2023 - The Year of Type 2 Fun
Before we dive in let's level-set on the fun scale. Many outdoor enthusiasts use it to measure the type of fun they have or have had. Here are the different levels of fun (borrowed from REI):
Type 1 Fun: Enjoyable while it's happening. It's straightforwardly fun and pleasurable.
Type 2 Fun: Not necessarily enjoyable in the moment but becomes fun in retrospect or when sharing the story with others.
Type 3 Fun: Not fun at the time and not fun in retrospect, but often leads to personal growth or a sense of achievement.
2023 started as type 3 fun for me. I was dealing with the loss of my mom, working for a toxic, gaslighting boss, and then losing my job at the end of January. I wasn’t upset about losing my job– it was an awful situation– but that is a story for another time. I was not excited about looking for a job when almost every tech company laid off folks. But this is a running blog, not my life story blog (though sometimes these things are very intertwined).
Some people say that folks run long distances/ultramarathons because their life isn’t hard enough or they need something to challenge themselves. For me at the start of 2023, running was what brought me calm, helped my mental health, and gave me a sense of control of something when everything else felt a bit out of my control. I/we didn’t run any races or do any crazy adventures in the first half of 2023, but Susan & I ran together, I ran with Cedar; I simply kept going, and it kept me going.
Despite the Type 3 start of 2023, a lot of Type 2 & 1 fun was thrown in, especially in the second half of the year. Even though we didn’t blog at all this year, we were still having adventures, albeit mostly smaller. So all in all I would say 2023 turned out to be Type 2 fun!
Here are some of our Type 2 & 1 fun highlights:
Favorite new route - Sudden Nut I created a route in Bellingham that links Chuckanut to Sudden Valley
Best Campsite - Suttle Lake (not going to say which one)
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| Kayaking with Cedar, this did not last long |
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| The campsite with its own beach |
Type 3 run - PCT mosquitoes, snow, and blown-down trees. I can deal with snow and blow-downs, but swarms of mosquitoes are a no-go!
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| This photo was taken after we turned around and lost the mosquitoes |
Best adventure weekend - Pamelia & Broken Top
Best new gear - Cedar’s Trail Dog Running Vest -- Cedar really should be an ambassador for Ruffwear
Favorite new race - Deception Pass 25k
Favorite new city to run in - Bellingham! I need to do a separate write-up on B'ham. I probably spent half of the year there.
Old Dog New Trick - Cedar riding the Gondola in Squamish
Island Time - running in Hawaii, summiting Ben Nevis (Scottish Hebrides), kayak-camping in the San Juans
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