Bundokin Glamping: Our Journey Back to Nature
BRIAN JENNINGS, CEO
(Camper, Explorer, Outdoorsman)
"What climbing the corporate ladder looks like now"
After more than 20 years of honorable service in the United States Army, I transitioned into the defense industry, eventually reaching an executive-level position. From the outside, it looked like success. But behind the titles, accomplishments, and long hours, the relentless pace and pressures of corporate life began to take a toll. I found myself searching for something that professional success alone couldn't provide: peace, balance, and clarity.
Finding My Way Back Outdoors
In 2018, that search became a turning point. I embraced remote work and set out on a journey that would eventually take me more than 20,000 miles across the country. Along the way, I camped in remote places, biked unfamiliar trails, hiked mountains, paddled waterways, and spent countless nights far from crowds, schedules, and everyday distractions.
Something changed. In those quiet, wild places, I rediscovered clarity, resilience, and a sense of well-being that I had been missing. It helped restore my mental focus, strengthen my body, and reshape the way I thought about success, health, balance, and life itself. Those experiences eventually became the foundation for Bundokin. Bundokin was created around a simple belief: sometimes you have to disconnect from the noise to reconnect with yourself.
An Unexpected Stop in Etlan, Virginia
During my travels through Shenandoah National Park, I stopped in the small rural community of Etlan, Virginia, where I had the opportunity to stay at the Big Dipper Ranch, a beautiful glamping campground tucked into the Virginia countryside just minutes from Old Rag Mountain. What began as another stop along my journey quickly became something more. I met the owner, Jud Buchanon, and through our conversations, we discovered that we shared a similar passion: helping people step outside their comfort zones, experience nature, and discover what can happen when they slow down and spend meaningful time outdoors.
Bundokin × Big Dipper Ranch
Today, I'm proud to announce that Bundokin has teamed up with Big Dipper Ranch to give more people an opportunity to experience outdoor adventures in a comfortable, welcoming, and safe environment. At Bundokin, our mission has always been about encouraging people to challenge their comfort zones and connect with nature, but we also realized something important. For someone who has never camped before, the idea of camping in a remote area can be intimidating.
That's where glamping experiences can become the perfect bridge. The Big Dipper Ranch allows people to experience the peace, beauty, adventure, and simplicity of the outdoors while still enjoying the comfort and security that can make those first experiences feel approachable. You can wake up surrounded by the Virginia countryside, spend the day exploring nearby trails and mountains, return to camp, sit around a fire, look up at the stars, and begin experiencing what draws so many of us back outdoors again and again. And with Old Rag Mountain and Shenandoah National Park just minutes away, adventure is never far from your campsite.
Welcome to the Next Chapter
Bundokin started with one person's journey into the outdoors, but the vision has grown into something much bigger.
We want to build a community around exploration, wellness, personal growth, adventure, and connection. We want to make the outdoors more approachable while encouraging people to continually push beyond what they thought they could do.
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIG DIPPER RANCH