It was one of the most influential trips of my life. I will never forget the phone call from my longtime friend, JT, inviting me on a caribou hunt in Alaska for his birthday.

Spending time in the wilderness with friends and family creates a bond that is hard to describe to those that have not experienced it. When you leave the craziness of the connected world behind, adventure to places where you are no longer the alpha at the top of the food chain, it brings a perspective that makes you appreciate every day, every breath, every step. Adding magnificent landscapes and remoteness just makes the whole experience better.

We landed on a remote strip north of the Arctic Circle. The gear was unloaded, the planes took off leaving us four comrades in the most remote and spectacular wilderness I have ever seen. We set up camp, went for a short scouting hike, took in the awe-inspiring views, and settled into our new home for the next week.

The terrain was more challenging than I had ever experienced. I was so happy to have my trekking poles. Just walking across the tundra took immense concentration. My poles saved me many times, especially crossing nearly frozen creeks and rivers. We got into caribou almost immediately. We were not set up to take advantage of their movement, but we watched and learned. Then the work began…

Carrying all that hunting gear across the arctic wilderness really made me think about my equipment. I was old school: wool pants, leather boots, shooting sticks, binoculars, range finder - standard stuff. I glassed a nice trophy bull, I set up my shot using shooting sticks, but long grass was in the way. I grabbed a trekking pole, used my hand as a rest above the grass, but it wasn’t very stable. That’s where the idea was born. Put a stable rifle rest on the side of a trekking pole.

I came back home with lots of designs. Prototypes were born. And tested, and perfected. The final product is here. The RoadRunner Rifle Rest. Born in Alaska, perfected in Montana. Available to all outdoor adventure seekers using trekking poles.

Rob Blake is co-founder and CEO of RoadRunner Rifle Rest, LLC. Rob is a lifelong mechanical tinkerer with a diverse background in medicine and computer science. He strives to find simple solutions to everyday problems with innovation, ergonomics, and usefulness. Rob has experience with collaboration, putting together expert teams to elevate the company and provide unparalleled service.

Alan Wanderer is a co-founder of RoadRunner Rifle Rest, LLC, and the Executive Vice-President of Marketing. He previously co-founded a medical device company, MSPI, that successfully marketed Hematype®, a safety product used in the majority of blood banks. Additionally, he founded HuggOPTix LLC for products he invented that are marketed to professionals wearing magnifying loupes. His expertise is providing organizational assistance for start-ups to include collaborating with engineers, legal advisors, financial consultants, and authoring as well as strategizing patent development with patent attorneys.

Duncan Blake serves as the Web Manager and Executive Vice President of Sales. Duncan does freelance UX Design work in addition to Web Management services for startups and non-profit organizations. He previously collaborated with Alan Wanderer on the e-commerce and web presence of HuggOPTix LLC. Duncan's Background is in Behavioral Economics, Project Management, and Software Implementation.