Howdy Traipsers,

August! I hope you're making the best of your summer.

Leading off today with a quote from Brene Brown’s Rising Strong that popped up this week in Readwise:

“Compassionate people ask for what they need. They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, they mean it. They’re compassionate because their boundaries keep them out of resentment.”
 
Over the past two years, I’ve established stronger boundaries for myself - in fits and starts. Hard choices, easy life: the more I dial in my boundaries, the more satisfied and content I feel.
 
What have you said no to lately in order to say YES (and mean it) next time?

Traipsing About Newsletter #74 (<--whoa, that many? I decided to add the count cuz it's fun):

Bikepacking in Central Oregon, things we don't know, pop-up dance parties, and better than average.

Onward!
Dakota

Bikepacking the Three Sisters, Three Rivers route

In June, I bikepacked through the mountains of Central Oregon for a week. Read the whole story, skip to the photo gallery, or scroll on if bikepacking ain’t your thang!

The intro:

If your idea of a fine bicycle trip features tons of swimming, singletrack on two sides of a mountain range, and views aplenty, bikepacking the Three Sisters, Three Rivers might be for you. Sure, you’ll encounter mosquitoes and plenty of hard work, but call them the price of entry for the magic of outdoor experiences.

And magic there was. Rocky ridge riding with magnificent views of the Three Sisters; the primal deliciousness of pastries from Angeline’s Bakery after a hard day of riding; ferny, mossy beauty on the McKenzie River trail; spine-tingling dunks in cold rivers.

Throw in trail angel generosity and hilarious chats with random people, paddling out on log rafts into the middle of Hidden Lake to sleep, and brake-smoking madness down Alpine trail and the recipe for a spectacular trip is complete. The calm quiet of mountains in the evening tops it off.

Read the rest.

Ditching my bike to go for a hike

A month ago, Chelsea told me she missed hiking together and would have future regrets if we didn't spend more time outside.

We spend lots of time together, including big cycling trips, so this surprised me! She frequently hikes with her friends, whereas hiking isn't my favorite activity and the bike paradise that is Bend distracts me.

We've done a weekly hike since, with the caveat we get up high on trails I can't bike. Gotta say that I'm loving exploring new areas in Central Oregon. My takeaway/personal reminder: sitting down regularly to talk and making sure I'm not missing something obvious is molto importante!

Funny how basic that seems...a good reminder how relationships need constant communication.

Pop-up dance party

The grin on my face spread wider and wider as I watched this impromptu dance party video. I love the vibrant enthusiasm, and of course we have to celebrate the people who gave into curiosity and kicked off the whole shebang.

Discovered via the excellent The Art of Noticing, which added:

“The next step is curiosity — and in this case, an act of curiosity. Taking that step to see what will happen. Maybe the answer is nothing! But maybe it is something you could never have imagined.

Honestly, it takes a kind of courage to act on curiosity. After all, nobody else is actually standing on the decal. Surely if there were any payoff, someone else would be doing it already, right? Maybe. But there is only way to know for sure.”

Here’s to giving into curiosity in our lives whenever we can!

Delicious freeze-dried food

On the Three Sisters trip, we ate like kings thanks to freeze-dried meals from Food for the Sole. The company is a local Bend shop creating delicious grub for adventures that is tasty, whole food, and entirely plant-based. Even better, it doesn't have all the preservatives and junk that most freeze-dried meals do.

The owners, Julie and Henry, are a thoughtful, fun mother-son team. I met the two of them when I picked up food for my bikepacking trip on the Colorado Trail this month and could hear their employees laughing hard in the back. Clearly it's a fun place to work.

On top of that, they're committed to supporting equity in the outdoors. I love their Project: Inclusivity sticker, which donates all proceeds to nonprofits getting more BIPOC people outside. I added one to my van cabinet collection.

Better than average?

You’re better than average in most things, right? Me too…says everyone.
 

Test yourself in a couple minutes. Don’t worry, it’s not a spammy give-us-your-phone#-address-SSN psyche tests.

Surprisingly, 82% of people in the survey talk about biking and piano more than me. Juuuust kidding.

(Discovered via For The Interested.)

Thanks for spinning on by Traipsing About. Set a boundary, ask your partner what they might regret if ____ doesn't change, and stay above average (you know you are).

Catch you in a couple weeks.

P.S. When was the last time you kicked back in the evening and listened to Kind of Blue by Miles Davis? True mastery right there.