Introducing Beyond the Bottom Left
When Caitlin and I had the idea to start Beyond the Bottom Left, an Instagram account we made to chronicle our weekly weekend adventures, we didn’t necessarily have a goal in mind. We liked the idea of putting together a highlight package of all the best moments from our trips, and hoped to inspire others to get out there and explore. Beyond that, it was pure experimentation.
Both Caitlin and I were born and raised on Vancouver Island. We grew up camping, hiking, paddling, cabin-ing, surfing, and exploring, and when we moved to Vancouver for school, we just never stopped. Outdoor activities are in our blood.
Now very much Vancouverites, we’ll always carry a bit of the island in us, along with a love for green forests, salty water, misty lakes, and towering waves. But between the two of us, we bring more than just a love of the outdoors to our photos. With Caitlin’s keen eye for design and my passion for creating, we can’t help but tell the stories behind each photo. To us, each one represents more than a photograph of the PNW’s natural beauty — it represents a collection of experiences we call an “adventure.”
Sometime shortly after our 12th consecutive weekend of adventuring, we started BTBL to begin recording the incredible natural beauty we’ve been so lucky to experience right outside our home in the heart of the Pacific Northwest. We’re now bringing the same attitude into Instagramming that we bring to make each adventure so thrilling — make a rough plan, but ultimately embrace the unexpected.
And thus BTBL was born. In just a few short weeks, we’ve received plenty of positive feedback, amassed around 350 followers, and contributed what we can to help other PNW adventurers like ourselves.
We’ve both been incredibly happy with how BTBL is progressing so far. We’ve become a part of a great community of people who seek adventure as relentlessly as we do. We’ve uncovered hidden gems and ventured in new directions, gotten lost and then found again, and been places that have taken our breath away. We’ve had countless discussions (and disagreements) about what makes a good “adventuregram” name. We’ve tested the waterproofing on our entire kit, then wandered around MEC for hours looking for more. We’ve taken wrong lefts, unexpected rights, and continued when we probably should have turned back.
But there’s so much more to see and so much more to be done. We’re continually discovering fresh spots, planning interesting trips, rediscovering old hikes, and blazing new trails. For every boundary we’ve broken and each hike we’ve conquered, there are more on the horizon: Bow Lake, Banff; Bend, Oregon; and Moab, Utah. The future has never been more exciting.
Beyond simply looking for more adventures, we’re already looking for more ways to collect, inspire, share, and collaborate. Instagram is only the beginning, and we can’t wait for what’s next.
Our guiding principle for the future of our content is simply our mission statement: to inspire exploration in others within and without the Pacific Northwest; to venture beyond the bottom left of Canada into the wilds of the PNW and the rest of this incredible world; and to break down the boundaries that constrain us from Monday to Friday by collecting and sharing the adventures that make us feel alive on Saturday and Sunday.
More than anything, we can’t wait to see where BTBL takes us, and we hope that you enjoy the ride as much as we do.
- Caitlin + Dex
Visit us at @beyondthebottomleft, contribute your adventure story to our publication, or contact us at beyondthebottomleft@gmail.com and just say hi.
