Birdwatching and Maven Optics

One of the first people I met in Lander WY, when I started working for the National Outdoor Leadership School, was Mike Lilygren. He was working at Wild Iris, the only outdoor gear store in Lander. He was a climber and we quickly became friends.  Mike is an outgoing talkative guy, but he never talked much about himself. Months after we first met I came across an issue of National Geographic Magazine who’s featured story was about a successful expedition to climb Trango Tower in Pakistan. When I looked at photo credit of the familiar looking climber on the cover I learned it was Mike!

Years passed and Mile has gone to be an innovator in the outdoor industry. Last year he and his partners found Maven Optics. They sell high quality binoculars that can be customized online by their customers.

I contacted Mike about making a video based on birdwatching that would help sell his products. The video is autobiographical in nature. When I was a kid, I got into birding at a young age and it was my introduction into the outdoors.

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