As the year comes to an end and we reflect on our the amazing year it has been, we think it's safe to say, we're always looking for ways to balance work and play. So, we consulted our good friend, ambassador and resident "dawn-patrol-before-morning-conference-call expert," @kylefrost, for a few tips on getting outside more next year.
Let your Passions Dictate Your Residence
For me, that means living near the mountains. I previously lived in San Francisco, which is a wonderful city that has a special place in my heart. Unfortunately, my options for ‘real’ mountains were either Tahoe (3 hrs) or Yosemite (3.5). This made for some really long weekends, and after a while, I was just incredibly burnt out from driving so much. Now in Boulder, I can practically run up the Flatirons out my front-door and dozens of trailheads for hiking, climbing and mountain biking are a short drive away.
If You Can, Work Remotely
Now, this isn’t an option for everyone, and I’m incredibly fortunate to be in the position I am. However, getting to this point was the product of an extreme amount of hard work to prove my dedication and reliability before I even popped the ‘remote’ question. While I still work pretty much normal hours, it does give me a bit of added flexibility in the mornings and evenings.
Sacrifice Sleep
People often don’t believe I work a normal job. Honestly, I work closer to 50–60 hours a week consistently. There are a lot of hours between 5:00pm on Friday and the start of work on Monday. I once drove from San Francisco to Portland and back in a weekend, just because. We hit Crater Lake, the Columbia River Gorge, Portland, Cannon Beach, the Oregon coast, and the CA Redwoods. I wouldn’t recommend repeating that trip (in a weekend), but it goes to show how much ground you can cover in a relatively short time.
Plan Ahead
The quicker you’re ready to go, the easier it is to get out. In the summer, my backpack and car are usually ready to go by thursday (or just never get unpacked). That way, on Friday I’m ready to roll whenever the time comes. There’s nothing worse than slowly losing motivation as you’re packing, not finding key pieces of gear, needing to go to REI to replace, etc.
Think Small
Not every adventure needs to be an expedition. Get out for a run at lunch, or go for a post-work ride or hike. Alastair Humphrey’s, an adventurer who has biked around the world (amongst other amazing expeditions) coined the term “microadventure”. An adventure that is close to home, cheap, simple, short, and yet very effective. Something that you’ve never done, that gets you out of your comfort zone, yet doesn’t require an extreme commitment. Make better use of your 5–9 every day.
Words and photos by our friend and ambassador @kylefrost
