A number of charitable organizations offer programs where you can train and compete for a cause.
Do your non-cycling friends think you’re overly ambitious (or insane) when you tell them you’re going to ride 100 miles in a day?
Over dinner with several
girlfriends recently, we talked about what trips we had coming up. But instead
of saying, “So where are you going on vacation this year?” it came out “So what
are your next adventures?”
The Merriam-Webster
dictionary defines “adventure” as follows:
1 a: an undertaking
usually involving danger and unknown risks b: the encountering of risks
2: an exciting or
remarkable experience
3: an enterprise
involving financial risk.
I was surprised to see that
two of the three definitions include the word “risk” (albeit the third refers
to business). When I think of adventure, terms such as fun, new and exciting
come to mind. But I guess there’s a risk in anything we do, whether it’s
crossing the street at a busy intersection or mountain biking down a steep and
rocky descent.
One of my most recent
adventures was a winter weekend in Steamboat with a girlfriend at the Vista
Verde Ranch. A dude ranch in summer, Vista Verde is a cross-country and
backcountry skiing oasis in winter. Tucked up next to the Routt National
Forest, the ranch is host to mile upon mile of snowy trails to explore on skis
or snowshoes. They groom 20K of track for skate and classic skiing, but their
hallmark is endless backcountry touring.
We were told about a
unique spot to ski called Hole in the Wall Canyon and the way we would access
the trailhead was via snowmobiles. Our guides had rigged up one of the ranch’s
snowmobiles to carry skis, so off we zoomed into the national forest to an amazingly
beautiful and remote place where we had the trail to ourselves. It was truly a
unique—and adventurous—way to get there. As for any risk involved? I just held
on tight and let my guide do the driving.
So what’s on tap for
spring and summer? Plenty of mountain and road biking, camping with family over Memorial
Day, a backpacking trip to the Grand Tetons and maybe an adventure overseas (to
be determined). My list will continue to grow.
To get you thinking about
ideas for adventures, we’ve pulled together some great stories both in this
month’s issue as well as online. Coming this summer, mark your calendars for a
number of great sports festivals around the state including the Teva Mountain
Games in Vail and the annual FIBArk Festival in Salida, which celebrates its
60th anniversary this year.
Interested in exploring
the backcountry but not as interested in having to lug a load on your back?
Hire a wooly llama to help. The Rocky Mountain region is host to numerous
llama-packing companies that will organize a great backcountry adventure for
you with llamas to carry your gear.
We had so many great
adventure stories this month and unfortunately too few pages. But don’t worry
about missing out. Just log on to our website for more adventure tales
including:
The Other Rockies: My successful search for Colorado-style activities north of the border in British Columbia. www.rockymountainsports.com/features/the-other-rockies.html
Putting the Aaaah in Hiking: Read about how the Devon Hiking Spa combines hiking and spa into one great experience. www.rockymountainsports.com/features/hiking-spa.html
Surviving Survival School: Head into the unknown on a wilderness survival course. www.rockymountainsports.com/features/surviving-survival-school.html
Henry David Thoreau wrote, “We should come home from adventures, perils and discoveries every day with new experience and character.” Keep this in mind as you embark on your next adventure, whether it be as simple as hiking or running a new trail, signing up for an event for the first time, loading your gear on a llama and heading into the backcountry or hopping on a plane and heading to a faraway place. Safe travels.
Rebecca Heaton, Editor
rheaton@rockymountainsports.com
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