Trail Review: El Dorado Canyon State Park

In the spirit of working off the countless amounts of carbs I (happily) took down on Thanksgiving, I spent my Black Friday hiking with my better half in El Dorado Canyon. Despite the less than encouraging name, the Rattlesnake Gulch trail was a perfect post-Thanksgiving day hike.

The best part about El Dorado Canyon State Park was that (like Staunton State Park) its less than an hour from Denver. The drive is super easy, except for the fact that the last mile of road isn't paved. As long as it's not super muddy or bad weather (why would you be hiking in that situation anyways?) you should be fine, even if you don't have four wheel drive. There was a Camry parked next to us that presumably survived the drive up and back.

Surviving Winter: Gear Up For Cold Weather Running

I got the urge to begin running in mid-October, which was a pretty poor choice on my part. Within weeks of starting Project Become A Runner, winter arrived in Colorado. Here's my guide to not freezing your ass off (completely) as a winter runner.

Under Armour ColdGear compression layer and Big Logo Storm hoodie. Hat from my first race, the Ugly Sweater Run. Run the race and get one too!

November's Adoptable Adventure Dog: Charlie

**Update** Charlie was adopted shortly after this blog was posted! Thanks Outdoors Beginner readers!

Hydration Basics: How To Make Sure You Won't Be Hating Life On The Trail

I realized I may have jumped the gun by diving into finding the right reservoir before going over basic hydration tips. Staying hydrated (no matter how you actually take in the liquid) is one of the most important ways to make sure you enjoy yourself outdoors. 

You may be wondering, "It's 5 degrees in Denver right now, so I don't think I'll be breaking a sweat any time soon. Do I really need to worry about staying hydrated during a polar vortex?"

The answer is a resounding yes. Colorado is dry, and gets even drier in the winter. Even if you don't live in Colorado, your body uses up a lot of water to heat up the freezing cold air that you breathe in all winter long, making hydration a year round priority.

Adventures in Hydration: My Quest To Find The Right Bladder

By now, I've realized that most people actually refer to bladders as reservoirs, but why pass up the opportunity to use a completely ridiculous term for outdoors gear? Plus, it's funny to see people's reactions to sentences such as, "I need a new bladder, mine keeps leaking."

Immature humor aside, I've been on the hunt for a reservoir once I started wanting to go on longer hikes. Your first and most obvious option for hydration is a water bottle, but a reservoir lets you go hands-free and bring a lot more water with you, which is important if you're going to be out on the trail for several hours.

Worth Your Time: REI's Snowshoeing Basics Class

2015 will mark the first time I don't migrate to Florida for the winter in several years, so I'm super excited to spend this winter trying out snow sports. I tried both downhill and cross-country skiing once last year, so not only am I excited to learn more about those sports, I'm pumped to try out snowshoeing so I can hit the winter sports trifecta.

Step one of my foray into snowshoeing was REI's Snowshoeing Basics class at my local store. The class was free and definitely worth my time. I highly recommend it to any fellow beginner as a great complement to your outdoor education journey (that sounds very Colorado-ey of me, doesn't it?). 

Since hitting the trail myself, this blog has become a mash-up of the REI class plus my own experience as a first-time snowshoer. The REI class gave me a really solid foundation of knowledge, so I definitely encourage you to check it out for yourself - classes run throughout the winter. Worst case scenario, you get a 20% off coupon to use and you found out you don't want to attempt snowshoeing. 

Hiking the Eastern Side of Rocky Mountain National Park

Now that I've finally gotten around to writing this blog, there may be limited time for you to take advantage of the trails in Rocky Mountain National Park. There were snow flurries in the mountains today, so get out there while you still can!

The entrance to the eastern side of RMNP is right outside of downtown Estes Park. Now that Highway 36 is completely restored after last year’s flooding, the drive is an easy and scenic hour and a half from Denver.

Staunton State Park, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways...

I’ve been to Staunton Stake Park twice, and I’m already in love. When my parents visited from Maryland a few weeks ago, I needed an option for hiking that wasn’t too far from Denver. It also had to offer doable trails for people living essentially at sea level. Staunton has all of this (and you don’t have to sacrifice views!). Not only did my parents survive the trip, but our friend Leah who legitimately lives AT sea level (the Florida Keys…lucky lady!) also enjoyed an excursion at Staunton.

Staunton is one of Colorado’s newest parks (like really new – it just opened in May 2013) and it does not disappoint. It's less than an hour from Denver, and the drive is not only gorgeous but easy. Totally manageable for tentative mountain drivers and the park is easy to find.

Campground Review: Platte River Campground in Pike National Forest

I’ve had this idea in my head for a while about camping on the river. I was envisioning a very zen experience with riverfront camping – waking up and opening up the tent to be right on the water. The fact that I learned it’s actually a horrible idea to pitch a tent that close to water (flooding, etc.) is irrelevant, but in my quest to camp on the water, my boyfriend and I decided to try out a weekend at the Platte River campground in the Pike National Forest.

September's Adoptable Adventure Dog

**Update** Rory was adopted the weekend after this blog was posted! Thanks Outdoors Beginner readers!

Campground Review - Big Meadows at Shenandoah National Park

Big Meadows is as close to an ideal first campground as you can get. With real bathrooms and a host of other amenities, it's a great introduction to camping without sacrificing scenery. Here's what you need to know before you go.

Directions
At just over two hours from DC, Big Meadows (and Shenandoah in general) is convenient to the entire metro area. You do have to take 66, meaning you will want to gouge out your eyeballs if you leave anywhere close to rush hour. This shouldn't be an issue if you're camping on the weekend, or if you can manage to leave by lunch on Friday. 

How To Pick The Perfect First 5k

Honestly, I could sum up this blog in one sentence. Make sure your first race is going to be FUN!

If you're looking to sign up for your very first 5k, you're most likely just beginning to run. I started trolling for the Perfect First 5k almost immediately after deciding to try out running. I wanted a concrete deadline of when I needed to be able to run 3.1 miles to keep myself from slacking off. I'm cheap enough that shelling out $35 to run around my own city is plenty of motivation to stay on track.

My only goal (and yours should be too) for my first race was to not walk. I am not in the elite athlete category, so I passed over any races that even mentioned qualifying for anything, course records, age group finishers, etc. And I found the perfect one: The Ugly Sweater Run.

That is a child's skirt. Billy is sporting a women's plus size turtleneck. Gotta love K-Mart.

Beginner's Guide To Choosing Your First Campsite

Camping is supposed to be a simple way to connect with nature, but if you've never done it before, choosing a campsite can seem much more complicated. Fortunately, you can book a campsite online in most parks at www.Recreation.gov. Even if you can't book your campsite online, playing around on the website will help you learn more about potential campgrounds.

My Love Affair With Darn Tough Socks Continues

I thought it was impossible to improve on the perfection that is Darn Tough’s ¼ Hike/Trek Sock. Then I met the Light Hiker Micro Crew.

As the name implies, it’s a lighter sock, which is something I was in desperate need of this summer. My feet tend to sweat (yes this has already come up multiple times in this blog!) and my original Darn Toughs were still just a little too thick for hiking around in waterproof boots for hours. You give up some cushioning for the lighter fabric, but I didn’t notice any difference. My Merrell hiking boots are extremely comfy, though (cough cough you should get yourself a pair cough cough).

These socks felt stretchier than the regular weight socks, but again that’s probably just because they’re lighter. They are still just as durable as the regular weight - I put them to the smell test the morning after spending several hours hiking in 75-80 degree weather and they passed with flying colors. Yes, smelling my hiking socks is a thing I do now.

Beginner's Guide To Whitewater Rafting - It's Not As Scary As It Looks

When my boyfriend first proposed (I just realized I got a LOT of family member's hopes up with those first five words) the idea of going whitewater rafting, I thought he was insane. I envisioned the experience being something like this:

Uhh no thanks I think I'll pass on drowning today.
Photo by Colorado Adventure Center

Much to my surprise, you can actually go whitewater rafting on completely newbie-friendly rapids. 80% of the ride you barely even see any white water. The rapids you do go through are totally non-threatening and are actually super fun! After witnessing other beginner rafters making their way down Clear Creek while driving on I-70, I began to think this was something I could definitely do. 

Your New BFF Flipbelt

Even for beginner runners, the issue of where to put your stuff while you run is an important one - especially for women. If you've shopped for any women’s pants/shorts/anything that goes on your bottom half recently, you've probably noticed that they are severely lacking in the pockets department. 

This is most true with women’s running clothes. They either have no pockets or a ludicrously small pocket that you can fit all of one house key in. Some brands are better about this, but then you've got your phone bouncing around in your pocket, which is equally useless.

Photo snipped from the Flipbelt website

Enter Flipbelt. 

August's Adoptable Adventure Dog - Meet Bram

Bram

**Update** Bram was adopted shortly after this blog was posted! Thanks Outdoors Beginner readers!

The Perfect Beginner Running Shoes Are Probably Waiting At Payless

My running shoes are starting to fall apart. There is a hole in the mesh over my pinky toe joint that is ever-increasing with each run I go on, stubbornly hanging on to my first pair of running shoes. They've been a great pair, carrying me to some of my most exciting running milestones - first time running a mile without stopping, first time making it around the block in Denver without feeling like my lungs were going to explode from lack of oxygen, my first 5k, the first time I realized I was breezing up a hill that had previously made me gasp for air and question my sanity. 

Campground Lighting - How To Not Stumble Blindly In The Dark

Not to state the obvious, but it gets pretty freaking dark when you’re out in the wilderness (or at the campground not actually that far from civilization). Having a good lantern and/or headlamp is essential to not breaking your ankle on your way to the bathroom at night, or for any activity you plan on doing once the sun goes down.

I mean, how can you properly make s’mores if you can’t even see the ingredients on your lap? Or, if you’re a really good bunny and are planning on reading before going to bed (instead of collapsing in a sugar-induced coma after eating your body weight in s’mores), a headlamp is the ultimate hands-free reading solution.

Also doubles as a headband...and makes you look like a master of the outdoors.

Campground Review - Green Ridge Campground at Shadow Mountain Reservoir

Campground descriptions usually read like a foreign language to the beginner camper, so without further ado here is my first campground breakdown for my fellow newbies. More to come...including campgrounds outside Colorado! Yes, I did go camping a few times before moving here. And by that I mean three times. One was really more of an RV park. Anyways...here's what you need to know before you go to Green Ridge Campground!

There is a 100% chance that red spot is at the tunnel before Idaho Springs.

It's Getting Hot In Here - So Try These Running Clothes

With the recent heat wave in Denver, I thought now was as good of a time as any to address hot weather running gear. By the way – I was not expecting to be battling 100 degree heat in Denver! And a “dry” heat doesn’t count when you’re getting cooked alive by the sun that you’re now a mile closer to.

If you’ve recently decided to start running, congratulations and welcome to the beginner runner club! If you’re really starting to get rolling, or are already miserable in your regular t-shirt/old gym shorts, you're going to want to take your wardrobe up a notch in the heat of late summer (is this considered the dog days yet?). Why? Chafing. Lack of moisture-wicking. No built-in underwear. Yes, that is a thing you will come to desire as a runner.

Praying no one is walking up to the car next to you bc you're half naked changing into running shorts after work. #runnerproblems #runchat
— Outdoor Beginner (@OutdoorBeginner) July 11, 2014

I am all for using whatever you have sitting in your closet already when you’re first starting out. But once you start, you won’t want to stop, so just go ahead and get sucked into the black hole that is purchasing running/outdoors gear. It’s an affliction that can’t be stopped (“Oh look at these shorts on sale…yeah I have six pairs but I really need seven”). Plus, when it's this hot, you're just going to be miserable in regular cotton.

The Definitive Guide To A Concert At Red Rocks

While an outdoors concert venue may not traditionally fall under "experiencing the great outdoors," the lack of information about going to a concert at Red Rocks led me to write this after my first concert last night. Hope this helps, future concert-goers!

Step 1 – Get There Early

Head down to the town of Morrison to wine and dine yourself (or in my case, margarita and queso myself) before the show. The concert started at 6:00 p.m., and we left the Capitol Hill area of Denver at 2:00. We drove into Morrison and hit our favorite Mexican restaurant, Morrison Inn (so Mexican sounding!), to enjoy some margaritas and things covered with queso.

Photo courtesy of Yelp

Beginner's Guide to Hiking Snacks

Snacking is one of my favorite pastimes, so I was super excited to write this post (and equally surprised it took me this long to get to it). Outdoors activities open up a glorious new world of snacking. What other reason could possibly justify the purchase of Sports Beans? Yes, those are a thing. And yes, they’re just as awesome as they sound. 

As a self-proclaimed snack connoisseur, getting outside has not only provided me the opportunity to see and do amazing things, but also to eat amazing things. Here are my favorite snacks to get me through a few hours of hiking (let’s be real, a hike of any length justifies bringing along any of these items). Some are outdoors specific, some are "real world" food, all are delicious.

Where To Find Moose and Not Get Trampled – Beginner's Guide to Rocky Mountain National Park

Seeing some meese (yes I know, that’s not actually the plural of moose) has been on my outdoorsy bucket list for well over a year. It first started when I went to work an event in Vermont and realized that was prime meesey habitat. After leaving Vermont without seeing so much as a squirrel, I shelved my moose ambitions and thought I’d wait until next year.

Until I moved to Colorado. Seeing moose was now a real possibility again, and when my boyfriend returned from REI with a trail that all but guaranteed a moose sighting, I was thrilled. We were going camping for the weekend just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park, and the lovely volunteer at REI had pointed out a few trails just inside the park that were extremely meesey.

After breaking camp at Shadow Mountain Reservoir (learn more about the campground here), we headed into the park for the day with our fingers crossed to hopefully spot a moose. I have a slight huge obsession with animals, so I was on the edge of my seat with my head swiveling around in hot pursuit of a moose. And then I saw him. At first, I thought it was a large horse, but upon realizing it had antlers and was most definitely a moose, I let out a high-pitched shriek for my boyfriend to pull over. His ear drums were a necessary casualty. It was a REAL. LIVE. MOOSE.

A photo posted by Outdoor Beginner (@outdoorbeginner) on Jun 29, 2014 at 1:42pm PDT

How To Pack For Your First Camping Trip

So you’ve gone hiking, and you didn’t hate it. In fact, you kinda sorta fell in love with the great outdoors (it’s easy, don’t be afraid to fall hard). Now, you want to go camping. Pinterest will lead you to believe that you must either buy a ton of stuff or haul a ton of stuff with you. Not so.

What To Wear On Your First Hike

Despite what many Google results will tell you, if you want to try out hiking, you don’t need to buy much of anything. Honestly, if you’re on a well-maintained trail and go on a day with mild temperatures, you probably already have everything you’ll need. Let me break it down for you.

Dolla Dolla Bills, Y'all - How To Save On Outdoors Gear

First of all, you're welcome for the Wyclef Jean/Akon reference.

More importantly, outdoor gear is effing expensive. There’s almost no getting around it. Well, almost. Fear not, my fellow sticker-shocked outdoors beginners – there are ways to save some cash while gearing up that I’ll share with you. Plus, I didn’t want you starting to think I had some sort of foot fixation after making my first two blogs exclusively about things that go on your feet.

The Evolution of Socks

Before meeting my boyfriend, who has been a major contributor to my outdoor education, I lived a life completely unaware of the glorious world of socks. My entire sock wardrobe consisted of your run-of-the-mill white ankle socks.

I look incredibly tan here...good to know that my legs will not always appear blindingly pale

I also ride horses, so while I had researched good socks to ride in, for some reason my equine product obsession did not seep into other areas of my life. I was perfectly happy (although significantly less happy than I am now) with my little white socks, which I wore everywhere.

During my first trip to REI, I was informed in no uncertain terms that cotton socks would NOT be cutting it once I tried to go hiking (real talk, do not ever try this unless you enjoy self-inflicted pain, in which case you may need to look into a different kind of blog). 

From The Ground Up: Beginner's Guide to Hiking Boots

“I’m just starting out, I don’t need hiking boots.” This is the thought that crossed my mind when my boyfriend first suggested I look into a pair. I had hiked the Billy Goat Trail near my parents’ home in Maryland in just sneakers and had survived, despite the trail being less of a trail and more just rocks and boulders. So why would I need to buy hiking boots?

You may be thinking this as well – hiking boots can be expensive, and if you don’t see yourself doing a ton of hiking, you may wonder whether they’re worth it. Three (to four) words: Ankle support. Waterproof-ness. Grip. You want these things. Hiking boots give you these things. No matter how comfortable your current sneakers/walking shoes of choice are, they will be dead to you once you hike in a pair of good, sturdy, boots. They are so worth the investment.

Who Am I?

I'm a beginner, just like you. Up until a few years ago, I had never set foot on a campsite that wasn't supervised by a girl scout leader. I'm a native Maryland girl who recently moved to Colorado, where I've put my beginner's know-how to the test and learned what mountains really look like (no offense, Appalachia).  

My first "real" camping trip, back on the East Coast

I'm still in the process of learning everything there is to know about the great outdoors, and along the way I discovered that none of the "beginner's guides" I was reading were actually written by beginners. I've been lucky to have an extremely patient and willing boyfriend who has shared a huge amount of knowledge with me, but what I really wanted was to hear it from another beginner.

After coming up short, I thought I'd solve the problem myself. So I started this blog. Consider it your resource for everything you need to know about beginning your outdoor endeavors. That doesn't limit you to camping and hiking - in the last year, I've tried out snow sports, water sports, and running. I'm still no expert, but I've learned enough to hopefully help you get your own adventures started.