I’ve lived in a lot of places, yet nowhere have I been more impressed and challenged by fellow females than here in southwestern Colorado.
This is not to say that women in Maine, Iowa, Utah, and elsewhere are not impressive. But when it comes to women of humble and outdoors-y athleticism, this area has an overabundance of them. (It should be noted that Colorado has the lowest rate of obesity in the nation. You can read more about the importance of fitness and getting out here.)
I’m learning there are various varieties of fit females:
- There’s the PataGucci set. Mountain chic, they look ready to go with perfectly-fitting outfits, perfectly-styled hair. They do not have dirt under their perfectly painted nails. Are they really ready to go?
- There are those with dirt under their nails. They might also wear Patagonia, but they probably bought it at the thrift shop or found it left behind at Purgatory. And they probably wear it for it’s functionality while rock climbing, mountain biking, or trail running.
There are national-caliber athletes and insanely fit grandmothers in the midst. Many women I’ve met would be exceptional athletes anywhere else in the world. Here, they fit in as amazingly unexceptional.
Anne Rapp (L) with Linda Mannix
Some local women are fit because of what they do for work – like Anne Rapp, owner of Rapp Corral, who manages dozens of horses and leads day rides and pack trips. Like Dominique Edgerly, who skis, rafts, and rides horses for a living.
Some women have more sedentary day jobs, but incorporate athleticism into their days as automatically as they drink coffee. I know librarians who are rock climbers and triathletes.
Somewhere else, girls might be special for clearing trail, fixing fence, cutting down trees, riding, hiking, hauling a trailer. Here, it’s just normal. They look at a river and say things like, “nice run-off” and guess at the cfs (water flow as measured in cubic feet per second).
Beginning soon, ColoradoOutsider will profile women of southwestern Colorado. You’ll read about Regular Janes in the neighborhood. Otherwise known as women who rock!