longer adventures: a week-long trip to each of Canyonlands National Park’s three districts, a 60-mile backpacking and fly fishing hike in the Wind River Mountains, a four-day off-road excursion along Colorado’s Alpine Loop that culminated in hiking to the top of 14’er Handies Peak, and a five-day backpacking and canoeing adventure of Big Bend National Park.

See the Gallery page for photos from some of these trips!

Safety-Focused

A great outdoors trip involves pushing your boundaries, challenging yourself, and gaining greater self-confidence. But it’s critical that everyone comes home safely, and that all risks are calculated ones.

I’m a certified Wilderness First Responder through the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), the premier medical training program for outdoor guides. In addition to the skills and knowledge I bring, I’ll also help you build a great First Aid Kit that you can use going forward: talking through what’s important, and how to use it. I also bring a satellite communication device on all excursions I guide, allowing you to regularly let your family members know you’re safe - even when outside of cell range - and to notify Search & Rescue of our location if we encounter a crisis.

Committed to Equitable Access and Conservation

The outdoors have always been my place of escape and comfort. But for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and LGBTQ individuals, systemic racism and discrimination often makes the wilderness less safe in both perception and reality.

I hope that Outside Made Easy can, in some small part, work to address that historic exclusion and increase equitable access to the outdoors. And I want that to be the case, even if you choose not to travel with or rent equipment from me. You can find links to other resources, led directly by BIPOC and LGBTQ individuals, on the Outside for All page.

Preserving our wild spaces is also a core value of Outside Made Easy. As a certified Leave No Trace Trainer, all services incorporate elements of how we can explore the outdoors while protecting them - ensuring they are present for future visitors and generations.