Will Collins, the Buffalo Roamer
Will Collins is an outdoorsman, adventurer, guide, writer, speaker, and lover of wild and remote places.
I’ve backpacked the Brooks Range, rafted the Grand Canyon and canoed from Source to Sea both the Mississippi and Yukon Rivers. I live for adventure, travel, fresh air and diving into the unknown.
See a list of my backcountry camping & fishing trips
I have a passion for all things wilderness, and for sharing that passion with others.
From as earlier as I can remember I’ve been pulled toward the natural world. After running around the woods behind my childhood home, I eventually graduated to summer camp in Northern Wisconsin. It was here that my connection to wilderness and adventure took root. A 14 day sea kayaking trip in Ontarios Georgian Bay. A 30 day canoe trip along Saskatchewan’s Churchill river. A 45 day backpacking trip through the remote Brooks Range of Alaska. These trips influenced my life in ways that I can only now understand.
In the summer of 2017 I decided to take a leap into the unknown and fulfill a dream - to canoe the entire length of the Mississippi River, from the rivers source in Northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. I completed the Solo journey in 103 days.
In the summer of 2018 I set off for yet another adventure, this time canoeing the entire length of the famed Yukon River, from Canadas Yukon Territory, through the heart of Alaska until reaching the rivers mouth at the Bering Sea. The adventure took my paddling partner Jackson Hill and I 70 days.
I continue to pursue adventure and open sky, wherever it may be.
I love to share my passion of the outdoors with others. I offer guided wilderness trips, host the Buffalo Roamer Podcast, and speak at events, conferences and classrooms.
Northern Illinois is home. A dot on the map between the Mighty Mississippi and the blue water of Lake Michigan. You’ll likely find me exploring a local river with a fishing rod and canoe.
Get in touch! Email me @ buffaloroamer@yahoo.com
Solo Source to Sea Mississippi River (103 days, canoe)
Source to Sea Yukon River (70 days, canoe)
Backpacking Brooks Range, Alaska (45 days)
Canoeing Saskatchewan (30 Days)
