"Outdoorsy"
For as long as there has been an outdoors, there have been folks labeled as "outdoorsy". But what does it even mean these days? And maybe more importantly, why do we even care? To many, the label "outdoorsy" brings with it perfectly candid shots on the trail, epic stories, or video clips of weekend adventures in knee-deep pow, and top-notch gear from big brands that you've longingly added to your wishlist (despite the price tag).
The "outdoorsy" types live by the beach or have flocked to mountain towns for superior access. They are selling you the outdoors every single day as if we haven't already been living it not to mention in ways many of us can't access. But we eat it up because it's all we see thanks to the push of the algorithm game.
And yet, the story of that of the couple-mile hike you did last Saturday goes virtually unnoticed, maybe even scoffed at. There was no intense training or planning. You wore your trusty, five-year-old hiking boots, a t-shirt from the back of the closet, and those holey leggings that, although hanging on by a thread, have accompanied you on your best adventures.
You covered some ground that day for sure, and the only evidence is the dirt patch on your pants from a spill you took on the way down and the up-angle selfie you desperately tried to catch for your mom to show her what you've been up to these days. And despite the fun you had and the vigor it may have instilled in you to go out more, the "outdoorsy" world doesn't care.
With outdoor recreation as commercialized as it has been through influencer media, there's a level of disappointment (whether from others or maybe even ourselves) when we don't find that picturesque trail or when our adventure doesn't rake in the likes. It seems as though when the outdoors are not framed in their most magnificent state or only for a select few, nobody wants to see it. On the flip side, if you are making those kinds of trips happen and aren't blasting them through social media outlets, then who will even know? Why even do it? And this is our problem.
While those moments are important because they inspire us to adventure in greater capacities, there's a level of it that doesn't sit right with me. Not because this is what the mainstream outdoor world has evolved into, but because those smaller, more looked-over adventures are the entire backbone of the outdoor community. They are what build us up to be able to pursue grandiose adventures, they are the kinds of outings that we all start out doing, and that most of us will always do because there's only so much room for brand deals and influencer profiles flocking to the next hot destination in our outdoor niche.
These are the real adventures. They are not perfect; they're gritty, sometimes hard, and sometimes nothing special. You're probably tired, filthy, or stinky ( or all 3) when you come home and the last thing you want is a photo of you to post (or maybe you do because it's ridiculous and also, frankly, hilarious that we just subjected ourselves to x,y,z condition.)
Not to mention they're typically more meaningful.
Don't get me wrong, there is something extraordinarily special about embarking on the Appalachian Trail or rock climbing in the Alps, and the memories made within those trips are undeniably branded into the minds of those who do it for good reason. Yet, they most likely aren't the trips you'll bring just you and your dog on for a sunrise jaunt, or the kind you'll bring your best friend from out of town on. Those large expeditions are not the kind of spontaneous special where you laugh until you cry over forgetting the firewood, or throw all your plans out the window and choose the next trail over just because.
More often than not, these undocumented moments prove to be richer experiences. They fuel us, they make us whole. They prove that what we have and where we are are enough. They remind us we can find the beauty and adventure we crave in our surrounding environment because it isn't always the destination that matters, and what we have is not just good enough, but great. They make us "outdoorsy" even if we aren't selling it to the masses. Because that's what outdoorsy is, it's just getting outside.
So let's cherish those moments, the small, undocumented adventures that make our outdoor lives enough. Let's bask in the local trails, the imperfect gear, the half-blurry photos, and the places we have so readily available to us while we still do. Because let's face it, we won't always be there, and "there" won't always be with us. And when the chances arise to go further, let's take them, acknowledging each smaller outing that has prepared us.
Hike your local hills, climb the nearby crag, shop for your gear second-hand (like at
Geartrade), and celebrate those who do so, too. We need to see more of this true outdoors person The authentic outdoors isn't dead, we just need to pack it along.
