Wanna Win Cool Outdoor Gear???

Quick!

Last chance to bid on Outdoor Industry Women’s Coalition Annual Auction.

Here’s how it goes:

1. Click on this link here to the Ebay Auction site.

2. Bid on VERY cool clothing and other gear from companies such as Marmot, Moving Comfort, Icebreaker, and many more.

3. Pat yourself on the back, because chances are, you just got a steal of a deal on outdoor gear AND helped to support Outdoor Industry Women’s Coalition, an organization which advocates and provides resources to women involved in the Bike, Snow and Outdoor industries.

Hurry! The auction ends June 1, 2013! 

Melissa Arnot is an incredible, inspirational woman. On May 22, 2013, she summited Everest for the fifth time, making her the female American record holder for most Everest summits. Lakpa Sherpa, a Nepalese climber who lives in Connecticut holds the female world record with 6 summits. I have been following Melissa on her Everest journey through her adventure blog at her website, and her entries always provide good food for thought.

Melissa writes in such a way that her day-to-day activities are really more of a byline, not the real story. She honestly shares her feelings about her experience, always returning to self-introspection and contemplation. She has this special way of talking about her climbing in a way that relates to life as a whole, and I value that.

She writes, “Experience cannot be measured by distance or time. They have a different weight altogether. I’m thankful for the opportunity to try new things or try old things that have become new again.” For me, I feel that same gratitude every time river season rolls around each year, looking forward to seeing new rivers but appreciative of the good ol’ stand by ones.

This woman has summited Rainier over 90 times, Aconcagua and Cotopaxi BOTH 4 times, Denali once, and many other mountains. She is a total badass, no question. Yet for her, it’s not only about her personal achievements, she simply loves to be on the mountain. Her work as a guide for Rainier Mountaineering Institute since 2004 has allowed her to be a part of other peoples’ dreams to summit mountains, and she’s chosen to expand these trip leads internationally. Sure, I bet these tours provide her with extra income, but they also allow her to keep doing what she loves; climbing mountains. As she says in her bio, “She is passionate about climbing and pushing her own limits, but her ultimate joy comes from taking that journey with others, helping them push their limits and get to their own summit.”

I’m no Melissa Arnot, but I feel I can relate to her, in my work as an international tour leader and river guide. For me, adventure travel and being outdoors is such a passion, but now it’s evolved into sharing and facilitating that experience with others. And I truly love what I do. Kudos to Melissa for following her passion, inspiring climbers and adventurers alike, and keeping true to her roots as a mountain guide.

Climb on girl.

Adventure On, 

Joslin

*Photo from www.MelissaArnot.com 

I love my flip flop sandals as you all know, but every once in a while there is a shoe that comes along that begs to be worn. It seems to whisper to you from the storefront window, “Psst, hey, you. Yeah, you. Come try me on.”

That shoe for me is the ECCO Mind.

ECCO shoes, a global company based in Denmark, is well known for their stylish, comfortable and durable shoes. I’ve seen plenty of people sporting them on trips I’ve led abroad, as they can be an excellent touring shoe. They recently celebrated their 50th anniversary of shoemaking, and to mark the occasion, they designed the ECCO Mind.

I have to say the biggest reason I love these shoes is the color. The bright blue paired with orange laces is right up my alley. The design is quite simple, yet, they’re very stylish and feminine. All stitches shown on the shoe serve a purpose, no extra frills to speak of. This allows the bright color to really stand out, as these retro shoes almost always garner a comment when I wear them about.

In terms of comfort, I find the sizing is very good, they fit my feet very snugly, so much so that I only wear very thin, sheer socks with them. The grip is strong, and I like that I don’t feel I’m going to slip if I’m jogging to my car on a classically wet Seattle morning. The full leather lining has stretched and almost molded to my feet as I worn these moccasins in. I believe they’ll continue to become more comfortable as the years go on.

One fact that ECCO boists about these shoes that impressed me was the fact that 210 pairs of hands touch every ECCO shoe. As I inspected the shoes more closely, I could see the handcrafted work that they were talking about-tight stitching, attention to detail and a very clean finish. Well done ECCO, keep it up for another 50 years.

What I love about the ECCO Mind Shoes:

• Bright colors! (And lots of colors to choose from!)


• Well built shoe, simple yet intricately designed. Can see the craftsmanship in the final product.


• Grippy sole.

Not so much:

• Tight fit, needs to be worn in just a bit. 


• Pricey ($170), but worth it for a fun shoe that can pair with many styles.

ECCO Mind shoes retail for $170 and can be bought here on the ECCO website.

Adventure On,

Joslin