Jul 234 min read

Say Yes to Adventure!

CBB’s Dominguez Hut Trip

My approach to adventure is the same as it once was to dating - say yes. It’s either gonna be a good time or a good story and on occasion, both. What I know for certain is I’ve accumulated my fair share of quality storytelling material through the years.

Saying yes to adventure is to assume a certain level of risk and uncertainty as you venture into the unknown, sometimes with strangers. When it’s in the backcountry, these assumptions tend to escalate. Last fall I scored two spots on CBB’s Dominguez 3 Day 2 Night Bike Trip thanks to the raffle at COPMOBA’s end of season gathering. Elated at this brilliant and generous prize, I walked back to my table of local ladies who had already decided they were all in!

Our June departure date arrived in a hurry and our group finally met in person on Day 1 at the CBB shop in downtown Fruita. Kevin, “The Hut Guy”, sat us down for the mandatory safety talk, including viewing trail intersections on the large screen to ensure we did not lose our way (and need to call him at 2 in the morning for an emergency rescue). Naturally, our group's first goal was set: "don't become one of Kevin’s future pre-trip safety stories." With a heightened awareness (and slight anxiety), we’d soon be on our own to negotiate stream crossings and less traveled trails in order to arrive safely at our hut by sundown.

After a quick hour drive into the Uncompahgre Plateau, we thanked Kevin as he snapped our obligatory group photo before pedaling off into the wilderness. With a sense of awe and wonder, we inhaled the scent of pinyon pines and exhaled slowly before veering right and laying eyes on the most ginormous bear prints I'd ever witnessed. For several tense miles our route followed these bear prints as we nervously talked louder and increased our cadence, remembering that we were the visitors in this vast open space.

Ezzy emerged as our navigator, commanding authority in her rainbow bright tutu and her planning prowess with her laminated directions mounted cleverly from her cables. After an afternoon filled with traversing through stream crossings, off-camber steep hike-a-bikes, one route finding mishap and a loud boom of thunder, our hut magically emerged in our sight lines.

We were school-girl giddy to arrive at our home in the wilderness for the night. Like kids at sleep away camp, we hopped on the bunk beds and rummaged through cabinets, discovering a bottomless candy supply and a cooler stocked with cold beer. With the gift of free time, no wifi or cell service and hours of daylight, we played with a newfound freedom - a few rounds of washer toss, perfecting our techniques and talking smack followed by impromptu ultimate lessons thanks to Coach Nicole teaching us how to throw flick. While hut trips do include moments of Type II “fun”, they are equally about unplugging and spending all day outdoors. Post-pandemic there’s a plethora of research correlating how nature increases our wellbeing, happiness levels and sparks creativity. On your next walk, listen to The Nature Fix to learn more.

Sharing intimate sleeping quarters and navigating the backcountry together accelerates camaraderie and forges bonds quickly (we never did set our eyes on that big bear). Whether it be learning who served in the Peace Corps in Thailand, discovering who nibbles, squirrel-like, on their fig bar in their bunk bed for their two a.m. snack or who is plotting to write her first novel, these unveilings likely wouldn’t surface over a weekday coffee meetup. Spending time in nature has a special way of bonding humans as we unplug from our modern lives, form a cohesive group to cook, share meals and coexist.

When we unplug and get off grid, there are magical shifts that happen. Without any devices to distract our attention, we’re fully present to savor each moment. Our brains aren’t thinking about cleaning out the proverbial inbox, if the trash is getting picked up tomorrow or if we closed the garage door. Instead we decide we need a team name for our adventure crew and laugh uncontrollably when Team Muffin Tops is blurted out. Was it just a few hours ago that some of us were strangers, meeting for the first time? It isn’t until a much needed snack break on Day 3 that I notice a sticker on a friend’s bike - TwaatWaffle - which becomes the new favorite word of the day - and seven women in the wild explode into laughter like a gaggle of school girls unsupervised on the playground.

It’s these spontaneous bouts of laughter that stay with you long after you avoided a meltdown climbing that brutal hill only because your buddy resuscitated you with copious handfuls of Haribo candies. Saying yes to adventure is choosing to embrace snippets of Type II “fun” and it’s probable that on your bike you'll feel exhausted, exhilarated, fearful and triumphant, perhaps all at once. You'll likely daydream about a sag wagon appearing over the next hill while wondering why and who talked you into this nonsensical idea - and

it is in these moments you realize that the only way out is through.

You’ll realize that the one thing in your locus of control in the backcountry is you: Will you react or choose to give yourself the space you need to respond? You’ll emerge on the other side more resilient, self-reliance and confident, knowing you can have a ridiculous amount of fun while doing hard things - and all of these moments become a part of your story. Plus, you'll accumulate quality storytelling material for your next date, adventure or both.