Hi Gram!
I had such a fun-packed weekend, I don’t even know where to begin describing all the fun I had! I mean… I know where to begin.. at the start, then chronologically to avoid confusion… what I mean is that I’m bursting at the seams to tell you all about everything, all at once! The scene opens on Friday morning. It’s a crisp cool morning, I woke up early to do my brain exercises and stretching, then had breakfast and packed my car. I said goodbye to Amberly and John, then headed to the airport.
My timing was near perfect, arriving at DEN just as Alex and Emma messaged me to say their flights had landed. The airport is large and can be a little confusing your first time there, but after a few go-arounds on my part and navigating the trams, signs, and escalators on their part, we all found one another and started our adventure. We shared stories of our adventures – mine in Colorado, theirs in their travels to get here – as we headed south towards Garden of the Gods state park. We let Karla know we were on our way so she could meet us there.
After a quick gas station break to use the restrooms before the park and get some snacks (we all agreed on the universal etiquette rule that if you stop to use a bathroom at a business, you buy something to support them), we found the parking lot and met up with Karla. With our great luck, the shuttle driver pulled up just as we were ready and whisked us away to the entrance.
“In 1859, at the very beginning of the Pikes Peak or Bust Gold Rush, two surveyors rode their horses south from Denver to look for a suitable location for a new supply town to meet the needs of prospectors and miners.
-Sign I read in the park
When they reached the eastern foothills of Pikes Peak, they came upon red rock spires and cliffs that framed the towering mountain. To Malancthon Beach, the view conjured up an image of an elaborate European beer garden and exclaimed, ‘This would be a capital place for a beer garden.’
Young, poetic Rufus Cable replied, ‘A beer garden indeed, this is a place fit for the gods to assemble. We shall call it the Garden of the Gods”
The park has a great layout for everyone. A road winds through the park and past rocks and spires, so anyone can see the beauty regardless of their physical stamina. Branching off this winding road are a series of cement and dirt walkways with stairs and handrails, making it relatively easy for anyone to wander through and get a closer look. Intersecting these walkways are dirt and gravel paths, offering closer views in exchange for a little more coordination and stamina. For those who are trained and equipped, there are sections where people can even climb the rocks and get a bird’s eye view. We stuck to the paved, dirt, and gravel paths and got a good walk in, watching the rock climbers loom above us. We stopped a few times to get photos of the rocks and dating profile pics for a couple people in the group.
After some good scenery and blood pumping, we all agreed that lunch would be a great next step. We headed to Heart of Jerusalem, a Middle Eastern restaurant for some delicious food. We all got similar plates and agreed that the food was both filling and pleasing to the palate. After lunch, we stopped by the grocery store for some snacks and beverages, then headed to camp.
No matter how many of these camps I go to, I’m always giddy and elated when I arrive – maybe more with each camp, as I get to see old friends as well as meet new people. We had barely parked the car before I saw my friend David walking across the parking lot, Mark chatting with a group near the main building, and an assortment of other friends all around me. We left the luggage in the car and waded through a sea of hugs and hello’s on our way to check-in. Stephen was calmly handing out shirts, name tags, and keys with frequent breaks to greet friends with a hug and “how have ya been?”. We each unpacked the car and settled into our rooms, then gathered again on the patio and main building for a couple hours before dinner. With so many people that I want to talk with, I try to sit at a table with different people for every meal. I quickly lose track, though. I want to sit with every friend and meet every new person but when I see someone familiar, I wonder if I sat with them at the last meal or a previous camp. When I see someone unfamiliar, I can’t be sure if we’ve never met or if I was just talking to them an hour ago. It’s embarrassing to introduce myself to someone, only to hear that they enjoyed the conversation we had just before heading to the dining hall, or that they’ve acted on some advice I gave them at the last camp. They never act hurt or offended, but I wonder sometimes how they feel; I don’t know if they realize that it’s not that they’re not memorable, it’s just the faulty recording equipment in my brain.
After dinner, we migrated to the main building for the introductions and ice breaker. We all took off our name tags, then introduced ourselves plus named everyone who came before us. It gets harder and harder the later you are in the line. I always try to position myself early in the line, although it rarely works. This time, I was towards the end of the line, with only four people following me. I focused intently, repeating names as I heard them and trying to repeat them in my mind just before the current candidate spoke them. When it came to my turn, I named everyone backwards, trying to force my brain to convert them from short to long term memory. I’ve found that when I repeat them multiple times like that, then try to name them backwards or out of order somehow, I feel like I retain more of the names. I don’t know if I actually do, but it makes me feel better for the rest of the camp when I see someone that I would swear I’d never met before. The name game is a good icebreaker, though, creating a bond when someone forgets a name. After the name game, we went around and each provided a little background of where we live, where we are on the FI journey, and what we hope to get from the next few days then broke for the rest of the evening to socialize and get to know one another.
The next morning, we slowly trickled onto the patio as we woke up and joined one of the conversations going on. The bell rang at 8 and we all shuffled over to the dining hall to get in line, fill our plates, and find a table of new friends for more heartfelt conversation. That’s what I love about these camps – because everyone is here to learn, share, and grow, we get past the small talk quickly and have engaging conversations about topics that really matter to us. Because we’re all here for the same reason, we’re more open and vulnerable so anyone can walk up to any conversation and be welcomed to participate. It’s a welcoming feeling that I’ve rarely felt anywhere else. After breakfast, our friends Chris and Deb led a hike along a trail just outside of the camp facility. We had a good number of people on the walk over to the trailhead, then we split into a few smaller groups to make the navigation a little easier. The altitude kept my lungs heaving on some of the steeper parts, but luckily they weren’t long and we kept a slow pace, as most of the group had also traveled here from lower altitudes. There was some gorgeous scenery along the way, more memorable and deep conversations about life and goals, and plenty of hydration and sweating. The time flew by with all the great stimuli, and soon we were back at camp where I took a quick shower so as not to offend my lunch companions. After lunch, we gathered in the main room for a couple of insightful talks, where we learned about getting started on the FI journey later in life with Becky and lessons learned after one year of retirement with Ryan.
I was sporting one of my new shirt designs that day, so I got to be the Vanna White prop for Becky’s speech. The talks were followed by breakout sessions, where we split into groups for round table discussions of whatever topic everyone is interested in. I took part in discussions about consciousness on Saturday and Co-Housing on Sunday, and learned some new ideas each time. After a short break, we met again for dinner and socializing, followed by a live podcast recording where the hosts answered questions from the audience. The evening was full of laughter, learning, and memory-building and I didn’t get to bed until later than I would have liked. When I’m surrounded by friends and great banter, it’s just hard to break away for boring ole bed!
Sunday was much the same format, with a longer hike, new topics of conversation, and different speakers. Diania talked about easing into FI instead of landing at a certain number and flipping the switch, and Carl talked about the difficulty of spending and the fun he was having with his family and podcast. All of the talks were engaging, informative, and fun. Pete capped the evening off with a session about spending intentionally, enjoying life as you live it, and making your own choices in life instead of following the flow of consumerism and keeping up with the infamous Jones family. The rest of the evening, I wandered between groups, watched some dance lessons out on the patio, and ended up in a game of “Cashflow”, where everyone tries to get out of the rat race and reach their dreams. The drinks were flowing as much as the laughter, and I’m not sure we followed the rules but we had a fun time until we saw how late it was and everyone headed to bed.
Monday morning, we all packed up, had more conversation around breakfast, and said our goodbyes. Stephen and I learned that neither one of us knows how to look at a camera, but at least we can coordinate our shirts. It’s always hard to say goodbye to all these wonderful friends that I’ve just spent the past few days with, but people slowly trickled away and eventually I loaded up the car and Emma and I headed out to continue the adventures, which I’ll tell you all about tomorrow!
