The Wild Shapes Us. I Help You Meet It.

You crave something real—gravel under your tires, sweat in your pack straps, the silence of stone tunnels or starlit roads. I’m Cody Meridith, a U.S. Navy veteran, wilderness guide, expedition photographer, and overlander based in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. My life’s work is helping others experience wild places with intention—and return changed.

More Than Miles—It’s a Mindset

Over the years, I’ve crawled through cathedral-sized caves, crossed rugged desert by 4x4, and bushwhacked through flooded mangrove forests. I’ve taught land navigation and survival in the backcountry, tracked invasive pythons in the Everglades, and documented remote rivers before industry could claim them.

My path as a guide and photographer isn’t about checklists or ego. It’s about knowing a place well enough to care for it—and helping others do the same. Whether I’m leading a family down their first off-road trail or photographing a fog-drenched canyon, I bring a deep respect for the land and the stories it holds.

Because what we protect, we must first know. And what we remember, we must first feel.

Credibility That Comes With Calluses

• U.S. Navy Veteran

• Former National Park Service ranger

• Former Bureau of Land Management recreation specialist

• Expedition overlander, backpacker, canoeist, kayaker, and cave explorer with years of field experience

• Professional wilderness guide and outdoor educator

• Conservationist involved in river protection, cave restoration, coral reef work, and invasive species removal

From limestone passageways hundreds of feet underground to remote desert passes reached only by grit and gears, I’ve traveled the backroads—and backdoors—of the wild. You’ll get a guide who knows the terrain, understands risk, and leads with care and purpose.

This Is What I Offer

🧭 Guided Adventures
Custom wilderness hikes, outdoor adventures, and overlanding expeditions for individuals, families, and small groups. No pressure, no pretense, just real experience, safely led.

📸 Expedition Photography
I document wild journeys as they happen—embedded with you on the trail or in the rig, capturing moments with pro gear and a storyteller’s eye. From muddy Jeep trails to misty karst ridges, we’ll turn your experience into images that endure.

🌱 Outdoor Education & Conservation Workshops for families, veterans, and youth groups. I teach the hard and soft skills: from Leave No Trace and basic navigation to environmental storytelling and survival ethics.

🖼️ Fine Art Prints Images from the edge—scenes from the backcountry, underground, or far off-grid—available as collectible prints for those who feel called to the wild.

Let’s Plan Something Bold

Want to go deeper? Get off-pavement? Crawl beneath the surface or rise above the ridgeline?

Contact me at cody@adventure-bound.net, or reach out here to start your journey.

I’m also open to brand partnerships, speaking invitations, and creative collaborations with companies and causes that care about the land as much as I do.