As the founder and Chief Everything Officer of Trek Light Gear I'm always doing my best to spread the word and build up the Trek Light brand in any way possible.  While it was easily the largest sponsorship we've ever done, sponsoring the Monolith Music Festival was an easy decision for me to make.  I had attended the festival in its inaugural year last year and impressed would definitely be the first word that comes to mind.   If you've never been to Red Rocks before, let's just say it was nearly impossible for me to imagine how anyone could put on a FIVE stage festival at the venue without making people walk all the way to the parking lots for a stage or causing such an overload of sound that the bands would have to constantly compete to be heard over one another.  Red Rocks is known for its incredible natural acoustics, why would anyone expect to be able to host a multi stage music festival there?  So, I attended the first year with complete curiosity and also the feeling that it would likely go down in history as the one and only year that anyone ever attempted to do such a thing.  I can happily say that not only was the first Monolith Festival a success beyond my expectations, it got even better in its sophomore year.

Enough cannot be said about Josh Baker, Matt Fecher, Esurance, AEG Live, Madison House, and all the folks that worked to put on the Monolith Festival this year.  The outdoor stage schedules were planned with near perfect precision to make sure that there were no more accidental 'battle of the bands' that occasionally cropped up last year.   Every show I saw felt intimate and everyone that I talked to was having nothing short of a fantastic weekend.  The music lineup is a lot like the SXSW Festival, every set brings with it the possibility of discovering some new talent or seeing your favorite band put on a show like you’ve never seen – even the established bands are usually playing their first ever Red Rocks show.  The magic of Red Rocks is hard to beat, but when you add 4 more stages, including an acoustic stage, indoor rooms that provide the sound and atmosphere of a small club and, of course, the coolest hammocks on the planet, it all adds up to a weekend that should not be missed.

Speaking of hammocks, if I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say 'Why can't you guys be here at every Red Rocks show?' I'd probably be writing this blog from a cabana on the beach somewhere.  We put a ton of smiles on the faces of people who couldn't believe that after climbing all those high altitude steps all day there were actually hammocks setup at the top to relax in.  To top it all off, the hammocks were setup directly in front of the New Belgium stage so you could relax in a hammock while listening to great bands and staring up at the giant rock monoliths that give the festival its name.

The Eco Totes were also a huge hit at the festival and it was hard to look into the crowd without seeing at least one person carrying one of our signature compact reusable bags.  The bags were printed with a custom design by Todd Roeth, and they were a great example of the impact that the bags can have when incorporated into an event.   People used them to carry around the T-shirts and CD's they purchased without needing to waste any plastic and you can bet they'll continue to use them long after Monolith is over.     (If you own a company or put on an event, don't hesitate to get in touch with us and find out how we can create a co-branded Eco Tote for that gets your message out in a way that can't be beat!)

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Trek Light booth and allowed us to show you why our lightweight hammocks and reusable bags have earned their reputation.    We certainly plan to be back at the Monolith Festival next year, and you should be too.

Click the link for more pictures from the weekend…

More...

It was just announced that TrekLightGear.com was awarded the prestigious Standard of Excellence WebAward in the Small Business Category!   It’s great to see some serious recognition for Keely Franks and the entire team over at eMedia EFX for putting together what can now officially be called an ‘award-winning website’!

It’s been about 4 months since we launched the new website and there’s still plenty to come as we grow and continue to improve the TrekLightGear.com and Trek Life experience.   I’m looking forward to building on the great foundation we’ve started and I would love to hear your feedback on the site design.   We are always looking for more people to join the conversation going on in the Forum, so if you haven’t already done so go and register for a free account and start connecting with the Trek Light community.  

If you’ve got any suggestions or feedback regarding TrekLightGear.com, please leave a comment below!

We don’t do too much in the way of traditional advertising at Trek Light Gear and so when we do put an ad together, we like to make it count.   The ad below will be printed full page in every program guide handed out at the Monolith Music Festival as well as in The Marquee (a fantastic and FREE music magazine available in Colorado) and I’m thrilled with the way it came out.   A million thanks to Jon Fogel over at Gravity Creative in St. Louis for putting together an ad that captures about as much of our spirit as could possibly be done on one page.

Check it out:

We’ll be at Red Rocks all weekend long, hope to see some of you there!

Our good friends that are putting on the Monolith Music Festival have just released a fun widget game that allows you to guide a green-powered rocket ship “to recycle goods and blast away harmful waste from Red Rocks, while music from Monolith performers Passion Pit, Port O’Brien, Chain Gang of 1974, and Hearts of Palm rock the park."  

You can win a pair of ALL ACCESS PASSES to the 2008 Monolith Festival in addition to amazing daily prizes including VIP Gold Passes and lightweight hammocks from Trek Light Gear. That's right, they're giving away hammocks to the daily high scorers so if you've been waiting for the right time to get your hands on some Trek Light Gear, maybe you should head over to the Monolith site and try your luck at the Trash Blaster game!   While you’re at it, check out the great lineup and set aside September 13th and 14th to get your dancing shoes on and head over to one of the most beautiful music venues in the world for a five stage music festival that can’t be beat!

Link: Trash Blaster

As reported by CNN, one of the 'more popular and photographed arches' in Arches National Park collapsed this week.   No one reported seeing it collapse and luckily no one was hurt.  The article also says it was the first collapse of a major arch since Landscape Arch fell in 1991, but I’m pretty sure that Landscape Arch is still standing (I saw it only a few years ago) even if it did drop a few big pieces back in '91.  The Wikipedia page seems to confirm that it is still standing. 

I'm glad that I got to see Wall Arch before it collapsed along with so many of the other great formations at the park.  If you haven't been to Utah or you've got some National Parks on your list that you've been putting off for a long time, hopefully this is a good reminder to get outdoors and see what you can.  The same forces that created so much of our beautiful landscape are certainly capable of changing it at any time. 

While there are still plenty of other arches and interesting rock formations to keep visitors going to Arches for a long time to come, it’s a stark reminder that many of the rock formations that have become iconic parts of our landscape are really not to be taken for granted.  As my father said today: “First the Old Man of the Mountain and now this?”

In the last three days we’ve had over 5,000 7,000 people visit the blog from StumbleUpon.   That’s a huge spike in traffic for the blog and I figured it’s a good opportunity for me to welcome you and let you know what you’ve stumbled upon.

Trek Life is one of those company blogs that strives not to be a company blog.   The blog exists as an extension of Trek Light Gear, an outdoor gear company based in Boulder, Colorado.   We definitely will talk about topics that directly relate to our products from time to time, from the benefits of compact reusable bags to why you should own a lightweight camping hammock.   But we’re not here to market our products or give you a sales pitch in every blog post, we’re here to connect with our visitors who share a passion for the outdoors.   That passion for the outdoors can cover everything from saving the environment to learning about how to stay warm on your next hiking trip.   Maybe you’re an aspiring outdoor chef looking to learn some camping cooking tips, or you’re curious to know how hammock therapy is helping premature babies.  We’ll always do our best to provide you with quality content to help you ‘Trek Lightly’ on this planet.

We just launched the blog in May of 2008 so we’re really just getting rolling and we hope you like what you see so far.  If you’d like to get more involved and expand the conversation you should visit the Trek Life Forum as well.   You should also go ahead and subscribe to our RSS feed so you’ll be able to stay current with all the latest Trek Life postings without needing to check the blog every day.

P.S.  As a special welcome to our StumbleUpon friends I’d also like to offer a coupon code for 10% off anything in the Trek Light Gear store.  Just enter the code STUMBLE0708 during checkout, the coupon will be only be valid for one week so if you’re reading this post go ahead and take advantage of the offer now!

A little Sunday laugh, courtesy of Modern Hiker:

(For the uninitiated, the picture is of a garbage can you’ll find on public trails and campsites that have a concealed handle to prevent animals from getting in…)

On Wednesday, June 25, thousands of people will leave their cars at home and take two wheels to work. 

The League of American Bicyclists has been sponsoring National Bike Month and Bike to Work Day since 1956. Throughout most of the country, these events take place in May, but a few years ago, the state legislature officially declared June as Colorado Bike Month, with the fourth Wednesday of the month being Bike to Work Day.

There will be breakfast stations setup all over the Boulder and Denver metro areas serving up delicious morning treats, so even if you have to leave your house extra early to get to work on time you’ll still be able to squeeze in a good breakfast to start your day.   If you live in Colorado, get that bike out on Wednesday and take part in a great event.   If you don’t live in Colorado, help us celebrate anyways by biking, walking or taking public transportation to work on Wednesday!

What’s the longest amount of time you’ve ever walked for?  

Over the weekend (and extending into the week), three people in Boulder broke the world record by walking for four days and four nights – 103 hours!   It was part of a new event that’s now spread worldwide and is known as an Extra Mile Endurathon.  The walkers are only allowed 10 minute breaks at intervals throughout the event to do whatever they want – rest, eat, use the bathroom, try to sleep, etc.

The previous world record of 102 hours was set in Buenos Aires last year and the walkers in Boulder were determined from the start not just to beat their fellow competitors but to try to set the new world record as well.  

From 103 hours: Boulder walkers break world Endurathon record:

“Three determined athletes in Boulder broke the world record for endurance walking together early this morning when they stopped their 103-hour trek at the Lazy Dog Sports Bar & Grill, 1346 Pearl St., and had a beer.”

The emphasis is mine of course.  They stopped and had a beer!  Now those are my kind of athletes.

More...

Memorial Day weekend means a lot of things to a lot of people - a chance to honor our fallen vets, camping, BBQ's, picnics,  a day off from work, gardening, or maybe even a chance to just enjoy the weather and do nothing at all.   

For me, Memorial Day Weekend has meant a weekend spent working for the  last few years, but it's the kind of work I love so that's no complaint.  It can be the busiest weekend of the year in Boulder and it's a chance to get out on Pearl Street and talk to people about Trek Light Gear and always results in a busy sales weekend.  I get to see a lot of people heading home with smiles, eager to enjoy the rest of their long weekend from the comfort of a hammock.    

While I'm working, there's always a million great things going on all around me in Boulder every Memorial Day.   One of those great things is the Bolder Boulder 10K Race which is now in its 30th year.   Over 50,000 people take part in the race, from professional athletes to  small children walking the race with their parents.   It brings people from all over the world to train for the high altitude conditions and it's hard to even imagine the scene it brings to Boulder until you see it firsthand.  Thanks to a rainy day which meant I couldn't even open up the Trek Light cart, I was finally able to do just that after all these years.

More...