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.