Our team of outfitters have a combined experience of 40 + years in outdoor recreation and event management, hospitality and the San Diego culinary/libation scene. We are all San Diego born and bred, with a mission to get people outdoors and recreating in our beautiful backcountry.
Whether it’s surfing at one of our world class beaches or mountain biking on our numerous trails – we as San Diegan’s have an outdoor oriented culture and active lifestyle. We are dedicated to keeping that tradition alive and servicing the needs of the recreation community in Mount Laguna.
Derek Marso
Company FounderDerek Marso is the owner of the Valley Farm brand in San Diego with locations in Spring Valley, La Jolla and soon to be Del Mar.
In 2022, Derek purchased the old Blue Jay Lodge & Restaurant in Mount Laguna, joining the team of concessionaires and outfitters in the Cleveland National Forest. He transformed the complex into The Outpost by Valley Farm, providing a one of a kind culinary and mountain hospitality experience. The project has been a tremendous success, which allowed him to quickly expand into recreation services with Mount Laguna Outfitters in 2023.
Derek is an avid outdoorsmen, hunter, nature and wildlife enthusiast. One of his greatest passions is exploring the wilderness and great outdoors and facilitating that experience for others.
Valley Farm was founded in 1956 in their Spring Valley location and Derek is the 3rd generation at the helm. He quickly made a name for himself focusing on specialty products to the traditional products in the store, as well as Meat and BBQ. He brought in a wide selection of USDA Prime and Choice Beef from Omaha Nebraska, fresh Seafood flown in weekly from Alaska, distribution of Julian Pies, Fine Wines and Craft Beer and other boutique products. Marso is a butcher who continued his father’s focus on Barbecue with the Valley Farm Market BBQ Shack, which serves Barbeque plates of brisket, pulled pork, tri-tip and BBQ sides by the pound. In September 2018, Valley Farm BBQ was named “San Diego’s Best BBQ” by iHeart Radio.
Shantel Seoane
Co-founderShantel is the founder of Alter Experiences LLC and your host extraordinaire. She has been an outfitter in the Cleveland National Forest since 2019, offering glamping experiences, event management and mountain bike rentals services. She has been working in the international hospitality industry for most of her life including; reservations, front desk, guest relations and marketing. Shantel joined The Outpost team in January of 2023 and oversees our hospitality branch. She’s very familiar with the region through her many year of outfitting. She takes a lot of pleasure in hosting outdoor experiences and being a Cleveland National Forest brand ambassador.
Shantel is a nature lover, environmentalist, avid hiker, biker and diver. She has a deep passion for nature conservation and especially marine life conservation. She lives in Julian full-time with her husband and also has a home in Baja California, where she offers cross border tours and nature immersive experiences.
Rami Abdel
Co-founderRami is the co-founder of Alter Experiences LLC with his wife Shantel. He has many years of experience in international hospitality and business development and specializes in internet marketing, technology platforms, digital media and videography. Rami also has extensive experience in the San Diego craft beer and food scenes, having worked under distributors like AB, Crest Beverages and Stone Brewing for many years. He was working as a full time videographer with Eevelle until 2022 and is now outfitting full-time in the Cleveland National Forest, working on various projects and community initiatives.
Rami has served as a board member of the Julian Chamber of Commerce, developing destination marketing campaigns and various other projects. He played an instrumental role in the development of the Julian Town Square project, advising the JCHF board since their first meeting, running campaigns, fundraisers, events and managing their internet marketing & PR.
Rami has a passion for community activism, entrepreneurship, nature travel and the great outdoors. He’s an avid outdoors man, hunter, mountain biker, PADI rescue diver and spear-fishermen.