Now is the time to go on an adventure. If you don’t do it now, you’ll be one year older when you do! Who doesn’t love a good adventure? We absolutely love going on adventures. Spending the summer of 2021 in the Flathead Valley of Montana, we certainly found our fair share. One of the most memorable, however, was a simple backpacking trip into the mountains of the Jewel Basin to Crater Lake.
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“We’re going on an adventure!!!”
Nothing outstanding happened. No turmoil. No broken limbs. No grizzly confrontations. Just a great 10 mile, round trip, overnight backpacking trip where we spent the night on a little peninsula that jutted out into Crater Lake.
We even brought along a special barrel-aged porter from Tamarack Brewing, one of several wonderful local Flathead Valley breweries. (PRO TIP: It was well worth the extra weight in the backpack!)
While on our little adventure, we noticed that there was not another soul in sight at Crater Lake. After passing Birch Lake en route to Crater Lake, we didn’t see another human for at least 24 hours… we wondered why?
Why not follow your dreams?
Upon contemplation, we came to the conclusion that too many people find one excuse or another to forego the adventures in life that had once been a glimmer in their eye. Quite simply, we decided that many people just need that little nudge, that little bit of encouragement to pursue their dreams; some big, some small.
No matter what adventure you have at the edge of your mind, you should explore it. You should go for it. We only live once, so why not get busy living instead of being busy dying?
Okay, that’s a pretty deep way of saying that we decided to record an impromptu podcast on our way back to the trailhead. Of course, we didn’t have our Living A Stout Life studio in tow, so we plopped down at Birch Lake, cracked open our “on the way out” beers, and recorded on our iPhones. (ANOTHER PRO TIP: Want to start a podcast and don’t have fancy equipment? Whip out your smartphone. JUST… GET… STARTED!)
Anyhow, we believe that you’re never too old for a good adventure, no matter what shape that adventure takes. So sit down, tune in, and hopefully you’ll gleam a bit of inspiration, or at least some entertainment from our adventure in the Jewel Basin!
A camp to learn how to adventure!
And don’t forget, if you want to hang out with us and some other cool peeps and get your adventures kickstarted, be sure to join us and our friends from The Virtual Campground for Camp Carpe Diem on October 7-10 in Ouray, Colorado.
Adventure Beers
- Tamarack Brewing Co. – Old Stache Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Porter
- Kalispell Brewing Co. – Oktoberfest Marzen Lager
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – Dankful IPA
Camp Misery to Crater Lake Hike
- 10 mile roundtrip hike from the Camp Misery Trailhead to Crater Lake
(this is a 5 miles out and 5 miles back hike, not a loop) - The Camp Misery Trailhead is just outside of Bigfork, Montana, and a bit south and east of Kalispell, Montana.
“You don’t have to have the best stuff, you have to have the right stuff.”
April and Ken Pishna
Want More?
Want some more advice on Mountain Biking?
Check out our article on getting started on your mountain biking adventures.
Need some tips on finding an affordable Mountain Bike?
We don’t ride $5,000 bikes. Here’s what we did to find bikes for just a few hundred bucks, but also do some good at the same time.
You are never too old to start a new Adventure!
We began snowboarding in our late 20s. We started mountain biking in our mid-40s. We hit the road full-time in our late 40s. You are never too old to start a new adventure!
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“Ken and April do a fantastic job of mixing the culture of beer and adventure into something akin to a fine barrel-aged sour. They are wise beyond their years. Loving this podcast and it will be on our weekly playlist for SURE!”
TheDogInUs
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Shout Outs:
Post-podcast and hike out, we went on a little road trip. We wound our way to Copper Queen Saloon in Helmville, Montana; spent the night on Nevada Lake; and then trekked on to Philipsburg Brewing Company in Philipsburg, Montana, before rounding back to Woods Bay/Bigfork. Thanks to all the fine folks at all these wonderful places along our route. And any beer geeks out there, don’t skip on Philipsburg Brewing Company (and specifically their Springs location during the summer), they are kicking some serious ass with the beer and the ambiance!
