Is it time to change your underwear?

It is hard for me to justify spending any money on underwear. They are a piece of clothing I put on and forget about. Whether their performance is good or bad, I just sort of live with whatever I get. When something is reversible, or dubbed as multi-purpose, it makes it easier for me to prove that purchasing the item is worth it.

Patagonia’s new Capilene Air has fulfilled my proof of multi-functional underwear. This new baselayer blends recycled polyester with recycled wool in a woven fabric that does an incredible job of keeping you warm and dry, yet looking like you didn’t just come from the mountain or trail.

On Thursday, August 23rd Patagonia Burlington’s partner store, Vermont Trailwear will be hosting an in-store screening of the Orianne Society film, The Great Northern Turtle. This short documentary is about Wood Turtle conservation in the working landscapes of Vermont.

My dream of exploring South America became a reality this summer when seven other students and I packed up and headed to Peru with a few instructors. The trip is the foundation of what I now know of mountaineering in high altitude environments, which is vastly different in all the best ways from what I had imagined.

I am what some may consider a Vermonter; I was born and grew up playing in the Green Mountains. Many of my roots are embedded in enjoying what you can find in the outdoor community, especially on a local level. The hiking trails are no exception. I hiked Mt.Mansfield at the ripe young age of five, and grew up regularly hiking Camel’s Hump and Mt. Abraham. Throughout my childhood, my parents would place M&Ms on the trail, that I would “stumble upon” to motivate me to get to the top. Today I don’t need them to leave M&Ms for me to get out and push myself. Instead I fill a bag with 3,000+ calories per day and go out on my own.

The Long Trail is a 272 mile trail along the spine of Vermont’s mountains. Two years ago, I packed up and headed out to complete it. I did 126 miles in a week. Due to subpar weather and a tight schedule I stopped. Not completing what I set out to do was difficult for me, but looking back with the perspective I have now, I know I made the right choice.

Mountain bikers love to talk about dirt. When someone asks me how the trails are, the first thing I usually respond with is the quality and the state of the soil.

“It’s pretty dusty right now.”
“The clay is gripping well.”
“Man, it’s all loam out there… it’s perfect.”

We even pay pretty close attention to the things living in the soil as they pass underneath our tires.

“The roots are really showing, and they’re pretty slick!”

Dirt is on the forefront of our minds because it is our primary connection to the earth, and the very thing which makes mountain biking different from road or track cycling, or even possible in the first place. And the majority of the time, a successful ride means you come back wearing or having consumed a bit of it.

One could say that my love for trees, or anything outdoors started from a young age. Whether I was climbing trees, making elaborate forts high up, hanging upside down from low branches or simply hiding from my brothers in a game of hide-and-seek, my appreciation for what grows outside has always been there.

This love translated into my later years when I took a job at a local farm in Maryland, where I tended to all of the plants in the nursery and all of the gardens on the property. Whether it was garden maintenance, planting new flowers, watering the annuals and perennials, or simply thinning the peach trees to foster new growth, I loved being in the sun and watching all of these things take root.

When kids grow up in an active home, they become active adults. When their parents embrace the outdoors, they will as well. Taken to extremes, the kids turn into fun-hogs. They live to play outdoors in many different ways. They plan their time around the need to “get after it”.

I have had the pleasure of watching our three children turn into such creatures. They all embraced skiing at an early age, with the youngest, Molly, on skis at 18 months old. All three learned the basics. They took lessons, then progressed to racing. The oldest, RJ, found the woods, park and pipe more to his liking. The girls raced through high school and beyond. All three eventually became instructors or coaches as young adults. As a coach and instructor for over 25 years, I was glad to see that some things resonated with them.

The last mention in Patagonia’s mission statement reads, “use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.” In 1985 Patagonia started funding grassroots, action oriented environmental organization, through the creation of an environmental grant program. Since the program’s conception, the company has been able to award $89 million dollars in funding to it’s grantees. You can connect and learn more about all of Patagonia’s grantees on Patagonia Action Works.

As a locally owned and operated store, Patagonia Burlington is fortunate enough to collaborate with local action-oriented organizations. These groups are spearheading projects to implement positive change to our community and environment. Last year through Patagonia’s environmental grant program, Patagonia Burlington partnered with Burlington’s Intervale Center and their conservation nursery to create a grant proposal. The proposal focused on raising awareness within our community about the importance of riparian buffers for the health of our rivers, streams, and Lake Champlain. After being reviewed by the environmental grant board, the proposal was awarded $5,000 dollars in funding.

Riparian Buffer - An area of vegetation that borders a body of water, usually a river or lake, that helps to protect the water quality and ecosystem health from adjacent land uses.

It’s springtime in Vermont, that beautiful time of year where the snow finally melts, buds on the trees explode, the green grass perks up, and my favorite lilacs bushes are in bloom. Everywhere you go, the moment the sun comes out and the thermometer reaches 50 degrees, you see people out in their shorts, sandals, and smiles even if the breeze is chilly. This is also the time when folks get to put away their winter boots and dust off their running shoes in preparation for one of my favorite races of the year, the Vermont City Marathon, hosted right here in Burlington, Vermont.

Repair is a radical act.

Keeping clothes in use by repairing them if needed, or trading them in, reduces their impact on our environment much more effectively than if you were to recycle the clothes and buy new. Patagonia’s Worn Wear Trade-In program helps to keep the clothing life cycle in motion for a longer period of time.

Instead of collecting dust in your attic, closet, or basement, your unused Patagonia clothes can get a second life. In doing so, you will allow for more people to have access to quality clothing, create more stories to wear, and reduce impact on the environment.