The concept for Survivor’s Outdoor Experience (SOE) came during conversations between Jack Ganster and his sister, Kathleen Ganster. The two would walk together while Jack was visiting their hometown near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the winter of 2006. Jack had spent the winter of 2004 there after having surgery to remove a brain tumor. Jack recently had sold his store, Olympic Mountaineering, which included guiding for hiking, cross-country skiing, climbing and other outdoor experiences. He was ready to consider his next adventure in life.

Kathleen reminded Jack that at the time of being diagnosed that he had said, “I have no reason to say ‘why me?’ when there are so many people diagnosed with cancer every day. The question should be ‘why not me?’. Now I need to decide what to do with this experience.”

At that point it became obvious that Jack should use this experience to help people who have been diagnosed with this potentially deadly disease. As a lifelong outdoor enthusiast, it was natural that he chose to create a program to provide participants with rewarding outdoor experiences.