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Reflections
No, I’m not saying that introducing people has to be sequential … first gravel and the single track. But I wonder where my love would be if my first introduction was simply the kinds of trails that we have today. There’s something about learning to enjoy a good pedal, learning to corner, and getting used to bikes before going truly off road.
Loam Coffee was created to roast and deliver coffee to mountain bikers. Simple as that. However, it’s also not as simple as that. Why? Because none of us are purely “one thing.” Meaning, we’re not only mountain bikers. We all have a wide variety of hobbies and activities we’re involved in … hiking, fly fishing, rock climbing, motocross, city bike commuting, backpacking, bike touring or bikepacking, cyclocross, CrossFit, and so much more.
From the very beginning Loam Coffee has been about supporting trail advocacy and new trails. Whether that is supporting our local trail alliance, sending innumerable bags of coffee for dig days across the U.S. and Canada, serving coffee to trail builders, or having our own Trail Builders Blend to raise awareness … we believe this is an important topic.
What I’ve learned is that it’s not as much as what we do nor how we explore … as long as we’re out and about doing this together. Making memories. We can go to the coast and do nothing other than walk along the beach and look at the waves. Or hike to a waterfall we’ve been to several times. The “what” is not as important as the “why.” And that is to be together and make memories.
So often when we utter the word “adventure” we are usually thinking of or referring to far off places. The kinds of places that require either long road trips or a plane ride … with a few connecting flights en route. While those certainly live up to being noteworthy adventures, maybe we need to expand on the term “adventure” a bit.
It is no understatement to point out that 2020 was a year for the ages. While hopeful, it’s not like 2021 was the quick turnaround we had hoped for. In rapid-fire succession one traumatic event has happened after another over the past year. This goes far beyond COVID-19 and all of the deleterious effects from it (death, job loss, poverty, bankruptcy, etc). It’s just been a really challenging year since the pandemic hit. Not only that, but it has taken a psychological toll on us all. We’re simply worn out and tired. We need a reprieve. An outlet. An escape. That is why exploring is a gift.
