CARLSBAD — Disconnecting from devices and reconnecting with the outdoors, that’s the mission of two organizations teaming up to honor one family’s late patriarch and raise money to encourage people to get outside.
Brad Humphrey’s death in 2018 due to chronic lymphoma leukemia prompted his surviving family members to start a nonprofit, 2B-RAD, to share his love of hiking with others.
Most recently, the Humphreys — Zach, Evan, Mia and Roberta “Bertie” — have partnered with Encinitas resident Sebastian Slovin and his company, Nature Unplugged, for a monthlong series of hikes across San Diego County.
The event, “Experience Nature Unplugged (ENU) Challenge: Hike 2B-RAD,” hopes to raise money to provide scholarships for individuals and families to participate in outdoor programs.
“(Brad) was always out in nature hiking, getting a crew, getting the kids,” Bertie said. “Just the connectivity of that. The partnership for hikes in all of October is so in line with what Brad is and what we’re trying to achieve here.”
Zach, a senior at Cal Poly State University and president of 2B-RAD, said the organization was inspired by his father’s spirit and energy. But it was his mother’s idea to form a nonprofit shortly after Brad’s death. Once the organization was formed, all of Brad’s children, including youngest son Evan, became board members.
Bertie said her husband had a strong work ethic and put in a lot of hours at work. Brad’s method to recharge and unplug was the outdoors, Bertie said.
As for Nature Unplugged, Slovin said his company’s mission is about inspiring wellness in the digital age. According to Slovin, many people are over-connected to technology and disconnected from nature, both of which have big impacts on physical and mental well-being.
“There’s a ton of alignment between our missions,” Slovin said of the partnership with 2B-RAD. “There is a dual purpose — to get people outside experience nature, and to raise funds for individuals and families who are experiencing a financial hardship to get them to participate in a variety of outdoor programs.”
The Humphreys and Slovin are seeking people to commit to hiking, either in person or virtually from another location, and to donate to an individual hiker or team. Participants will estimate how many miles and seek donations while tracking their progress through the month of October.
The groups’ collaborative goal is to raise $75,000, which then will be used to connect those who cannot afford trips or other outdoor nature programs, Slovin said.
“We call Oct. 16 ‘Brad Day’ and we all get together and go out and hike,” Zach said. “It appeals to all the values my dad had.”
The in-person hiking schedule is as follows (all hikes start at 8:30 a.m.): Oct. 2 at Annie’s Canyon, a 1.5-mile loop in Solana Beach; Oct. 3 at Batiquitos Lagoon; Oct. 9 at Tecolote Canyon; Oct. 10 at Fortuna Mountain; Oct. 23 at Sage Trail and Stanley Peak; Oct. 24 at Cabrillo National Monument; Oct. 30 at El Cajon Mountain Trail, and Oct. 31 at San Elijo Nature Center.
