Beginner’s Guides

An Un-Campground Guide: Affordable lodging in Moab

For the uninitiated (aka me before this month), spring is high season in Moab. This is because it’s hot as hell by June. If you go to Moab and you haven’t planned ahead and reserved a campsite, you’re left with first-come, first-serve options on BLM land along Highway 128. The good news is that these campsites Read more
Outdoor Beginner tries mountain biking for the first time

Before a recent work trip to Fruita [FYI this is my day job], the grantees we were meeting enthusiastically offered to take my boss and me mountain biking. We were going there to learn about a trails project we helped fund, and let’s be real, maps and schematics around a conference table only go so Read more
Campground Guide: South Rim at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

I became obsessed with going to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park because of a poster in my office (this sounds weirder now that I’m writing it down) so I made it one of my first stops on a road trip around the state. It’s one of the few national parks where you can Read more
When will you become Outdoor Intermediate?

I get this question a lot. I started this blog three years ago, and to some, it might make sense for me to want to move on from the beginner stage. To climb a 14er, or ski some blues, or to at least stop calling myself a beginner now that I know how to pitch Read more
Tone It Up didn’t work for me

Let me begin with a quick disclaimer — I am in no way denouncing all the hot new fitness communities. If they work for you and make you feel good, great! They didn’t do that for me. And I felt like I was the only one in the world that felt like shit about myself while Read more
Beginner’s Trail Guide: Winter hiking at Paint Mines Interpretive Park

Winter means most Coloradans are headed to the mountains to strap on skis. If you’re still in the mood for outdoor recreation but don’t want the 4 a.m. wake-up call that comes with a mountain trip, head east instead of west to Paint Mines Interpretive Park. How do I get there? Paint Mines is a Read more