Karey:
Well, hey you! And welcome to The Art of Type 2 Fun adventure podcast, where we cover all things, suffering and adventure in the outdoors as women around the world. I am Karey Miles and I will be your adventure guide!
So, I just want to start out this first episode with telling you a little bit about myself, why I'm here and hopefully encouraging you to give me a shot and keep listening and as always, let me know if you have any questions going forward. I love, you know, little tidbits that you want to hear about. I love hearing about what you want to hear because this podcast is for you. Okay… It's a little bit about myself too. You know, this is kind of like my outdoor therapy, kind of a thing. Being able to talk to all y'all about being in the outdoors and really testing myself. But. Anyway. So I'd love to hear from y'all anyway. A little bit about myself.
I am a 40 something year old gal who is currently based in Phoenix. I was previously in the Pacific Northwest for about 15 years before moving here, and I have to say that it was a huge change for me. And one that I did not really realize how big it would be, but I am absolutely loving the desert. I decided to make a life-transition about four years. ago to complete my second master's degree in music at Arizona State University, and I just never left, I never went back. Before I moved, I thought maybe I'll just, you know, I'll go, and then in the summers I'll go back, but I just fell in love with the desert and knew it was for me. I'd been in Portland, Oregon for about 11 years before that and Eugene, Oregon before that for school. And I don't know, I think I was just ready for a change.
And boy, did I get that? I went from rain, clouds, and of course like, lush green forest root late in Rocky, you know, slick rocks, that kind of a thing, between Oregon and Washington and moved to rocky deserts, jagged mountains, scorpions, rattlesnakes, Javalinas… all those crazy things that I'd only seen in movies.
But I don't regret it one bit. And I know that the change, even though it was difficult at the time, and sometimes it's even difficult now, I definitely miss the Pacific Northwest and I miss my friends a lot. But it was something I needed to continue to grow as a human being. And that's one thing you'll learn about me is that I'm always looking for ways to grow and learn.
Since moving to Phoenix, I've met and become fast friends with an amazing group of folks here in the valley. They've shown me what it means to adventure with the craziness that the desert has to offer: monsoons, waterless routes, I mentioned the scorpions. Yes, they are little and large and all the things in between. Javalinas (look them up. They're little nasty pigs. Well, they're not little, they're quite large. But the baby ones are kind of cute even when they smell bad.) And then let's not forget rattlesnakes. They are very present in the desert here.
But we still get out and do it and it just adds to the fun. I love my pals here in Arizona and I also still somewhat regularly get to adventure with my buddies from the Pacific Northwest. So I sort of get the best of both worlds. I couldn't do what I do now without any of them. And I'm excited for you also to get to meet them as well, because they will definitely be joining me on my adventures here in the pod.
So…that's a little bit about how I ended up here today, but I want to give you a bit of a taste for my experience in type two fun, and why I'm here hosting this show for you. As I mentioned, I am a gal and as a gal in adventure land, I have noticed that there is a slope, a certain rise in the efforts and other number of other folks who identify as women in the back country and which I'm so stoked about. That said, I'm thinking, well, all these other girls and women folk certainly have stories to tell that can help encourage us all to be brave, self-sufficient human beings in the outdoors and realize that we aren't the only ones who are doing awesome things! So I love that all y'all are getting out there. I want to hear more of it and I want to spread the stoke! There are a few other women focused adventure podcasts out there, but I wasn't seeing a whole ton. So I thought, “hell, why not create another platform for us all to spill the beans, ask all the questions, hear from the experts and the noobs and all the adventure-curious folks.” So here we are.
This podcast is in general, no holds back. So we will talk about anything. If you have a question about your undercarriage and adventures, if you have a question about having a period on the trail, if you have a question about… I don't know the ups and downs and the emotional garbage that happens. Anything you want from clothing to personal stuff, we are here to talk about it.
So I hope you really enjoy. On that note, we might cover some topics. So you might want to plug your ears. Usually we'll give some sort of warning about that, but kinda teach their own with your own risk!
Anyways, so going back to me a little bit, I grew up adventuring in the outdoors. As a little girl, I had young one younger brother who's about five years younger and then three very close cousins who were like siblings to me. And our grandfather was a dedicated outdoorsman. He took us everywhere and we want on crazy road trips with our camper trailers in tow. My grandparents had one, my cousins had one and then we had one and some of my earliest and most memorable adventures were with my Gramps. And I feel like he knew what he was doing when he took us trekking around all the national parks. We went to Zion, Bryce National Park, Jackson Hole. All over, all over the country hiking to more unexplored places in these areas. And even taking us, he would take us into caves and go exploring.
And one specific adventure I remember was we, he would take us to this cave UN. And it was an unnamed cave up in the Logan canyon in Utah. And we went into the cave a couple of times and we would always just hike back into where the water came because it was deep underground, and we'd get to a point where the water came up and. One day, I remember. He was like, “okay, today's the day we're going to go back as far as we can.” So you know, I was a young kid and we went back there and I just remember it being super cold and my dad had to carry me, but we reached the very, very back of the cave. And just to give you an idea, And idea of how deep this was, my dad was basically up to his shoulders or his biceps in this water. I can't imagine how cold it was. And none of my other cousins, I think my boy, cousin, who's four years older than me, he went back there. But my dad carried me back. We touched the very back of the cave and it was so exhilarating.
And then when we got out into the sun, I was so relieved and my mum had snacks for me and it was. It was really an amazing experience that I will always remember. So it was these types of things that my grandpa would do. Now, I don't know that all of them were super safe. The entrance to that cave has since been closed due to safety reasons. But, I just remember, you know, I remember experiencing a lot of outdoors stuff and I do remember some of it was type two fun, very hot, very rugged conditions that I did not enjoy as a child.
But, you know, I got blisters on my feet. I would skin my knees. All these things that come along with it with the outdoors, but I loved it. And I love that my grandpa showed me all of these things. He was truly his finest when he was able to be a guide and show his stoke for the outdoors. And I believe he instilled that sense of stoke in me, and I want to share it with y'all. I can't imagine growing up anywhere else. You know, I grew up in Idaho and I can't imagine growing up anywhere else that didn't have access to such a beautiful outdoor opportunities. I feel lucky even now. I think I've put myself in places that I have access to those outdoors. So I feel very lucky for that. But that said life hasn't always been outdoorsy and adventurous at least in the way I wanted it to be.
In 2006 or so, quite a while ago, it's crazy to think it's been that long. I was trying to finish my undergraduate degree in Eugene, Oregon. I was in college for a very long time. I tend to like to take my own time and route into getting things done, which my friends and family recognized. But I recognized one day while I was out hiking with some friends to a nearby watering hole that we used to just go out and hang out and drink and jump waterfalls and things like that. That I didn't really feel good in my body.
I was a heavy drinker. You might say, oh, everyone in college drinks a lot, but no, I was a heavy drinker and I was also smoking about a pack a day, among other addictive behaviors. And I just didn't feel good. It was on this hike that I realized I wanted to feel good. And especially in order to enjoy the things that I used to love outdoors, I couldn't even breathe on that hike. I was like tired within two minutes of hiking and it was just really rough and I realized kind of which direction it was going. I went home, threw my pack of American Spirit Blues and the garbage. And I had already tried three times to quit with no success, but what mattered to me most this time, I recognized, was being able to do what I wanted to do. In the outdoors without feeling like I couldn't breathe.
So that was that! It was enough to make me really just say no more. In an effort to distance myself from my destructive tendencies, my social circles changed rather quickly and I wound up with a new roommate who happened to be a road cyclist and so did her boyfriend and she took the liberty of introducing you to tons of rad folks who really knew how to have fun on the bike, push themselves, and to be in the outdoors. Yes, they drink occasionally. Nobody smoked though, as far as I remember, but anyway yes, and I still had issues with alcohol, but one step at a time. And I, but I picked up the bike and it replaced my cigarettes and I haven't put it down since.
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After a five-year stint in Eugene, I woke up in Portland where I kept riding my bike a lot. At the time I was mostly into road biking, dabbling, just a little bit of mountain biking, but honestly it scared the bejesus out of me. I remember I used somebody else's full suspension bike, and I had no idea what I was doing.
It was pretty ridiculous. So that was like just once. And I was like, no, that scared me. So I had started racing road bikes in my final year of college. And it went pretty well because I worked really hard at it. I lived cycling, I ate, train, sleep, repeat. Maybe a little class here and there, but I was all cycling all in and that's another part of my personality that you'll get to know. When I do something, I do it big! So I just continued to train and work full-time and that was going really well. So, after I graduated, I was competing well at the local ranks and getting a bit of experience on the national NRC circuit. My goal was to be able to at least join a composite team regularly for the NAC circuit. I didn't really. Think or believe that I had maybe enough talent or time or energy or money or whatnot to try for like a pro protein.
But I felt like I was good enough to be on a composite team if I really worked hard. And got those connections. So I was trying my best. This goal came crashing down. Literally when I was writing to work early morning hours on April 21st, 2011. Some kid who wasn't paying attention, T-boned me with his car when he got it to make an unprotected left turn while I was writing straight. This event left me a changed person, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I'll get into the whole thing in another episode or multiple episodes for that matter. But needless to say my outlook on life suffering, resilience, all changed focus and the rest is history. I'm not going to go into all the details now, but I did have a comeback year racing my bike in 2013 and kicked some booty, set some local records, and all that good stuff. Well, let's just say that one thing led to another and I decided to distance myself from road cycling. Whereas quite a lot of PTSD involved there did go to therapy and have continued to work on that.
But, in the meanwhile, I discovered the mountain bike and adventure riding and knew that this was the place for me. I started writing on an entry-level Focus, aluminum frame, hardtail with 110 millimeter travel forks. So nothing special. It was a heavy bike. Pretty narrow bar is like super old-school at this point.
And I was taken on some gnarly trails and I didn't know any different. I just knew that I didn't have to deal with cars up there on the trails, and I could basically choose my own adventure, which I loved. I got to get exercise, and friend time, and all those good things, and be out in the outdoors all at the same time, so I was super stoked.
So jump ahead a few years and my good friend Heather mentioned that she wanted to ride. The great divide trail as far as she could get in one month. So I was like, Hmm, well, I could maybe do that as well. I had been laid off from work. I was teaching music at the time and so it kind of had a really flexible schedule. So I was like, maybe I could take like a month off and let's just see what happens. So, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. A group of seven of us friends ended up writing together from bam to Whitefish Montana in 2016. And then Heather and I kept going and made it to Steamboat Springs, CO, 28 days after we started our journey. We didn't know what in the hell we were doing, but we learned really quickly and we learned how to work together, and it was one of the best experiences of my life, both hardest and best. It changed me forever as a person. Anyway, so my adventure riding journey began then, and I will never look back. Heather continues to be an amazing buddy and an amazing influence on the things that I'm doing. And, you'll hear in later episodes. She's also convinced me to take up running, which she's a super runner, and I can't believe that I'm doing that as well, but more to come on that.
So, through adventure writing, I have been able to see things I wouldn't have otherwise, including the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route from Banff to Steamboat. I still need to finish the rest. Colorado trail, Oregon timber trail, much of the Arizona trail and beyond. These adventures and the folks that are joining me in these adventures have taught me about myself, what I can handle and the grit and resilience that have I have within me.
And then I didn't know that I had, and I think this is why I keep coming back and like why I hope that others can get to experience and share similar things with y'all. There's just something about learning, how to experience the art of type two fun that we can apply in life, whether it be outdoors, or in life, let's say motherhood, medical school or whatever you're going through.
It's my hope that through this podcast, that we can help each other, discover new things about ourselves and that intern, it will turn into major stoke and we can share that with others and we can teach us all about this art of, of how to suffer and how to apply it into our own lives. And then, and then remember it as something that's super awesome, and it was good for something later, even if it was pretty trying at the time.
So now that you know a little bit about me and why I'm here, you can look forward to what I have coming down the trail. You can look for new episodes coming at you. We're going to say weekly at first, I might have to switch to bi-weekly depending on what we have in store, but I'm a shoot for weekly. Thank you for your patience on that. Each episode we'll have one four formats, including:
#1) me coming straight at you with my personal experiences in answering any of your questions that I get through the week.
#2). Guests who have awesome things to talk about. There are so many people that I want to talk to. So, and if you have any suggestions or people that you want to hear from feel free to let me know through Instagram, the Art of Type 2 Fun. Anyway, I'm excited to announce that we'll have not only some of my dear friends, Elisa, Richmond, DeAnn Garcia. Heather snap. And my new pal, Cassidy Howard out of Idaho, but also super adventure and outdoor advocate, Kate Boyle, as well as some other local professional riders and runners and, and people like that to start out with.
#3) Then the third thing you'll be hearing is Karey and Pals panel. You can write anything and ask from myself and you will get feedback and tips and adventure stories from a small squad of adventure gals who know their stuff by bike, foot, motherhood, pet hood, etc.
#4) Also the last thing you'll hear is a gear in gab, where we talk about gear, the latest and greatest tips. And also any answer any of your questions about packing gear and we might have few sponsors on board and things like that.
Make sure to subscribe and share, so you don't miss any of it. Our adventure stories and tips and tricks. Make sure to follow the podcast on Instagram as well as the Art of Type 2 Fun website, and even when some free adventure gear at some point. So be looking for that. You're also welcome to find us. I mentioned the art of type two fund.com where you can not only see photos, ride reports, gear, data, et cetera, but also become a supporter of the show, which helps me to be able to continue to do what I'm doing. And with that, hit subscribe and feel free to listen to our first couple of episodes with Deann and Aliza on the big lonely. I'm so excited to have you on board for this new adventure and to be learning more about the Art of Type 2 Fun, right along with you! And with that said, Signing Out!