A young Davy Crockett… Stoney Creek’s Oden Parlier creates adventuring content on YouTube while also giving back
Published 12:44 pm Thursday, January 13, 2022
Star Photo/Nic Miller Oden Parlier's Youtube channel "Oden on the Trail" is not only about his adventures, as he also highlights information about his continuing food drive.
Star Photo/Nic Miller Living near the Stoney Creek is an ideal setting for Oden Parlier, whose Youtube channel "Oden on the Trail" focuses on his adventures around the area.
Star Photo/Nic Miller Oden Parlier, star of the YouTube Channel "Oden on the Trail," loves to document his outdoor adventures.
Star Photo/Nic Miller Oden Parlier, at just 10 years old, focuses on giving back to the community along with his social media endeavors.
Star Photo/Nic Miller Oden Parlier hopes to donate over 100 meals to families in need by the end of 2021.
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BY NIC MILLER
STAR STAFF
nic.miller@elizabethton.com
Thanks to his love of the outdoors and an affinity for making videos, a 10-year-old in Stoney Creek is making a name for himself around the country.
Hunter Elementary student Oden Parlier has developed a robust following for his YouTube channel, “Oden on the Trail,” in which he highlights his daily adventures in the beautiful area he calls home.
“On my YouTube channel, I like to go hiking, interview hostel owners, and interview people who hike the Appalachian Trail,” said Parlier. “Unlike a lot of YouTubers, I do not script anything and I just wing the entire thing. I was going to do that with this interview, but my Nann told me I should practice.”
Parlier created his YouTube channel late last year and has amassed hundreds of subscribers, an impressive statistic for such a short time. “Last time I checked my YouTube, I had 444 subscribers, and I have just about every social media you can think of. I have a YouTube channel, TikTok page, Facebook page, and Instagram,” said Parlier.
“I have interviewed some really cool people who have hiked the Appalachian Trail,” Parlier said, “including ‘The Hawk’, who has done the trail six times; the oldest person to hike the Appalachian Trail; and one of the youngest kids to hike the trail, ‘Supergirl’, who hiked it with her mom.
“I also do gear reviews for children’s hiking gear,” said Parlier.
When asked why he enjoys making content for the world to see, Parlier’s answer was short and sweet: “My favorite part about making YouTube videos is mainly that I get to have fun doing what I love.”
The 10-year-old also hopes to use his reach and influence to make positive changes in the lives of others.
“Right now we are doing our second ‘Oden on the Trail Food Drive,’” said Parlier. “Our first one just wrapped up and we did our first food box drop-off and donated 20 meals.
“All together, we hope to donate more than 100 meals by the end of 2021. Some boxes have meals for six, some for four, and some for two. Last year we fed around 30 people and this year’s goal is 100 which we will beat.”
And this plan of giving back to the community is not short-term. “I plan to keep doing food drives and donating food for as long as I can. I love doing it because it means that there are less people that end up hungry.”
Parlier raises money on his Facebook page, “Oden on the Trail” and also highlights it in some YouTube videos, raising awareness for the cause. “We had a Facebook fundraiser and were able to raise about $1,200, and all of the donations together were around $2,000.”
In the future, Parlier plans to expand his platform by finding more areas to hike for his audience.
“So far, we have hiked a few sections of the Appalachian Trail, and around the area we hiked a part of Little Stoney to a natural swimming hole,” said Parlier. “We have some more goals. We are hoping to get to the Smokies and do Mount Leconte in the spring.”
And down the road, Parlier has even bigger aspirations. “We were thinking about hiking the entirety of the Appalachian Trail when I turn 18, so I have got to start training for that.”
