3 Nuggets of Wisdom from Circle and Spoke's July Ride

Yesterday was a big milestone for Circle and Spoke! 

We hit up Harpers Ferry for Pedal, Paddle and Pause. 

There’s such wisdom in gathering women together to explore outdoors and to build community. 

Here are three nuggets of wisdom from the day:

Nugget #1: Get into the Thicket and lift each other up. 

During the ride, one of the women lost her balance and fell into the thicket. 

It was literally thorny. The entire group was amazing. 

Passing along the message to stop as someone fell. 

Women went into the thicket, which included some thorny bushes to get her and her bike out.

Reminders to do tick checks. 

Offerings to fill this gal’s water bottle up. 

Encouragement to take her time to settle after this tumble. There was no rush

Women helping women. Connection over competition. I was truly in awe of the power of support and community. When someone falls down, we together can lift each other up. 

Nugget #2: It’s possible to say yes to adventure when it’s hot outside.

Many women remarked how they had been missing the outdoors with the heat. They’ve just been spending a lot of time indoors lately. 

Having this day with some rafting and getting wet in the river to cool down, plus plenty of pause points in the shade to refresh and take a break while having lunch and then biking made this doable 

I loved seeing the smiles as I sprayed the gals with water! Such a small hack that makes a big difference. 

It’s totally possible to get outdoors in the heat. You have to be smart and be prepared and it can be FUN!

Nugget #3: Community helps make adventure happen

One gal remarked how going rafting was a ‘bucket’ list item for her, but her takeaway was being in a rad community with these amazing women.

Sure, any other weekend she could go rafting and biking on the C&O, but together in a community of women, the experience was so so special! And other gals remarked, how beautiful it was to connect with such rad women who love the outdoors who are based in the DMV! 

Gather in community and adventure will spark!

Wheels up,

Ellen

PS- Come celebrate my selection as a 2024 Wild Gift Fellow at No Small Potatoes Celebration from Thursday, August 15th from 5:30pm-8:00pm at Peirce Mill in Rock Creek NW DC. You can RSVP here.