In the summer, vacations and weekend adventures leave us happily more exhausted than our work weeks. In the winter, we wake up at 3 a.m. to reach snow-covered peaks before coming home and changing into professional-ish clothes for our 9-to-5s.
Being without cell service for a week is not an inconvenience—it’s a luxury. Little else is more agonizing than the thought of not reaching a peak after a full day of grueling climbs. And there are many worse things than the smell of our clothing a week into an expedition.
For us, it’s not just recreation. This is a lifestyle.
To not only value wild places, but to live for the experiences that they afford, is a quality woven into the very fabric of some of us. This rings true especially here in Utah. This state has changed me forever. And for that, Utah, I thank you.
When I moved to Utah from Tennessee, it quickly became clear just how much geography can shape a population. The quality of natural spaces in Tennessee is feminine, lush, nourishing—you go out in nature, you learn, you adapt. That’s incredibly important to me still, but the sense of exploration wasn’t as universal there as it is here.
By contrast, to me, Utah’s landscape is bold and masculine. We seek to conquer this untamed, unyielding, dry environment. It demands exploration, and there’s no shortage of peaks to climb or natural wonders to simply gawk at.
Sometimes it means just a casual afternoon stroll along Bonneville Shoreline or a happy family finding beauty while camping in or near their minivan. Being outdoors, to any degree, is better than the opposite. Believe it or not, these add to the universal sense of exploration we enjoy in Utah.
The opportunities are boundless for people of all levels, experience and lifestyle. This is why we’re publishing Vamoose, which is Salt Lake City Weekly’s reimagined Outdoor Rec Guide.
We want to help you expedite your outdoor experience. Not to make haste of the adventure, but to go far and try new things. Or, hell, simply crack open a beer and relax, but do so outside of the confines of walls.
It’s with great pleasure that we offer the stories of this inaugural issue. We hope they give you a fresh perspective of new ideas of how to enjoy the lifestyle Utahns love so much.
We are 9-to-5ers as much as we are ski bums. We love car-camping with a cooler full of beer in the middle of nowhere as much as we love our dawn patrols. So come explore with us.
In the Summer ‘15 issue of Vamoose, Cole Lehman takes you to Highway 12 in “Weekend Warriors.” There are accessible slot canyons, enduring hikes, delicious food and red rock for days. Nick Como highlights Utah’s longest continuous trail, the Highland Trail in the high Uintas.
But a magazine about adventure isn’t just about going places. It’s about the people and companies who help us get out there. Beth Lopez interviews “The Speedgoat,” Karl Metzer, in this issue’s Trail Blazer feature. And Jenny Wilden gets the lowdown on Goal Zero, a Utah-based company revolutionizing the world of personal solar charging.
And there’s so much more. So read on. And then, get out there.