Becoming hyper-local

Even a few years ago, maybe like five, I still would take time off in the middle of the week and head up to the high country of Colorado to ski, board, or snowshoe.  But I have found myself becoming more hyper-local when it comes to my outside activities.

It’s been that many years since I have even skied or boarded.  

Taking a whole day to play in the high country or backcountry became a drag.  It would be 14-plus hour days.  Time spent doing the fun stuff was less than the time you spent getting there.  I had forgotten an old rule I had about time traveling vs. time playing.

I used to have a rule that I wanted to spend twice as much time doing the fun stuff than driving to get there.  I applied this to biking and boarding.  There was some hazy math.  If I had to drive an hour to bike somewhere, I’d want to bike at least two hours, maybe even over four.  That’s where the math would be fuzzy.  I ended up settling for at least getting a one-to-one ratio of travel-to-fun.  

I did this for a number of reasons.  The first, and biggest, was the environmental impact.  And that I was cheap, even when gas was cheap.

Because of that formula, My circle of adventure and outside fun started to shrink over the years.  To the point that I don’t even think about going to the high county to ski or board.

In my perfect world, I would be able to just go out the door.  But that place in that location is insanely expensive.  So I shrunk my world instead.  And I don’t feel bad about it.  We spend too much time trying to get somewhere, and not enough just having fun.

I still like to travel afar. Soon my partner and I are going to Maui. It’s not cheap, and it won’t be for long. But traveling will be worth experiencing the place. And looking at the travel/adventure formula, the trip passes the time-use check.

Staying hyper-local helps to save money and vacation time (I have a real job I need to attend to) for farther-flung adventures. I’m lucky to live in a place with a lot to offer. Most places do if you look. If not, and you live in one of those places, it might be time for you to relocate.