Adventure Lifestyle Hack #1: Food

I have over 2,000 followers on Instagram.

Yowzas!

I know compared to some people, that is a fraction of the number they have. That's the number of likes they get on any post of their's. However, for me... Well, gosh. I can't imagine over 2,000 people liking my stuff enough to want to see more of it. I am humbled and flattered by their following and liking my material.

Now, in those couple thousand people, I've had several reach out and ask me,

"How do you do it?"

"How do you live this lifestyle of constant adventure?"

I've thought about it for quite some time now, and here's my answer:

Giving up.

Photo by: Cassie Lewis (aka my mom)

I have given up a lot of things to live a life of constant adventure.

Adventuring the way I do, is not comfortable.
It's not glamourous.
I don't have the latest and greatest of everything... In fact, I don't have much. And most of the gear I do have are either hand-me-downs or gear I am borrowing from my mom. I'm lucky she's quite the adventurer, herself.
My Gregory Deva 60 pack (pictured) is the same one I have been using since I was 15 years old. (Quick shoutout to Gregory for being absolute the masters of the pack industry). The straps are not new and fancy. The color is not one of those newer, cool, girly colors that I love so much. (I'm looking at you, powder blue). My 1995 mini van is falling apart, and rattles so loud, that I have to put it in park in the Chick-fil-a drive-thru just so the attendant can hear me on the intercom. (Oh and that glorious new, copper Jeep Rubicon? No, that's my mom's. And yeah, she's a badass.)
My dog's backpack is a hand-me-down, hand-me-down with one of the straps poorly stitched back together and then wrapped in duct tape. My camera is not mine, it is also a hand-me-down from my father's previous photography business. My trekking poles don't match, they're hand-me-downs from my mom.

But here's the first thing that I gave up to be able to afford the mountain girl lifestyle:

Food.

Just to clarify, I did not give up food. I gave up yummy, expensive food. 

This past summer I was checking out at REI just before a one-nighter backpacking trip. 

My purchase: 

- A sh*t ton of those new/featured flavored Clif Bars (mmm)

At the register next to me was a group of kids my age. Two boys and two girls. They were talking about their two-night backpacking trip planned for the upcoming weekend. 

Their purchase: 

- $75 (each) worth of "just add water" backpacker meals

HOLY MOLY. 

I can't ever imagine spending $75 on food for a two night backpacking trip! 

Don't get me wrong. Those meals are cool and all, but if you're a young kid like me with minimal income, those things are just out of the question. (Not to mention, they're actually not the greatest when it come to efficient, lightweight packing, either.)

There are so many other options. And just cause they may take a bit more planning, doesn't mean they're not worth it. 

Instead of purchasing a just-add-water packet. I make my own just-add-water packet. Yes, it's totally do-able! 

Do you know how cheap a bag of rice is? A bag of beans? Well, lemme just say, they're cheap, and they can go a lonnng way. 

So, here's a quick and easy hack that you can do next time you're planning an adventure!

Here's what you do: 

1. Grab some rice, dehydrated veggies, beans, jerky, seasonings of choice, (and if you are gonna be in need of a little extra energy, throw some protein powder in there). 

2. Figure the amount that works best for you and pre-determine how much boiling water it will take to cook that amount. 

3. Take all of those ingredients in the individual meal portion you had already decided on and throw them in one of those Ziploc steamer bags. (AKA, they are made to handle boiling water.) *wink wink* See where I'm going with this? 

           Note: You may want to write the amount of boiling water each meal takes on the ziploc in case                      you forget later. 

4. Throw those suns'uh'bitches in your pack. 

5. Hike up a mountain. 

6. Set up camp. 

7. Bring proper amount of water to a boil over your campstove/Jetboil. 

8. Here's my favorite part... Pour boiling water directly into ziploc! Close 'er up for 5-10 minutes, giving that goodness a chance to cook up properly.

9. Open ziploc and EAT DIRECTLY OUT OF BAG. 

                   No dirty camp dishes to deal with afterwards!

10. Seal 'er back up when you're done and throw it away in your trash bag. 

           Note: The Ziploc steamer bags have small holes in order to steam properly. Any juices left                            after your meal will still leak from the bag. I know from experience... So make sure you                          throw it away in a trash bag that also seals (ziploc). 

P.S. You can also do this with your morning oatmeal! 

             (Try throwing some dehydrated milk, nutz, and protein powder in there for an extra morning                 boost!)

When you continuously work to save money in small areas, the amount your saving slowly builds. It also turns into a routine. Making it so that instead of occasionally going on adventures, you can begin to live a lifestyle that is constantly ready for adventure. 

Happy Trails! 

- Dai

Do you have any food hacks you like to do when prepping for your adventures?
Sharing is caring. (: 

Naw'lins

Have you ever had no interest in going someplace, but still have to go see it?

That, for me, is New Orleans. Or more any place in the south. I grew up in the midwest, and so I hate humidity.. with a passion... almost as much as I hate being in hot humidity. Therefore, as much as I've wanted to see the Big Easy, I also never wanted to set aside time or money (that could be used elsewhere) to go and see it.
When my mom first proposed the trip to me, with her having a meeting at a hotel on Canal Street and cheap flights available for me to tag along... I said "no", because I didn't want to be taken away from all of the glorious El Nino snow in Colorado. However, as the date approached, Colorado had experienced nearly a week of 50 degree weather... blegh!

And now here I am, sitting in a cafe on Canal Street, soaking wet from walking about in the warm rain (something I don't get to experience much in Colorado). But now I'm sitting inside, watching the rain come down and enjoying the fresh smell it brings. Washing over the historical cobblestone sidewalks and making all of the plants on the balconies lift up their leaves, filled with life and color, like the brightly faded walls and window shutters surrounding them.

This place was definitely what I would consider a culture shock. I'm not really sure that it's essence can be described in words. The people, the architechture, the music, the food... it's all so... quirky. So intriguing. And, smelly.

We arrived on Saturday evening and decided to walk to Bourbon Street to see what all the hooplah was about. My mom had been here 20 years ago, so she had an idea of what it would be like. I start getting dressed... ripstop shorts that are three sizes too big, cinched in high on my waist and a white-thin button up shirt, tied tight just above my shorts, then Chacos. Naturally.

"Um... You may want to wear your boots," my mom says with a smirk on her face.

So I throw on my chunky Lowa trekking boots, knowing that my mom never leads me astray on these kinds of things.

We leave the hotel lobby and I'm busy looking up, soaking up the vibrant vibes on the streets. Within half of a block of leaving the hotel, I manage to step right in a pile of vomit.

"Ohhhh!" Several young men shout as I walk by... Hahahah I look to my mom and thank her for making me put on boots.

The rest of the evening was, by far, without a doubt, THE most disgusting evening I have ever experienced. The entire of Bourbon Street was packed with young, and old, people... all of which were beyond a level of drunk I have ever seen. Sloshing, shouting, boobs, butts, vomit, barefoot girls, piss... And these were all things that I saw in the gutter on the side of the street. Oh my word, the smell was unbelievable. Unimaginable. I felt as though I wanted a cigarette, simply to block out the smell. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life... and the fact that the smell of one in passing was a relief to my nose might give you a good idea of just how awful the stench was.

Granted, I still managed to get pretty buzzed myself, and that certainly helped with the general disgust I had towards the place. Mm. Those frozen margaritas are to die for.

After that evening, I decided that the day time would be more my thing... as is the case everywhere I go.

And it really was quite interesting! The day time crowd consisted mainly of Canadian tourists in their 50s. Shopping for trinkets and drinking Louisiana Lemonades, which, might I say, are quite tasty.

My mom and I walk to the Frenchman Market and ordered (adult) fruit smoothies for breakfast... shoot. A shot or two of rum in my pineapple smoothie is a little different than my usual choice of coffee.

This was a very different type of vacation for me. Drinking, walking through a city, taking photos of buildings and people, listening to live Jazz music, eating THE BEST comfort food I've ever gotten my hands on (yeah, I'm looking at you, you Creole seasoned shrimp and andouille sausage). Ugh. The thought of it still makes my mouth water.

Walking around the French Quarter was a cool experience, feeling like I was in a different country.. Like, I don't know.. France 'er something.

One evening I was asked out by a cute waiter to a local bar with gypsy/punk/country music playing. Talk about culture shock! What a cool local vibe. Dreadlocks, combat boots, face tattoos, handmade leather clothing, overalls... I felt like I had entered a Burning Man after party filled with transients and bayou folk. I didn't take any pictures, unfortunately. But let's just say that I certainly got a good taste of both the tourist portion and the local vibe during my stay in New Orleans.

Here's some more photos I took during my stay.

Have you been to New Orleans? What are your thoughts?

Happy trails!

Dai

Mayflower Gulch

We all have "those" places.

Those places we go when we are incredibly happy.
Those places we go when we are sad.
Those places that couldn't make you feel more alive.

Those places that make you breathe and remind you that the petty problems of your life are just that, petty.

I have a lot of favorite places in Colorado, and elsewhere. However, there is one spot that I always crave and always find myself coming back to when I need time to think, or maybe time to not think. And that, for me, is Mayflower Gulch.

Sitting just a few minutes drive from Copper Mountain, there is a parking lot just off the side of the highway. Rather unnoticeable, I actually didn't realize it was a trailhead the first few times I had driven past it. Then, one day, I decided to stop by and see what it was all about.

And that day was truly the day when I found that my love for Colorado was deeper-rooted than I had ever realized.

The hike to the base of the "amphitheater" takes less than an hour, and it is one of the less strenuous hikes in the Rockies that I've done. But good golly. This place is proof that you don't always need to hike miles on end to find amazing views. Not to mention, this place has little trials breaking away all over the place. I haven't even come close to exploring everything it has to offer.

I have come here countless times, now. Exploring the small mining cabin ruins that sit at the base of the ampitheater-shaped peaks. Snowshoeing through the quiet snow-covered trail... and maybe even post-holing a large portion of the way up, before deciding that snowshoes were worth the purchase. I've sat in the sun, and jumped around on rocks. I've gone and made videos and taken pictures. I've gone and not taken any pictures. I've hiked tuna-packet picnics to the top and shared them with Trev dawg. I've cross-country skied back here, and maybe even wiped out pretty good (who knew that was even possible on XC skis?!).

No matter what I do in this magical place, I always... always leave feeling cleansed of the stressors of everyday life.
This place reminds me that God is good, and that life is so much more than just surviving.
This place reminds me that life is for living.
...for breathing.
...for exhaling the bad, and inhaling the good.
...for sharing these moments with others, and for enjoying the solitude.

I have been here more times than I can count, and it will always be one of my favorite places in the whole wide world... winter, spring, summer, or fall.

So much so, that I'm always hesitant to share it with people who do not already know about it.
But, when it comes down to it, I enjoy hearing friends and acquaintances tell me about how much they loved the place. Sharing is caring. So next time you've got the time, swing by Mayflower Gulch and feel all of your worries just slip away...

Google Map of Mayflower Gulch