Publisher's Letter 5

It’s that time of year again!  The kids are out of school, everything is in bloom, and the great outdoors beckons. We are blessed to be surrounded by an abundance of stunning nature and experienced people who can help us navigate it. As definite outdoors amateurs, albeit enthusiastic ones, we’ve found it necessary to seek the counsel of some local experts to help us learn where to go, what to do and what to avoid! Our favorite experience in publishing this magazine has been meeting people who are passionate and excited about what they do. We’ve chosen to highlight many of those people in this issue, from Tim and Sara to Sam, Don and Jack.

Our entire family has had some great adventures (and some misadventures) in these mountains. We hope that reading through this will inspire you to go out and have your own family exploits this summer. There is no shortage of mountains, rivers, campsites and trails to explore, nor is there a lack of experts who are excited to help you take the first steps or find the best “secret spots”.

To quote Terry Pratchett:  “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”

This for us summarizes everything we see in our kids’ eyes when they experience new things in nature and sense the excitement of the unknown. So take yourself and your family outside this month, and get into it!

To all the adventures that await you,

Austin and Alana Bennett

PS: Make sure to send us your best pictures of summer adventures or follies for a chance to win an amazing experience for the entire family!