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.