I can’t believe it’s already here again! It’s our annual over-landing trip, with buddies here in the west! But, I also immerse myself in the possible inspiration for the studio!

OPPORTUNITY FOR INSPIRATION

Not only is this our annual trip, but it’s now somewhat of a tradition to bring you along with me, sharing in my trailside discoveries and creative inspo.!

For those unfamiliar with our past trips, while the rest of the crew is focused on the challenges of driving the trail obstacles, I bring a second layer to my experience… my travel art supplies. I bring a compact kit of tools to capture landscapes and plants, by way of pen and paintbrush! And if I’m not up for trying to draw while being jostled around, I find a sit-spot to capture what’s around me in real-time.

With some ominous skies above, 2 years ago Lily and I posted up close to our Jeep at a trailhead, to capture our surroundings while the rest hiked on foot.

ADVENTURE PRACTICES

It’s important to me, to share our approach to group over-landing adventures in case you want/get the opportunity to!

We (the collective group of us) have our trails and trip details well laid out ahead of time. We keep our physical impact respectful of the land we visit, by only accessing designated trails, and to keep both drivers (and passengers) safe. This approach to over-landing, in tandem with Leave No Trace practices, are the core of these types of adventures!

Thankfully, our friend Kevin enjoys inputting trip plans/research into a spreadsheet for all to access too! Not only is this helpful logistically, but it gives me a head-start on researching trails ahead of time. I like to know the history of where we visit, and of course what formations and plants I can be on the lookout for! And this year we are only joining in the first week (of a 2 week trip), which will be focused mainly around Ouray, CO!

PACKING

We are headed out this coming weekend, so we’ve put a bit of “settling into house” tasks on pause, to focus on trip prep to-do’s, after work.

The fact we’ve been un-boxing our life (literally) the past month, has helped by putting our eyes on most of our gear! Hopefully, making organizing and packing less time consuming? With that said, I’m gathering my art tools, and as per tradition, will share a breakdown of what I’m taking in my toolkit! Here’s last year’s trip toolkit post.