I absolutely hit the jackpot when my parents decided to move to Denver, and so I was born and raised in the incredible state of Colorado. It wasn’t until college that I realized just how spoiled I was to grow up in a place with mountains constantly on the horizon.
After my freshman year of college, I took a road trip with three of my high school best friends to Telluride, Colorado, stopping at a range of beautiful places along the way. I had never experienced so much awe of the outdoors, and definitely didn’t know these gems were hiding in my own state.
Going into college in New Orleans, my college years definitely lacked my outdoor ambitions, but were filled with loads of fun in other ways. I just knew after college though that I would want to fully pursue exploring the outdoors.
Although one summer I had lived in Boulder, there was so much of this state I wanted to see. So this summer, despite the craziness of Corona, I have taken advantage of the REI sales, loading up on all the camping gear I could ever need, and am dedicating this summer to the outdoors.
- Hike To begin, I want to hike, at the very least, once a week, and if I’m feeling ambitious even more. With Boulder as my close neighbor, and work from home seeming to be my future, I want to take advantage of long afternoons filled with sunshine and go do some hikes during the week. There is nothing more relaxing than an after work hike.
- 14rs. To piggy back off that, I want to expand my hiking horizons, and try to challenge myself with 14rs, hikes of different lengths, and different areas. I hope to wake up early on weekends and take advantage of the beautiful weather, and incredible views.
- Camp. Next, I want to make my camping game STRONG. There’s so many incredible places in Colorado, that I haven’t visited and camping allows you to have access to these spots with ease. I went on a camp reservation booking spree, and hope to at least camp a couple times a month.
- Adventure. I’m hoping to make some strides with more adventurous stuff like backpacking and rock climbing. I’m definitely fearful of heights and hope to build up the courage to become a pro climber lady.
- Backpack. And finally, backpacking. I haven’t had too many experiences in Colorado backpacking, and have definitely found it challenging with getting permits in time, but this summer I really hope to accomplish some cool multi day trips!
I’m so excited to be starting the summer with this perspective and hopefully fill my summer days and weekends with nature, friends, and getting dirty. My tips for making yourself accountable is creating your list of places and activities you want to go, and fill your calendar! Obviously half the fun is being spontaneous but especially with Covid and increased crowds, you want to plan to ensure you have personal space in nature!
Do you have any spots on your bucket list for your own state or Colorado?
Hailee Boyle Social Media Management 