HIGH COUNTRY VETERANS ADVENTURES
Casey Hopkins
US Navy Veteran
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About me
In October of 2014, I began my six year career as a Mass Communication Specialist in the US Navy. My first duty station was Navy Public Affairs Support Element East in Norfolk, Virginia. I spent the next three years supporting multinational operations aboard several ships including the USS Mason, USS Zephyr, USS Kearsarge, including a six month deployment to the Arabian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea aboard the USS Nitze and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2016. I left the East Coast Thanksgiving-eve 2018 for AFN Naples in Naples, Italy where I served as a videographer and radio DJ. Living abroad was an absolute dream until Italy became the first country to get hit with COVID, at which point I decided that it was time to begin the next chapter of my life. On 17DEC2020 after out-processing in Norfolk, I packed up my rental car with my dogs and anything else that would fit inside and drove straight to Denver, determined to not miss any more of the ski season than I already had.
I enrolled in college, but quickly found myself lost without a purpose and my mental health spiraled. Then in May 2022, I was fortunate to find a job and place to live in the beautiful ski town of Steamboat Springs, CO, where I stumbled into a great new group of friends and support system, who, along with a combination of therapy in the form of skiing, snowboarding, trail running, camping and yoga, have helped me begin find the “peaceful adrenaline” I’ve been missing for so long. Living and working in the outdoors has given me a new lease on life and I feel that it’s my obligation and duty to share that power with other veterans and those struggling with their mental health. When I’m not on an adventure, you can find me at a live show, soaking at the local hot springs, beekeeping or hanging out with my adopted Scicilian street dog, Mogul.
Certifications:
AIARE 1
AIARE Avalanche Rescue
Wilderness First Responder
CPR/AED
Backcountry Navigation
Ski and Snowboard Guide Level 1
