The Outdoor Edit Gift Guide
THE OUTDOOR EDIT
Move. Enjoy. Adventure.
Hey everyone!
I want to start doing more of these emails regularly, just talking about a couple of things that I'm finding really cool lately—trips I've taken and tips I've picked up, a book I'm digging, a piece of kit that I can't live without, that kind of thing.
And I don't want this to be a one-way street! If you find something super cool that you think would fit into an active, adventuring lifestyle, definitely reach out and share with me—molly@theoutdooredit.com, or just respond to this. I want to know what you're doing, where you're going, what you're wearing, what you're reading, what you're loving!
So stay in touch—and hopefully, you'll find some cool reads, add to your bucket list, and just generally have a happier, healthier day because of some of the tips you pick up!
XO,
Molly
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Bikepacking Obsessed.
I never thought of myself as a bikepacking/bike touristing type of girl... Until I got sent to Arizona a couple of weeks ago for an REI Adventures bikepacking three-day trip through the desert along the Mexico-US border and my eyes were totally opened. If you're like me, a type A/never unplugged/probably too stressed/can't just ride for fun can only ride for training-type person, this is worth trying.
The lead instructor in my yoga teacher training was telling me a few weeks ago that the type of yoga I was resistant to was probably the type that I needed. No shocker here, it was restorative yoga.
It turns out, bikepacking is sort of like restorative cycling. Especially when it takes you offline for a whole (gasp!) 36 hours.
I won't get into too much detail—I have a billion articles coming out that wax poetic about the experience and have a ton more practical info—but in three days and around 110 miles, I fell in love with the desert, slow riding, camping, and having real conversations with people I'd never met before. And I mean real conversations: parenthood (for them, not me), lack of parenthood (for me), religion, philosophy, books, Frasier, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and of course, tons of bike talk... But the bike talk was rarely about power numbers and training volume, it was about where we'd been and what we'd seen.
We were riding REI's Co-op Cycles ADV 3.2 Bike, and while I was a little concerned about the ridiculous weight I was carrying and the bike's ability to handle and actually move, I quickly realized I had nothing to worry about. That bike is a jack-of-all-trades... I kid you not, I bombed down a hill I wouldn't have gone near on my road or CX bike and would have been scared of on my XC bike, and I hit it at full speed, in the drops, laughing like a loon the entire time.
A big part was being forcibly disconnected—there was zero service out there. Peter was actually worried for me before I left, because he wasn't sure if I could handle being offline, on an emotional level. And it was hard—I noticed even when I knew I had no service, I was reaching for my phone to automatically check emails. But by the end of the three days, even when we were back in (semi-crappy) service, I was less inclined to grab for it every time we paused. I found I talked more, thought more, and—after the initial minor freakout—stressed less.
I know this isn't going to be for everyone—but even if you can just disconnect and pitch a tent in the backyard after a ride or hike, and barbeque and hang out by the grill or make a campfire, just for a night or two a month, I think you'll feel massive benefits. I know it made a huge impact on me!