Everyone is going gaga over the concept of “micro-adventure,” the notion of sneaking quick adventures into the corners of your life—an impromptu camping trip to the nearest state park on a Wednesday night while still making it to work the next morning. Picking a mountain on the edge of your town for a dawn summit, then making it back to your kid’s little league game on a Saturday. It has its own tag on Instagram. #microadventure. And I love the idea. Sure, plan those epic backpacking trips and multi-day paddling excursions, but sneak in some quick overnighters along the way. It’s a good way to keep the adventure stoke, um, stoked during the work week.
I’m in a situation right now (wife, two kids, busy job) where I have to take the concept of a micro adventure a bit further into the realm of nano adventure. I can’t get away midweek for an overnighter, but I’m occasionally able to carve an hour or two out of my work day. So, I’ve started seeking out the most badass adventures within striking distance of my house. The idea isn’t just to get a workout in, but to find something new and quench that thirst for exploration. I have a buddy who used to explore the sewers on the edge of downtown between work and dinner. Yeah. That’s a nano-adventure.
I’m not crawling through the sewers, but I’ve uncovered a killer bike route that starts at my house, climbs 1500 feet of elevation in a mix of pavement and gravel and ends with a secret singletrack descent that drops right into downtown. I can pedal from dirt straight to Wicked Weed in about a mile. Which leads me to this beautiful beer here, a rotating IPA from Wicked Weed that you can now find in cans. It’s a 6.5%, super citrus-forward hop bomb. Wicked Weed just started canning this thing, and it’s the first time I’ve had the chance to drink it. Finding a new beer is a lot like a nano-adventure. It’s not going to change your life; it’s not epic; it’s not earth shattering, but it’s just different enough to make a regular Wednesday feel interesting. Finding a new beer after uncovering a fun mixed-terrain bike route close to your house? Between work and having to pick the kids up from school? That’s the perfect nano-adventure.
