Frankie Foss
MYSTERY RANCH Hunting Ambassador
Hometown
Seattle, WA
Resides
Kelowna, British Columbia
Profession
Professional junkyard dog & full-time cat herder at Foss Media.
I never backpacked as a kid, I grew up as a city kid and loved it. Recently, I dug through some old boxes and found an oil pastel drawing I made when I was 18 of a mountainscape with a mountain goat perched at the top of a peak. I had never seen a wild animal before, let alone climbed a mountain. I don't know what motivated me to create that picture, but I was unknowingly drawing my future.
I'm happiest when I'm knee-deep in a motherlode of wild mushrooms, casting a fly to an unsuspecting trout on a gorgeous sunny day on the river, putting the finishing touches on a round of French 75's at a dinner party or waking up with the smell of campfire in my hair.
Extended stints in the mountains have provided me with some of my life's greatest lessons. They've brought me to my knees and elated me all the way to the moon. I've become a new person out there, learned to read the language of the landscape and be a part of some wild shit. It's in these circumstances that I have forged lifelong friendships, I've pushed my mind and body to survive in places I had no business being and seen the most breathtaking landscapes I'll remember for the rest of my life.
I am constantly questioning whether or not I'm cut out for these types of expeditions. But then my instincts guide me to a well-hidden morel patch, a caribou pops his head over the hillside, or a heart-shaped patch of snow reveals itself in the screen, and I put those doubts to rest.
Accomplishments:
I’m proud of the city I came from and my ability to sniff out a stellar meal in any town we happen to stumble through. I’m proud to be a reliable and trustworthy friend and teammate. I’m damn proud of my lasagna.
I co-produced a wildlife documentary about Bighorn sheep, "Wild and Wool," which screened at a number of festivals around North America—Banff, Telluride Mountain Film, and Wild and Scenic in 2020. Alongside my two best friends, I produced the film "Will to Live: The Gary Edinger Story" in 2019, which screened at 5Point, Durango and Crested Butte film festivals.
What Mystery Ranch Packs do you Run?
- WOMEN’S METCALF is my #1 favorite pack
- WOMEN’S POP-UP on shorter missions
- Rockin’ the FORAGER HIP PACK on the daily
Favorite Quotes:
“Shit happens. The more life you live the more likely shits gonna happen. If you sit on that couch over there, nothing will happen.” -Gary Edinger