So much love and very special thanks to everyone who made it to 23 feet’s first stop in Silverton, CO, for the 4th of July. We exercised our rights to sit in the sunshine with friends, play horseshoes and indulge in mid-afternoon tent naps.
We got some shots of the area, and had the chance to catch up with Rachel Mueller, a one time project consultant turned dirtbag. She fell in love with ice climbing one season in Ouray, CO, while on vacation from her consulting job in Chicago, and was so enamored with the sport she picked up her life and moved there the next winter.
Rachel stayed in Ouray until the ice melted, then began a five year stint of traveling and living out of her car. She spent time in Asia, in the Pacific Northwest and in Colorado, indulging her passion for climbing and living simply. She told us about teaching yoga and working at a local health food store to make ends meet, and how she quickly learned the difference between a “need” and a “want” – a distinction that is simple in theory, but complicated to apply.
Rachel is entering a new phase of her life, buying a house and growing some roots in Ridgway, CO. We shared our different perspectives of a nomadic life, we in the beginning stage and she in the final.
Next stop is Moab, to search for desert wanderers.