Homegrown Adventure

For most of my adult life, I have been able to travel and adventure all over the world. This year has been a unique experience to say the least with little travel, but plenty of homegrown adventure. The pandemic slowed the pace of our constantly moving lives, and we were able to savor simple camping trips close to home.

We met up with our friends Adam and Kara, who also have two tiny humans about the same age as ours. The kids all seemed to gravitate towards each other as they explored the soils and foliage that the beaches of Seward, AK has to offer.

Each family quickly identified their campsite and went to work building the temporary homes we would absorb over the next few days. I set up the Big Agnes Dog House solo while my family tended to other camp chores. Tent setup is always faster with an extra hand, but with the right balance, I tackled this one easily by myself. Since we were camping close to home, we decided to live a little more luxuriously and break out a full-on blow-up mattress. It was a win for our little family of four, while surrounded by noises and the movements of moose, bears, and other Alaskan fauna.

After setup, we relaxed and hung out with our friends, cracked open a beer and simply enjoyed the familiar company and surroundings.

On an average year, we might be doing the same thing halfway across the globe. We reminisced on the past and excitedly discussed the future when this would all be over. We also realized that in the present, we were still in control of our attitude and mindset. It’s easy in these situations to allow ourselves to get lazy and aggravated, but with the right mindset we could still achieve simple things, like this moment on the beach with our families.

We continued our relaxed pace and explored some of the trails with the kiddos, then decided to call it a night as the midnight sun remained high in the sky. During the summer in Alaska the sun only sets for a cat nap and is back before you know it, shining bright to remind you to get up and adventure.

The next morning, we made breakfast for both families before setting off on an Alaskan beach day. The beaches here are black and the water is cold, but the views are absolutely epic, something we’ll never tire of. The kids got lost in playing for hours as the adults mingled and laughed at how unexpected our lives have become. We carried on many weekends this way while summer came and went and our homegrown adventures reminded us that this one life we have, is a good one.

About the Author: Tommy Danger – Big Agnes Ambassador.
Tommy Danger is an adventure athlete that learned in his mid 20’s that life wasn’t about the. money you make, yet the lives you change. Through his love of adventure he founded a non-profit foundation called More Than Just Me that uses adventure projects to drive awareness and funds to different causes across the world. Follow Tommy’s adventures on Instagram @adudeandhiscamera