Pathway Outfitters exists for a simple reason: most people who spend their lives caring for others rarely stop to be cared for themselves.
We guide people — pastors, therapists, counselors, nonprofit workers, and anyone carrying the weight of a demanding vocation — into wilderness experiences that create genuine space for rest, beauty, and renewal. Backpacking trips through Middle Tennessee’s backcountry. Mornings on the water with a fly rod. Someday soon, a kayak, a canvas, and a blank page. Each one an invitation to set down what you’ve been carrying and remember who you are.
We guide people — pastors, therapists, counselors, nonprofit workers, and anyone carrying the weight of a demanding vocation — into wilderness experiences that create genuine space for rest, beauty, and renewal. Backpacking trips through Middle Tennessee’s backcountry. Mornings on the water with a fly rod. Someday soon, a kayak, a canvas, and a blank page. Each one an invitation to set down what you’ve been carrying and remember who you are.
Our story
Pathway Outfitters was founded in 1998 by brothers Mark and Scott Nesbitt, both youth pastors who believed that wilderness had a unique power to form the human soul. What began as an adventure camp for students has grown into something focused on the people who shape and serve their communities — the helpers, the listeners, the ones who show up for everyone else.
Scott passed away in 2000. His vision — that the outdoors is not an escape from real life but a pathway deeper into it — remains the heartbeat of everything we do.
Today, Pathway Outfitters is led by Mark Nesbitt, Anglican priest and lead pastor of Trinity Anglican Church in Middle Tennessee. We are a small, all-volunteer organization rooted in the region’s churches, counseling communities, and nonprofits. Our trips are offered free of charge to participants, because we believe you cannot give from an empty place.
Pathway Outfitters was founded in 1998 by brothers Mark and Scott Nesbitt, both youth pastors who believed that wilderness had a unique power to form the human soul. What began as an adventure camp for students has grown into something focused on the people who shape and serve their communities — the helpers, the listeners, the ones who show up for everyone else.
Scott passed away in 2000. His vision — that the outdoors is not an escape from real life but a pathway deeper into it — remains the heartbeat of everything we do.
Today, Pathway Outfitters is led by Mark Nesbitt, Anglican priest and lead pastor of Trinity Anglican Church in Middle Tennessee. We are a small, all-volunteer organization rooted in the region’s churches, counseling communities, and nonprofits. Our trips are offered free of charge to participants, because we believe you cannot give from an empty place.
Backpacking — 2 to 3 day trips into Tennessee’s backcountry. Small groups, excellent gear, good food, and enough silence to actually arrive.
Fly fishing — Half-day and full-day outings on local waters. Slow, meditative, and restorative by nature.
Coming soon — Kayaking, plein air painting, and guided writing sessions. Each one designed around attention, beauty, and creative presence.
Soundtrack Collective — A companion project offering self-guided digital retreats combining music, poetry, art, and Scripture. Available by duration, for moments when wilderness isn’t accessible but the need for stillness still is. soundtrackcollective.org
Fly fishing — Half-day and full-day outings on local waters. Slow, meditative, and restorative by nature.
Coming soon — Kayaking, plein air painting, and guided writing sessions. Each one designed around attention, beauty, and creative presence.
Soundtrack Collective — A companion project offering self-guided digital retreats combining music, poetry, art, and Scripture. Available by duration, for moments when wilderness isn’t accessible but the need for stillness still is. soundtrackcollective.org
Our Values
Peace
Inspired by Wendell Berry: “I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.” We create space to set down what you’ve been carrying.
Hospitality
A great trip means great gear, great food, and people who are genuinely glad you came. That’s the standard we hold ourselves to.
Growth
Real change happens at the edge of a ridge, a river, or a quiet moment of clarity. We create the conditions. The rest is up to you.
“For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”