Trail running and Instagram seem go together like Duluth and craft beer. Elite trail runners and other beautiful people have developed their own subset of “trail jealousy,” posting daily photos of their stunning runs high in the mountains of Colorado, along the Northern California Coast, amongst the picturesque rocks of Sedona, and in the vicinity of seemingly every other hip mountain town on the planet.
It’s challenging to restrain envy of the daily existence of those who’s lives appear to revolve around longs days exploring the trails. There’s nothing like a great photo from a high pass in the San Juans to get one dreaming of adventure, setting a new goal, or planning a trip.
The same photos, however, can create an opposite daily reminder that we don’t all live in the mountains. We have full time jobs, spend every bit of our free time at U12 soccer games, and have 17 years left on our mortgages. Don’t take this the wrong way! I love the life I’ve chosen and most everything that goes with it. I’m sure you do too. I also love adventure!
Like most of you, daily adventure for me means peripatetically responding to work email, shuttling kids to and fro, chasing the dog around to give her a bath, grocery shopping, a rushed workout, and maybe an intense post-dinner game of Uno. Boom! There’s certainly an element of adventure to 21st Century adult life, but it doesn’t feel the same as the outdoor adventures that I really need to satiate my incurable wanderlust. Nor does adult life responsibility look as cool as the epic and never ending stream of social media posts created by my favorite trail and mountain athletes.
Instead of collectively hating on those who’s lives appear to be ripped from the pages of a Patagonia catalogue or curated by Salomon TV, I recommend a healthier approach—plan and execute backyard adventures—often.
My definition of backyard adventure is as simple as it is vague. It means find something cool and challenging to do with the resources you have in the places that are accessible to you. With the right spirit and mindset, the most adventuresome among us can satisfy our cravings for something a little wild.
Here’s a real life example from the two creators of this website:
Kyle and I had been loosely connected for a few years. We both liked to run and wanted to run with one another, but family and professional lives prevented us from connecting for a trail run with any frequency. Borne of our happy but fully-committed daily lives came the Wednesday night adventure run. Here’s how it works.
Alternating weeks (with few exceptions over the past several years), one of us picks up the other at home at 8:00 p.m. to drive to a Twin Ports area trailhead for a 2 to 4 hour headlamp trail run. The driver is required to bring two coconut waters and two craft brews which are consumed under the stars, post-run.
Yes, we are just going for a trail run, but Minnesota darkness, combined with technical trails, and unpredictable year-round weather and trail conditions make this a great weekly backyard adventure. Sometimes we finish after midnight (and pay for it the next day). Sometimes we wear snowshoes. And, sometimes we get temporarily lost, fall down, forget to fully charge our headlamps, see packs of glowing animal eyes in the woods, or are forced to stop at country bars, at closing time, while wearing tights—to refill our water bottles.
We’ve concluded that adventure is relative and contextual. If you need adventure, you can find it or create it with what you have and where you are.
Our time and lifestyle obstacles spawned this backyard adventure. We recommend the same for you. Get on mountain trails when you can. Post selfies from the top of Mt. Tamalpais. Travel far off when you can. But don’t lose sight of the endless adventures out your back door.
For a little dose of the aforementioned “trail jealousy,” check out what Kilian Jornet’s backyard adventures are like (warning – there is some sporadic foul language in this video):
Photo by Matthew Sleeper on Unsplash