Beginner’s Guides

Beginner’s Race Guide: NORAD Trail Race by Mad Moose Events

For my fellow beginner runners looking for a spring running goal, the NORAD four-mile trail race in Colorado Springs is a great one to aim for. I ran the four-mile race this past May to keep me motivated to stick with trail running. Read more
Beginner’s Campground Guide: Aspen Meadows in Golden Gate Canyon State Park

Aspen Meadows in Golden Gate Canyon State Park is a great beginner-friendly camping option for an overnight trip from Denver. It’s one of my favorite places to camp because Golden Gate has the perfect combination of both seclusion and convenience. You’re only an hour from Denver, but also totally in the middle of nowhere with Read more
Beginner’s Trail Guide: Hiking the Caldera in Santorini

When you think Greek islands, you think Santorini. Your next thought may be white houses, cliffs, sunsets…but hiking? Yeah, hiking didn’t come to mind when we first decided to go to the Greek islands for our honeymoon, either, but I was really excited to find out there are some really spectacular trails. Santorini’s Caldera Path Read more
How I started waking up at 6 a.m. to run before work

A few years ago, I went on a health kick. I decided I was going to be “one of those people” who worked out every day before work. That was also the year I realized I may not be as much of a morning person as I once thought. For the sake of my relationship Read more
What it’s like to try rock climbing for the first time

Heights make me very nervous. I max out at around 6 push-ups. And yet, I decided to try out a sport that not only takes you very high up but also relies heavily on upper body strength. That’s right, I went rock climbing. Why? Because I know my fear of heights is irrational. And, I Read more
What it’s like to volunteer on a trail building project (and why it’s important)

One summer, my previous day job took me on a trip to build some trail. Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) helps fund a ton of trail projects, but this was the first time many of us had gone out to actually build one ourselves. We were paired up with a crew from Mile High Youth Corps, and Read more