Editor’s note: June is our adventure issue. We’ll be exploring adventure topics throughout the month, including profiles of Boulderites and their adventures in this “My Boulder Adventure” series.
Because of Boulder’s incredible natural beauty and reputation as an outdoor playground, many come here for the adventure they can find in the mountains, valleys and rivers.
But adventure encompasses much more than just the outdoors — it really captures a sense of exploration, approaching something unknown, challenging yourself. And that can happen anywhere, but outdoors in Boulder serves all of that up on a platter, especially as we head into summer.
Each Friday, we will publish a “My Boulder Adventure” piece including three locals and how they relate to adventure.
Marika Dasbach
Originally a Philly girl, Marika is an athlete who came to Boulder a decade ago for school and currently works for local sports tech firm TeamSnap.
I came to Boulder for the mountains and to study English Literature at CU and never left. I wanted to experience something different from the east coast, so I headed west. I’m one of those people who can never sit still; I’m either on the mats training or training at CrossFit, running or working. Work hard, play hard!
To me, adventure can mean so many things, and be as big or small as you want it to be. I think an adventure is anything new that excites or challenges you.
The biggest adventure I’ve been on in the Boulder area was probably tubing the Boulder Creek in college and doing the CrossFit extreme workout competition MBS CrossFit Turkey Challenge (twice).
Some of my favorite frequent Boulder adventures include hiking to the Star (which shines bright on Flagstaff Mountain for a portion of winter), the Blue Lake hike in Nederland, happy hour hopping on Pearl Street, hiking Estes Park, and a picnic at Gross Reservoir.
The Easton-Flahive family
Shannon Flahive, whose words follow, is a Littleton native pursuing her MBA at CU Leeds and working in venture capital, and Amal Easton, the founder of Easton Training Center, moved to Boulder 20 years ago.
We are the Easton-Flahive family! Ella is 13, Nash is 10, and we have two adorable rescue pups, Colby and Leo. To our family, adventure is all about getting out and experiencing something new! We are a really active family that loves to spend time together mountain biking, skiing and camping.
Sometimes adventure includes what we call “type-two fun,” where there is some struggle in the moment but laughs after the fact. Regardless of the adventure, we always come out with a new perspective and gratitude for the new experiences.
Some of our most fun outdoor adventures have been night rides on our bikes, tubing Boulder Creek, evening camping trips up in Nederland, and fort building in the creek by our house. The last few months have given us the opportunity to go on daily family walks during the 8 p.m. howl, which have been really fun.
We love to mountain bike all of the amazing trails in the Boulder area, like Lefthand Canyon where we can get our pups out on off-leash outings, Heil Valley Ranch, and in the West Magnolia Loop trail in Nederland. After all that activity, our favorite dining adventure is treating ourselves to ice cream at Glacier.
Jared Martin
A Louisville, CO native, Jared is a visual artist who trains and coaches Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
To me, the word “adventure” entails exploring the unknown. Whether it’s discovering an overlooked trailhead or visiting a new restaurant, it’s always rewarding to get out of my comfort zone and experience that first impression.
Having grown up in the Boulder area, there have been a lot of adventures, but probably the biggest one would be hiking Bear Peak for the first time.
My hiking partner and I started at NCAR and took the Bear Canyon route, which is the long approach to the peak. After summiting Bear Peak, we took a wrong turn on the way down and got lost. Luckily, it was a beautiful bluebird day without any afternoon storms and I had packed enough water!
My favorite frequent hike in Boulder is Royal Arch. But other than that, a complimentary activity I really enjoy is exploring the food scene in Boulder. Over the past couple of years, I’ve found a hankering for the rooftop at Corrida. Its view of the Flatirons is unbeatable.
Header Image: Marika at Rocky Mountain National Park’s Sky Pond. Image: Marika Dasbach.
