Last week a man came into the Fraser Visitor Center and we talked about the history of the Fraser Valley. He was fascinated with Doc Susie, the first female country doctor in the valley in the early 1900s. He wondered how she made it up here in such harsh conditions and asked me what it was like to live here. “Isn’t it remote? Aren’t the roads difficult to travel on in winter? Where do you grocery shop”.

I answered: “It’s only an hour and a half to Denver” “The roads are always clear so people can ski”, and “There are 2 grocery stores in the valley with a Starbucks”. The essentials are here. The traffic, noise, and pollution are not.

The key to the outdoor lifestyle is the pure desire to be outside and enjoying the natural world. It’s easy to do in Colorado with so much accessible public land. Finding time to have these outdoor adventures is the hard part. I live in this mountain landscape so I can walk out my door to hike and bike; and take advantage of the trail systems. There are over 600 miles of trails to hike and bike within 20 miles of my house. There are mountains in every direction to explore and climb. My 2008 Summer goal is to spend as much time outside in these mountains that I call home. I hope to see you out there.

By: Kristen Lodge for CascadeGear.com

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