Finding Community Around Coffee at the Trailhead
We all know the phrase “social drinkers.” Whether we’re talking beers or coffee, there’s a world of difference between sipping on a brew alone at home or at a coffee shop, trailhead, or brewery with friends. You see, we’re social creatures. While we could do things alone, we find the most meaning and significance in doing those same things in community.
Most weekends are spent at the trailhead and out on the trail, whether riding or part of trail building projects. 100/100 times, people show up with coffee in their hands. There’s something about drinking coffee, standing around with a group of old and new friends, and receiving instructions for the day for the trail building project. Coffee is just as normative as the array of bikes people have on the back of their vans, SUVs, and trucks. And so we stand there, talking, laughing, enjoying community, and drinking coffee.
The best trail-building days begin with coffees and end with beers. In both cases, it’s about community. When talking with people, whether they’re friends or people we just met, we somehow feel a little more secure and comforted holding something like a coffee in our hand. It acts as though it's a protective shield. I don’t know why, but we feel safe and secure talking to people holding a coffee in our hands. There have been plenty of studies that back this up.
It’s all connected … bikes, coffee, outdoors, and community. Again, we can do everything alone. There’s nothing wrong with it. I often ride alone. However, it's significantly more meaningful when we do these things in community. The next time you roll up to the trailhead to ride or dig, enjoy a cup of coffee in community with other like-minded people.
Cheers.