Type Two Fun: The Lessons of Colorado

Think back to that one hike that was on a perfectly warm but not overly hot sun-shining day. The bugs all took the day off and your views were absolutely breathtaking as you made your way from the trailhead, up the gradual yet rewarding slope, to an awe inspiring summit. This is not type 2 Fun.

Type 2 Fun is what you call it when you’re powering through a multi day hike where you cringe with each step as your snug boots rub against your raw blistered feet. It’s the internal dialog in your head that’s questioning your sanity for voluntarily deciding to trudge up a mountain in the pissing rain. It’s running out of clean underwear, TP, and ideas as you’re deep in the forest. It’s one of those things that’s not always easy to explain, but the minute you feel if for yourself, you’ll know.

I had felt it many times before, but never knew what to call it. That’s until a friend told me what I was experiencing was known as Type 2 Fun. I had spent all morning, well into the afternoon snowshoeing up a meandering trail to a cabin we would call home for the next 2 nights. The previous day’s efforts to ‘acclimate’ in Denver did nothing for my sea level body as we climbed higher and higher into the Rocky Mountain peaks. Finally reaching the rustic log cabin before sunset, only to be greeted by my new companion, altitude sickness. We were tight for those two days, usually opting to stay in the fetal position of a far corner of the cabin as everyone else took hot laps through Colorado powder. My rosy-cheeked cohort would regularly come in to check on me, unintentionally confirming how much fun I was missing out on.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and on the third morning I bid farewell to my throbbing head and nausea as we all made our way back to the car. It really wasn’t until we got back into town and I had a beer in front of me that I could start thinking clearly.

While I had literally been miserable for the 48 hours leading up to this point, I started trying to rationalize, telling myself ‘it wasn’t that bad’. Shortly there after, ‘maybe I’ll try it again sometime’. All tell tale signs that I had just experienced Type 2 Fun, and that I would inevitably subject myself to it again in the near future.

Cheers friends, to the not-so-fun-in-the-moment adventures, and the company that makes it better.