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finding adventure friends - Coggle Diagram
finding adventure friends
My story with finding new friends
moving to a new city
Learning new skills/leveling up
Picking up a new sport (right now for me!)
Regional Mountain Clubs
Appalachian Mountain Club
Colorado Mountain Club
The Mountaineers
Mazamas
Sierra Club (local chapters)
Pros:
Competent leadership – standards for leaders, leaders have first aid, generally safe for beginners, trips run smoothly.
Opportunity to take inexpensive classes. BMS - $300. Met people who were interested in leveling up their game.
Often have membership benefits and discounts.
Cons:
Not free
Lots of rules. For example, staying together on the hikes. Hiker classification system.
Because they depend heavily on volunteers, there's a tendency to overlook bad behavior among key volunteers. One reason I am no longer very active with our regional mountain club here. That being said, I enjoyed several years there where it wasn't a major issue.
Meetups
How it works:
New way to make friends.
Join groups online and get notified of hikes and trips by email or phone.
Where I met all of my friends when I first moved to Denver. Downstairs neighbor and best friend is a Meetup friend from back in the day.
If you have some experience, you can also volunteer to lead meetups for someone else's group. I just started leading for Golden Trail Runners here in Denver, because they were looking for people, and I run a lot and thought I might as well bring people with me.
Or start your own group. It's currently about $20 a month to start a group. Just started my first group – Denver Mindful Hikers. Come on a breathwork hike with us!
Pros:
Mostly free
Meet other hikers in your area.
Very relaxed rules. Individual leader makes the rules, which are generally pretty chill. On my Saturday Meetup, sent my trail runners up the trail and never worried about seeing them again or checking them out at the end.
Specialty groups. Wellness focus, big hikes, small groups, singles, over 45, hiking with dogs, cancer survivors, tree meditation, GLBTQ+, weekday hikes, photographers, christian, Republicans, moms, etc.
If you don't like one group, find another.
Cons:
May be less popular in some areas.
Leader doesn't have any responsibility for your safety. (Getting left at the trailhead.)
No filtering mechanism for participants means sometimes you get people who are really unprepared, show up in flip-flops, etc. Can slow down the group.
Tips:
Only join Meetup hikes that you could complete safely on your own.
Find leaders you like. Some people do a better job of looking out for people, screening participants, setting expectations and so on.
Guided trips
RMI
IMG
Alpine Ascents
Local (Colorado Mountain School, Pacific Alpine Guides)
Pros:
Top notch leadership, instruction
Generally safe for all skill levels
Group trips can be a great way to meet people, especially if you're in a really deep niche like high altitude mountaineering
A good option if you don't live by the mountains or have a lot of clubs in your area.
Cons:
Not cheap!
The people you meet will often be from different parts of the country or world.
Other
REI courses
Parks and rec departments
Schools and colleges (CSU Outing Club)
Social media, FB groups
Runners: hash house harriers
Are you tired of hiking alone? Is your circle of friends full of couch potatoes? Or are you tired of nagging your significant other to play outside with you? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it might be time to make some new adventure friends. Yes, meeting new people can be hard when you're a grownup with work and family commitments. So in this podcast episode, I'm going to share some easy ways to meet outdoorsy people. These are strategies that work for me as someone who moves around a lot. And I know they'll work for you too. Ready? Let's do this!