It’s one thing to dream of life on the road but it’s another to buy a van, quit your job and glue your shoes to your manager’s floor so you can’t change your mind.
That’s what Andrew Muse, 33, did over ten years ago – and he never had to go back for those shoes.
Now he makes a living doing adventure sports and filming them across North America with his six-year-old golden retriever, Kicker.
Andrew Muse makes a living doing adventure sports and filming them across North America with his six-year-old golden retriever, Kicker. They’re pictured here in the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho
‘I’m a firm believer in not owning a dog unless you can give it a really incredible life,’ Andrew said. The picture above was taken in the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho
Andrew and Kicker in Durango, Colorado
Kicker was slung into Andrew’s ski jacket from the moment he could bark and has been skiing, snowboarding, paragliding, kiteboarding, white-water kayaking, speed-flying, ice climbing, foil-boarding and wake-surfing.
When we talked on Zoom, Andrew was parked on a beach in Humboldt County in California in his self-converted van, the Museroamer, with Kicker napping by his feet.
The pair were paragliding, mountain biking and attempting to surf waves so big you need towing in by a jet ski (Kicker watched from the beach for those).
‘I’m a firm believer in not owning a dog unless you can give it a really incredible life,’ Andrew said.
‘He seems to love snowboarding most. He’ll just charge through the snow with me – it’s pretty awesome.’
Is there anything Kicker won’t do? Andrew has taken him surfing but said he’s not great at it: ‘He just jumps off – he’d rather swim!
This dynamic image shows Andrew snowboarding off-piste with Kicker in Tahoe, California
Kicker bounds through the snow in the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho
Smiles better: A beaming Andrew gives the thumbs up as he carries Kicker through a Tahoe winter wonderland
Kicker is pictured here in Park City as a puppy. His first trip with Andrew was from Utah to Alaska
‘He doesn’t like skateboards either, but other than that he’s pretty easy going.
‘The whole idea for me is just to keep him safe, happy and comfortable and to build trust.
‘I’ll only do something with him that I’m 100 per cent confident I can get both of us through safely.
‘His celebration at the end is always really fun – he will jump around and you can just tell he’s like: “Yeah, dude!”‘
Andrew and Kicker are pictured exploring an icy cave near the coastal city of Valdez, Alaska
Andrew and Kicker in the Utah desert. Andrew shares his adventures socially, via YouTube (33,000 subscribers) and Instagram (109,000 followers)