Matt Byars began traveling the country at a young age, as a standout baseball player competing in tournaments.
Seeing all those different places, all life had to offer, that's how he fell in love with the outdoors.
"My parents traveled all over with him for club baseball, and he was able to kind of see what other places were like," said his oldest sister, Lindsay Krull. "He always loved fishing. He always loved being outdoors. And when he moved out to Colorado, he was really able to do all those things to the max.
"We always kind of knew he wanted to live his life to the fullest.