Microadventures - Week 1

In my last newsletter, I proposed a challenge to you (and to myself) - one month of microadventures. This term was popularized by Alastair Humphreys and his definition is “an adventure that is short, simple, local, cheap – yet still fun, exciting, challenging, refreshing and rewarding.”

Some of you reached out to share mini adventures you had planned, and we even joined one of them - ice skating with a 90’s DJ would never have been on my radar, thank you Nicole!

The most interesting discovery was this, I didn’t spend any time planning and the adventures just came to me…organically and easily. Sometimes you just need to make a decision and the cards fall into place. This was the case for me and I’m sure it will be the same for you. And if you need help with ideas, here are 5 microadventures I enjoyed this week:

1. Sunrise cross-country skiing at Riverside Golf Course.

   
   
   

   

I picked my friend Becca up at 5:45 on a Sunday morning and we kicked some early morning butt with a one hour ski, leaving us fully energized. The best part - we had the entire place to ourselves. Who else is skiing at 6:00 AM on a Sunday?

2. A trip to Fort Kent.

To be clear: Fort Kent is not a microadventure. It sits on the Canadian border and is a five hour drive from where we live in Portland. Although both locations are in Maine, the travel time is comparable to a trip to New York City.

The reason for this macro adventure: my son and nephew were skiing in the Nordic State Championship at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center. Since I’d never been to Fort Kent, I didn’t know which was more exciting, watching the boys ski or exploring “The County.” Both exceeded my expectations.

3. Cross-country skiing with deer at UMaine, Orono.

Since Fort Kent is a haul and a half, I decided to break up the drive with a one-night stay in Orono, Maine. While there, I cross-country skied a gorgeous loop on the UMaine campus called the DeMerritt Forest. These woods include 15+ miles of trails and many are groomed for skiing! The highlight though - I got off track and ended up circling an athletic field that was filled with deer! As I was saying earlier, the adventures just came to me.

4. Ice skating dance party with DJ Bobby Shaddox.

This neighborhood skating event happened around Valentine’s Day at Ludlow Pond in Portland and now, I can’t stop thinking about doing this again. Ice skating to 80’s music with neighbors of all ages - this was a blast. My family and I came and left early, but it was the perfect microadventure for a Saturday night.

5. Sunrise/sunset loops around the Back Cove.

   
   
   

   
   
   

   Take a regular outdoor activity, like running or walking, and do it early in the morning, or after sundown. Instant microadventure.

   
   

6. Reading around an outside fire.

   
   

   

Tim and I fired up the Solo Stove on a lazy, sunny Sunday and it felt like a mini adventure - 15 feet from our back door. This doesn’t need to be complicated. Getting outside in new (or old) ways is enough.