A growing number of people with remote jobs are calling Alabama home. And who can blame them? Here, you’ll find a variety of outdoor adventures for every lifestyle, along with the hospitality the South is known for.
Ryan Boyer works remotely as a staff data engineer for Shopify, and when he’s not at work, he’s exploring his passions outside and adventuring near Birmingham. We spoke with him and learned more about his remote role and his favorite outdoor adventures in Alabama.
Can you tell us about your role at Shopify?
My main role at Shopify is to oversee all the data engineering that happens within the Shop org, which is the suite of buyer-focused products that Shopify offers. I influence data engineering and lead that group from a technical perspective, so I build a lot of models and have a say in making sure that our data is well-modeled and accurate.
How do you see yourself growing personally and professionally in Birmingham?
I’ve loved working remotely, especially as an individual contributor, and working from home has been hugely impactful for me to be able to focus. I love the idea of getting more involved with local tech companies.
What is your favorite way to spend time outside in Alabama?
The thing I find myself doing most these days is trail running. It’s easy for me to go to Ruffner Mountain because it’s so close to my house, so I love going for a long, slow trail run. Slow, partially because I’m not very good and partially because it’s relaxing in a different way and it feels like a mental reset.
When I have more time and planning, I really enjoy mountain biking. The larger Birmingham area, and Alabama in general, has quite a few quality biking spots—obviously, there’s Oak Mountain, but we also have Tannehill State Parkand Coldwater Mountain in Anniston which has excellent downhill flow trails. There’s a ton of great mountain biking and I’ve been very thankful for what’s here and surprised as well.
Plus, Birmingham’s a small enough city that there are plenty of fields and sports happening in parks, so I try to play as much Ultimate as I can with the Birmingham Ultimate Disc Alliance.
How have you turned these activities into regular parts of your life?
For me, I’ve really realized my core values include fitness, health and the outdoors. Those are things I value highly, so I want to do them in ways that are good for me, and I found trail running and mountain biking are things that bring me a lot of joy and restoration and a quality of life.
Do you get to enjoy these hobbies during your workweek?
It’s very common for me to go to Ruffner and go for a run at 7 or 8 in the morning and then come back and start my workday. One of my goals for this year is to start doing that with mountain biking.
What’s your favorite Alabama hidden gem?
The first thing that popped into my head was Shangri-La Falls out in Sipsey Wilderness. It’s a very wild area, and it was one of the prettiest spots I’ve been to. The water running there is like that glacier blue color. It’s definitely not a first hike—you need route finding.
I also love the backside of Ruffner. It’s gorgeous this time of year. There’s a lot of wildflowers blooming along the trail from right now at the beginning of the summer and then again at the end of the summer, so I love to just go out there and trail run.
What sets Alabama’s outdoors apart from other states?
The accessibility of nature and wilderness is what truly sets Alabama apart. For me, it’s the fact that I can do just about any outdoor activity (excluding snow sports) I want to do year-round and I can do it quickly and easily because it’s so close.
