Rugged Coins

This story is what gave us the inspiration to create our Rugged Coins, and to use them to spread camaraderie out on the trail.

I was on vacation and hiking in ‘The Valley of Fire’ in Nevada. It was a beautiful day, the sun felt warm, and a gentle breeze was flowing across the desert. I was off trail and climbing up a giant, red, rocky formation to get a better view of the landscape. When I reached the summit, I was surprised to find another hiker already there looking out across the valley.

We immediately started a conversation about the view, which is not unusual for hikers to do. Stig was his name, and he was visiting from Sweden. Our conversation flowed as we began climbing down and hiking back to the trailhead together. Stig and I spoke mostly about travel, hiking of course, and the beauty of where we were that day.

When we arrived at the trailhead, Stig took off his pack, rooted around inside and then handed me a small pin, like someone might wear on a hat. When I asked him what it was for, he responded in his thick Swedish accent, “We have many things in common in life, it was a pleasure to hike with you, so keep this pin to remember Stig from Sweden.”

We shook hands and began walking towards our vehicles. I kept thinking about that pin in my hand, the gesture of friendship from my fellow hiker. When I arrived at my rented SUV, I remembered I had one of my personal challenge coins (I was a Drill Instructor at the time) in my luggage. So, I dropped my pack, grabbed the coin and jogged over to where Stig was parked. I put out my right hand and we shook hands again, and I ‘coined him’. I had the coin tucked in my right hand and passed it to him with the handshake, as I said, " it was great to meet you, safe journeys my friend".

Well, he turned up his palm, moving his hand gently up and down feeling the weight of the coin as he studied it. I could tell that I had gotten his attention. There was a moment of silence and then he said, “Now I have something to remind me of my journey.” Then we gave each other a nod, as rugged men do, and went our separate ways.

I have thought of that encounter, like so many others I have had, meeting hikers on the trail. How we share words of encouragement, wisdom, and adventure with one another as complete strangers. Then, thinking afterwards, that they didn’t feel like strangers at all. 

As avid hikers, my son and I thought, is there any gift for the outdoorsmen that can be passed along, a keepsake that is more 21st century than a standard patch or hatpin... Something you can give as a gift to a hiker that is modern and has a feeling of real value. That’s how Rugged Coins ® came to be, and that's our story.