November 16, 2022 • 29 mins
One of Brie's first loves has always been going outside. From a young age, she has found belonging in the arms of Mother Nature. This week, Brie dives into her love of going outside, and provides super practical tips for staying prepared, dry, and warm, no matter what the weather.
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Joy Blue (00:10):
Welcome to Here We Are.
The podcast where we celebratethe beauty of being a nerd by
learning about nerdy things fromfellow nerds.
I'm your host, Joy Blue.
Today's guest is a real treat.
If you haven't guessed byreading her name so far, you're
about to meet my wife.
Brie is a fantastic and smarthuman who finds so much goodness
(00:32):
in nature.
And.
She has a special nerd interestin the items that we wear to
keep us warm and dry while we'reoutside.
I hope you enjoy this episode asmuch as I did, especially with
winter upon us! Layer upfriends.
So without further ado here's mywife, Brie Blue to tell us all
about her love of going outside.
Brie Blue (00:53):
Hi, I'm Brie Blue.
I am the wife of our lovelyhost, Joy Blue.
And I guess in the context ofthis conversation, I am an
outdoor enthusiast, someone whofinds healing in nature, and
(01:14):
someone that loves to helpothers find that healing by way
of the right gear so they canget outside
Joy Blue (01:23):
Okay.
When you say gear, what are youtalking about?
Brie Blue (01:26):
All the things, but mainly clothing.
Because obviously you want tostay warm in the winter, and you
want to stay cool and protectedfrom the sun in the summer, and
in a place that has a wide rangeof temperatures and seasons,
that means you end up havingquite a lot of gear to go with
(01:46):
said seasons.
I am a jacket hoarder.
I think you know this well.
Joy Blue (01:53):
Me too.
So when we got married, ourjacket collection exponentially
expanded.
Much to the joy of both of us.
Brie Blue (01:59):
Yeah, we're roughly the same size and we wear the
same size, and so it's reallygreat.
And now we both have double thejackets and double the shoes.
We also weirdly wear the sameshoe size.
Joy Blue (02:09):
Double the jackets.
Double the fun.
Brie Blue (02:11):
Woo woo
Joy Blue (02:12):
Okay.
What are we nerding out abouttoday?
Brie Blue (02:14):
We are nerding out about outdoor gear.
Joy Blue (02:16):
Outdoor gear.
Okay.
When did you start nerding outabout outdoor gear?
Brie Blue (02:22):
I think my journey with outdoor gear actually
starts just in the journey ofgoing outside and finding
healing in going outside andneeding to be outside no matter
the weather.
Joy Blue (02:36):
Mm
Brie Blue (02:37):
and there's the saying that there's no bad
weather, there's just bad gear.
And so trying to find the rightgear was a journey that took a
long time so that I could findways to go outside as often as
possible.
Joy Blue (02:52):
For those of us that might not know what you mean by
healing by being outside, couldyou expound on that just a
little?
Brie Blue (02:59):
I grew up in an abusive household and it was
safer for me as a child to beoutside.
I found sanctity outside.
I remember as a kid, I had thistree that was in my cul-de-sac
and when it was unsafe to beinside, when my mom and her
(03:19):
boyfriend were arguing, Well,boyfriend singular, but she had
many boyfriends.
Joy Blue (03:24):
Mm-hmm.
Brie Blue (03:25):
But when my parent figures were arguing, when my
home was unsafe, I would gooutside.
And I would crawl up into thattree and I would imagine that
tree as my home.
So one long limb was thekitchen, another long limb was
my bedroom.
I remember I would curl up inthat limb and sleep.
(03:47):
Like I actually found comfort inbeing within nature.
And this was when I was a reallysmall human.
Of course, when I moved throughmy teenage years and college,
that kind of left me for alittle while.
But post-college, I was reallyfinding that emptiness again
inside.
And when I turned to goingoutside, I found that same
(04:11):
healing that I had felt as achild.
That same comfort, that samesoothingness.
And so I began realizing that asI started to unpack and heal
from the trauma that I'dexperienced as a child, it was
integral for me to self sootheby going outside.
That was where I was able tofind comfort and be met as
(04:35):
myself.
You know, Nature doesn't requireme to be perfect.
Nature doesn't require me to beanything but me to just show up.
And I felt loved.
I still feel very loved and heldby Mother Earth.
And every Mother's day Icelebrate my mother, who is
Mother Earth.
And in that way, I found just somuch comfort in the journey
(04:59):
toward being myself.
Joy Blue (05:01):
That is beautiful.
I have not felt that to thedegree that you have.
I think part of my escape andhealing is to dive into stories
or listen to something.
So it's been a fun journey thatI've been able to witness from
the unique position of beingyour wife, of watching how you
(05:24):
might be stressed or you mightbe tense for some reason, and
then you go outside, maybe takeour dog to the dog park and you
come back and you're so muchmore centered.
It's a beautiful thing.
I'm really glad you found thattool.
Brie Blue (05:37):
Thank you.
I am too.
I think in a lot of ways, goingoutside has saved me.
It's been a place where I canhold grief, where I can rage and
cry and experience the widerange of human emotions and
still be allowed to have thoseemotions there and be present.
(05:59):
You might think of me as like,Oh, going outside means that I'm
this adventurous human, that I'malways going to new places and
that I'm always discovering newtrails or hiking new mountains
and there are many people whoenjoy that.
For me, actually going outsidelooks like walking the same
piece of earth over and over andover again.
And you're like, that's probablynot very exciting.
(06:21):
Why would you do that?
But I do that because I find joyin the little changes that
happen day to day within nature.
And I noticed that when I walkthat same loop, so oftentimes,
as you mentioned, the dog park,we will go together and we'll
walk the same path in the sameway.
(06:42):
And that's very comforting forme because I know what to expect
on that path.
But those small things thatstand out, maybe the sunflower
that has blossomed or the grassthat's now greener or now the
water is running because rainjust came.
Joy Blue (06:57):
Yeah.
Brie Blue (06:58):
Those small things that I notice, those small
changes, I find a lot of joy inthat.
And I like noticing how even thesame patch of Earth can change
and evolve and move and grow,and that just brings so much
like light and happiness.
And so I do find a lot of joyand goodness going outside.
Joy Blue (07:20):
And that comes into a lot of our conversations as
well.
The patterns in nature that younotice then help support you
along your journey.
Because nature is circular.
Everything comes back around andI, I love that, that you bring
that awareness into our house.
It means a lot to me.
Brie Blue (07:40):
Thank you.
I think we are nature, Nature isus.
We are not separate from nature.
We are communing with nature.
We talk a lot about Indigenousprinciples.
I align and love learning aboutIndigenous principles.
And one of those principles thatIndigenous folks often refer to
(08:02):
as opposed to white settlerism,is that we are communing with
nature as opposed to taking fromnature.
Joy Blue (08:10):
right.
Brie Blue (08:11):
If we take from nature, we're taking from
ourselves.
And so this idea that we are ona level playing field with
nature, we give to nature,nature gives to us, is something
that I really resonate with.
And it helps me to see thatcyclical nature in myself.
The ebb and flow of feelings,the seasons that we might
(08:34):
experience in life.
I love that summer is the seasonwhere you just wanna be outside
all day.
It's light for 13 hours.
You know so much energy.
You're all, Your motors areturned up, you're going outside
as often as possible.
Everything is hot and movingfast.
And the winter calls us in toslow down, right?
(08:55):
That darkness creeps in.
It asks us to turn down theengines, to hibernate, to rest
well, so that when summer comesback, we have that energy to go
full throttle again.
And I love that nature remindsme constantly of the season that
I could be.
It invites me into that seasonand asks if I wanna join it
(09:19):
there, and I love that.
Joy Blue (09:21):
Ugh.
I love how much you've taught meabout this.
So bringing it back to the OGtopic.
Brie Blue (09:27):
Yes.
Joy Blue (09:27):
Tell me how gear enables you to be outside.
What's your journey been likewith that?
Brie Blue (09:33):
My first introduction to gear was just finding like
the right hiking boots.
Like more solid shoes thatallowed me to walk further and
didn't give me too manyblisters.
And frankly, I talk a lot aboutaccessibility, right?
I ended up working at Arc'teryx,which is a high end outdoor
retailer.
(09:54):
They make$700 jackets, and wecan talk about why those jackets
are$700.
But it is important to note thataccessibility is important, and
so I have no judgment forsomeone going to Walmart, buying
a$30 jacket because that's whatsuits their need in that moment,
and that$30 jacket allows themto get outside in the same way
(10:14):
that a$700 jacket allows them toget outside.
Obviously, that$700 jacket isgoing to give them more features
that allow you to stay outsidelonger and do more high energy
output activity.
But the bottom line is thatsomeone is going outside.
There's no judgment from me ifyou're buying from Walmart or
you're buying from Arc'teryx.
(10:35):
I want to promote people goingoutside.
And the reality is that noteverybody has access to spend
$700 on a jacket.
Joy Blue (10:45):
Right.
So tell me more aboutaccessibility.
I know you and I have talkedabout this a lot.
Both of us are larger than, theskinny blonde woman stereotype.
Um, Both of us are very wellrounded and we like it that way,
but folks like us aren'tnecessarily the stereotype for
(11:07):
who goes outside.
Can you tell me more aboutaccessibility, about part of
your fight for that
Brie Blue (11:16):
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, how long do you have?
We could talk for a long timeabout my thoughts and feelings
around being in a larger bodyand not having proper gear to
get outside in my larger body.
And I just wanna pause there fora moment and say that my larger
body is actually normal.
Joy Blue (11:32):
Mm-hmm.
Brie Blue (11:33):
My size is the average size of a female in the
United States, and so themajority of folks, the majority
of females are over size 14.
Joy Blue (11:42):
Yeah.
Brie Blue (11:43):
Most high end, outdoor technical gear is under
the size of 14, or 14 might betheir largest cap.
Joy Blue (11:50):
Yeah.
Brie Blue (11:50):
It was that way at Arc'teryx.
And what that says when there isno accessible gear for a body
like you or me, is that youdon't belong in this space.
Joy Blue (12:02):
Mm.
Brie Blue (12:03):
that is the message that is being sent.
One might argue that, oh,there's not enough people in
that body size that are goingoutside, so that's why they're
not making the gear.
Or, fat people don't go outsideand so we don't need to make
this gear for fat people.
And I use fat in, in theconnotation of not a negative,
but personally for me, Idescribe my body type as fat.
Joy Blue (12:25):
Yeah, it's a neutral descriptor.
Brie Blue (12:27):
Correct, just like skinny would be a neutral
descriptor.
Fat for me is a neutraldescriptor.
And so there hasn't historicallybeen clothing for people in fat
bodies to get outside,
Joy Blue (12:40):
Mm-hmm.
Brie Blue (12:40):
and part of that is because it feels like there's
some gate keeping that'shappening in terms of those at
the top that are making thedecisions for what clothing
sizes to make, saying that youdon't belong on this mountain
with me in my gear.
Joy Blue (12:56):
Mm.
Brie Blue (12:57):
And so a lot of my fight with Arc'teryx, and I say
fight in terms of as a business,I was internally arguing with
them to create clothing and gearin sizes that were outside the
five sizes that they made.
Extra small, small, medium,large, extra large for women,
specifically.
For men, they made extra smallup to three x.
(13:19):
So they expanded for men.
So they're able to do that formen, but they refuse to do that
for women.
And that's been the case forreally a lot of technical
outdoor gear until the lastseveral years.
In the last several years, we'veseen brands like Outdoor
Research and Columbia who'veexpanded up to three X for
women.
And we've also seen smallerclothing companies like
(13:41):
Girlfriend And Co who are makingup to six x.
Right.
So it's definitely expanding interms of availability.
But I'm talking about technicalgear.
And this is gear that you needto wear in order to live when
you're climbing or hiking ormountaineering or snowboarding
(14:02):
or skiing in an environment thatif you didn't have that gear,
you could die.
Joy Blue (14:07):
So you're talking about shoes, pants, jackets,
layers, headgear, support stufflike backpacks, hiking poles,
Brie Blue (14:19):
Yep.
Joy Blue (14:20):
et
Brie Blue (14:20):
we're talking about snowboarding, you might talk
about boots that fit larger calfsizes.
Joy Blue (14:25):
Mm.
Brie Blue (14:27):
If we're talking about trekking poles, we might
think about trekking poles thatsupport a body up to 300 or 400
or 500 pounds.
Joy Blue (14:34):
Yeah.
Brie Blue (14:35):
If we're talking about jackets, we might be
talking about a four or five xjacket, especially that outer
layer that's already going overyour base layer, your mid layer,
and your insulating layer.
So it needs to be maybe a sizeor two larger than you are.
Joy Blue (14:50):
Right.
Brie Blue (14:50):
If the match is extra large and I'm already at that
extra large, that means I can'twear any additional layers.
And when we restrict movementwhen we're outside, that is very
dangerous.
Joy Blue (15:02):
So what you're saying is we shouldn't be like Randy
from a Christmas story where hecan't put his arms down.
Brie Blue (15:09):
I mean, you could if you want.
I wouldn't recommend climbing amountain like that, though.
That sounds pretty dangerous.
But even in terms, you know, youand I climb, right?
We do a lot of climbing andaccess to an extra large harness
is hard to find.
And if I'm climbing a mountain,if I'm mountaineering, which
means I'm wearing thicker pantsand need to strap in with my
(15:30):
harness, my harness probablyneeds to be, again, one size
larger than maybe I am toaccommodate those larger, bulky
clothing.
Joy Blue (15:38):
Right.
Brie Blue (15:39):
What it says is that you don't belong here and you're
not made for this sport ifyou're not making clothing for
people like me to be able to getout there and do that.
And so I've definitely spent alot of my time asking and
promoting companies to make gearthat fits larger body types, and
we're slowly starting to seethat trend as, outdoor companies
(16:02):
are making that technical gear.
And the incredible part is whenoutdoor companies do release
that gear, it's actually whatsells out first, right?
Those extended sizes are usuallygone much faster than the
average sizes, and that doesrelate to how many people do
want those types of products.
Joy Blue (16:21):
Yeah.
Wow.
Yeah.
We've had that conversationbefore of, is it the chicken or
the egg, which comes first
Brie Blue (16:26):
right.
Joy Blue (16:27):
and.
Yeah, I would hope thatmanufacturers would take the
lead on this to not gate keep,and to enable other people to
find the healing that you havealso found outside.
Brie Blue (16:37):
Yeah.
Thank you.
I think the other part of thatis representation and shout out
to some of the amazing women, myfriends, who are breaking
barriers to get outside and dosports that have historically
only been within a sphere of awhite, thin male.
Joy Blue (16:59):
Mm-hmm.
Brie Blue (17:00):
So to see a woman in a larger body climbing
Joy Blue (17:03):
Mm-hmm.
Brie Blue (17:05):
is representation that allows for someone who
might not have tried thatbefore, because they were the
only one in the gym that lookedlike that.
And so to see thatrepresentation, to see the
expanding of what that sportcould look like, who's in that
(17:25):
sport, is also a part of this,right?
So it's not just that clothingisn't available, it's also that
historically, our body types,our gender, hasn't been well
received in that industry, inthat sport.
And so both of those things arehappening at the same time.
(17:46):
More technical gear is beingoffered so that folks can be
able to join those sports or dothose sports that they love, and
then more of those people whoare doing that are posting about
it or talking about it, orcreating groups specifically for
that, that are welcoming morefolks in who look like them.
So these things were going handin hand together and really
(18:07):
that's just been in the lastthree to five years.
Joy Blue (18:10):
It's a beautiful thing.
Brie Blue (18:11):
It is,
Joy Blue (18:12):
going to our climbing gym and looking around and
seeing more diversity of bodytype.
Of human type, of age.
There are people, like it'shashtag couples goals for you
and I, there are people that areprobably in their sixties that
go to the gym together, butthere are also tiny kids that
come and we get angry at thembecause they're little, They're
little wall squirrels
Brie Blue (18:33):
They're so good.
They're so good at climbing
Joy Blue (18:36):
it's obnoxious.
But I'm so proud of you.
Keep going.
Brie Blue (18:39):
Yeah.
Joy Blue (18:39):
Yeah, I've loved learning more about this because
of your passion for it, and I'mreally grateful for that.
And taking a slight turn.
Brie Blue (18:49):
Sure.
Joy Blue (18:50):
There are so many technical things that I've
already learned from you aboutjackets and layers that I think
the general population needs toknow.
So side note, if you ever cometo our house and you look at our
coat closet, we have a lot ofjackets.
And Brie had the joy andpleasure of sorting them by
weight.
(19:10):
And so then I have had thejourney and challenge of trying
to figure out what weight isthis jacket?
Where does it get filed on thespectrum?
So anyway, can you tell us moreabout layers, about
breathability, whatever.
This is your nerd.
Tell me everything
Brie Blue (19:28):
Let's talk about it.
So a couple of things I want tocomment on.
First is the layering system.
You've mentioned that quite abit.
So we'll talk about the layeringsystem and then we'll also talk
about the tow types, the twomost common types of insulation
and what to look for.
So,
Joy Blue (19:42):
Here we go.
Brie Blue (19:43):
Here we go.
Teacher Brie, putting her haton.
First is the layering system.
The layering system is havingadequate layers that you can put
on or remove depending on howhot or cold you are, right?
That's the basic.
The layer closest to your bodyis often known as the base
layer.
For women that excludes bras andundies.
(20:04):
I'm talking about shirts andpants that live on your skin.
There are typically two types ofbase layers that you can buy,
and honestly, if you're gonnasplurge in any of the categories
that we're talking about today,if you're like, Oh man, I really
do need to go get what Brie'stalking about, I would
absolutely encourage you tofirst splurge on base layers.
(20:27):
That layer closest to your skinis doing the most work.
There are two types of baselayers.
There's one base layer made ofnatural fibers.
Usually we refer to that asMerino wool and then there's
base layers that are made ofsynthetic or manmade fibers, and
those two types apply to almostevery single layering system
that we'll talk about movingforward.
(20:47):
There's usually a naturalcomponent, and then there's a
manmade component, pros and consto both.
But the general idea is you wantsomething that is going to
absorb the moisture from yourskin.
Don't wear cotton as a baselayer.
It absorbs a hundred percent ofits weight in moisture and does
not evaporate.
That's why you're really coldafter a hike when you wear
(21:08):
cotton.
Joy Blue (21:09):
Mm-hmm.
Brie Blue (21:10):
So to prevent that cold, we want that moisture to
evaporate.
And how that works is merinowool, nature's amazing, or
synthetic layers that we'vedesigned with technology that
allows that moisture to beabsorbed and evaporated.
Joy Blue (21:25):
what is that material?
Brie Blue (21:28):
It's really just called a synthetic material.
There's no really direct name.
What you're looking at is whatthose fibers are made from.
If they're a hundred percentnatural, like smart wool, right?
The whole smart wool brand isobviously a wool brand, and so
all of smart wool's products aremade from Merino wool.
(21:50):
Some people though, think thatMerino wool, and I find this to
be true for myself, it's alittle bit itchy or maybe
irritates your skin, and so Itend to lean into the synthetic
fiber.
The downside of synthetic is itsmells more It
Joy Blue (22:06):
up your body odor.
Brie Blue (22:07):
Correct.
It collects and retains yourbody odor.
Whereas Merino wool is, I mean,nature is amazing, right?
It gets it right.
But if it's itchy oruncomfortable to your skin, and
I'm not gonna wear it.
I'm not gonna buy that productand I'm not gonna wear.
So that's why synthetics arethere.
They're a little less irritatingto the skin.
However, you have to wash them alot.
(22:29):
That's why your workout clothesstink.
And like even when you wash thema lot, they still stink.
Because those body odors andthose body oils remain in the
fabrics, but usually they'refaster drawing.
And they tend to work better ifyou sweat a lot as I do in my
larger body.
So I tend to stick withsynthetic, but obviously both of
(22:51):
those will serve the purpose.
Joy Blue (22:52):
Yeah.
Okay.
So mid layers.
Brie Blue (22:55):
Yep.
So we talked about base layers.
It's Merino wool or thesynthetic.
A mid layer is something that'sgoing over that base layer.
Sometimes that looks like a thinjacket.
Sometimes that looks like athick jacket, but the reality is
you pick whatever that mid-layeris based on how much you're
going to be moving.
(23:15):
So stationary versus activewarmth.
And then how cold it is outside,right?
So if I'm gonna be moving a lotand it's not very cold, I'm
probably gonna pick a prettythin jacket to put over this.
If I'm not moving a lot, let'ssay I'm like going to a bonfire
and we're just hanging outaround the bonfire and I need a
lot of warmth, I'm gonna picksomething that is heavier.
(23:38):
In the same vein as Merinoversus synthetic, there's also
goose down versus syntheticfibers in a mid layer.
Are you still with me here?
Joy Blue (23:48):
I'm totally here and I love your nerding.
Keep going.
Brie Blue (23:51):
So, natural fibers like goose down, I mean, again,
nature gets it right.
It's the lightest warmth toweight ratio, so it's gonna keep
you warmest and it's gonna bethe most lightweight.
The downside of goose down isthat once it gets wet, you are
sunk.
(24:12):
It takes days to dry.
It will not keep you warm.
You are
Joy Blue (24:19):
It's.
Brie Blue (24:19):
a sitting duck, for lack of a better term.
Joy Blue (24:22):
Sitting Goose
Brie Blue (24:23):
Yeah.
If you get that goose down wet,you are not gonna be warm.
And so if I'm unsure about theweather that I'm gonna
experience or if it's scatteredshowers, I'm gonna choose an
insulated jacket that's made ofsynthetic, manmade fibers
because it's quick dry.
(24:43):
Even if it gets wet, it's stillgonna keep me warm and it's
gonna dry quickly.
So even if I get caught in therain, I'm still gonna stay warm
and as soon as I get inside,have a cup of coffee, by the
time I'm done, it'll be dry andI can go back outside.
Joy Blue (24:56):
That's magical.
Brie Blue (24:57):
It is I mean, the technologies that we have around
gear right now is insane.
Like I can spend so much timetalking to you about the
technology that's built into ajacket.
It's mind blowing.
I'm sure you have spent likealmost no time thinking about
it.
And why would you, cuz you'relike, it's a jacket.
But we've made so much progressin the technology that we've
(25:22):
added into our clothing thatit's just incredible.
And that's part of the reasonwhy those more advanced
technologies cost more.
Joy Blue (25:32):
Yeah.
Okay.
Final layer.
Brie Blue (25:35):
Final layer, that outer layer, which is sometimes
referred to as the shell.
If you think of it as like aturtle, it literally is that
outer layer that's protectingyou.
And oftentimes that most outerlayer is also going to be the
layer that is waterproof.
Joy Blue (25:49):
Mm.
Brie Blue (25:51):
So you've got your base layer on, your nice comfy
base layer shirt, you've put iton an insulating jacket, and now
you might wanna put a shell overthat to keep all of that nice
and dry.
Joy Blue (26:02):
Yeah.
Brie Blue (26:03):
And that shell, again, can range from a$30
jacket to crazy expensive$700jackets.
The real difference there isbreathability, and
Joy Blue (26:14):
you encasing yourself in Saran wrap or can you have
the waterproof ability whilestill letting some of that
excess out?
Brie Blue (26:23):
and this matters a lot when you're moving with high
output energy.
So when you're climbing up amountain, for example, or you're
doing back country skiing,you've got your skis on your
pack and you're climbing up thatmountain and you're trying to
find a good spot to then skidown.
That's a lot of energy to carryyour whole body and it's also
(26:43):
very cold.
So you need all of those layers.
And this is why having a baselayer that pulls that moisture
away from your skin andevaporates it into the next
layer, the next layer pulls thatmoisture out and evaporates it
through the next layer, right?
So that evaporation of movingthat moisture away from your
skin, allows you to keep aregulated temperature if you are
(27:06):
covered in moisture, you aregoing to get cold pretty
quickly.
So we want those, that clothingto move that moisture away from
your skin so that your bodytemperature can remain regular.
If they're not evaporating andpulling that moisture away from
you, you're in trouble in asituation like back country
skiing.
Joy Blue (27:28):
I have so enjoyed learning all of this.
I mean, granted, I've hadseveral months to dive into this
with you and our listeners arejust now probably getting their
heads blown.
What's one thing, if you couldsummarize one thing you wish
people would walk away with?
Brie Blue (27:42):
Oh man.
My whole goal in trying tooutfit somebody with proper gear
to keep them safe is so thatthey can go outside.
And I wanna come back to that.
Going outside is what I want toleave you with and what I want
you to encourage you to do.
And whether that, again, is justgetting started with simple gear
(28:08):
that will allow you to beoutside for longer, or if you're
more advanced and you want toupgrade that jacket so that you
can stay outside nice and dryeven when it's pouring rain.
It doesn't matter where you arein the journey.
My goal and my joy is to try toget what you need so that you
(28:30):
can go and enjoy nature in a waythat allows you to find goodness
and healing.
Joy Blue (28:35):
Mm.
Thank you for spending time withus today and for letting your
nerd shine.
Brie Blue (28:40):
Thank you.
I love you.
Joy Blue (28:41):
Okay.
Love you too.
Bye.
Brie Blue (28:43):
Bye K bye.
Joy Blue (28:44):
So here we are! This podcast is so timely, especially
since where I'm at in theChicago land area got our first
touches of snow this week.
I found so much beauty inlistening to and absorbing what
Brie talked about.
Taking the time to go out intonature and notice.
To walk.
To breathe.
(29:06):
To exist as a small part ofsomething larger.
It has been such a gift to leaninto this experience with you
Brie.
Thanks for sharing your nerdwith us.
If you've got a flavor of nerdthat you want me to celebrate, I
would love to hear all about it.
So go ahead and email me atherewearethepodcast@gmail.com
and tell me everything.
I love taking time to sit andmake space for nerd to be
(29:28):
celebrated.
If you really like this podcastand want to financially support
what I'm doing, head on over topatreon.com.
Search for Here We Are ThePodcast and sign up for one of
the many beautifully writtensupport tiers that I'm very
proud of.
So until next time.
Don't forget that curiositywins.
And the world needs more nerds.
Bye
Welcome to Here We Are.
The podcast where we celebratethe beauty of being a nerd by
learning about nerdy things fromfellow nerds.
I'm your host, Joy Blue.
Today's guest is a real treat.
If you haven't guessed byreading her name so far, you're
about to meet my wife.
Brie is a fantastic and smarthuman who finds so much goodness
(00:32):
in nature.
And.
She has a special nerd interestin the items that we wear to
keep us warm and dry while we'reoutside.
I hope you enjoy this episode asmuch as I did, especially with
winter upon us! Layer upfriends.
So without further ado here's mywife, Brie Blue to tell us all
about her love of going outside.
Brie Blue (00:53):
Hi, I'm Brie Blue.
I am the wife of our lovelyhost, Joy Blue.
And I guess in the context ofthis conversation, I am an
outdoor enthusiast, someone whofinds healing in nature, and
(01:14):
someone that loves to helpothers find that healing by way
of the right gear so they canget outside
Joy Blue (01:23):
Okay.
When you say gear, what are youtalking about?
Brie Blue (01:26):
All the things, but mainly clothing.
Because obviously you want tostay warm in the winter, and you
want to stay cool and protectedfrom the sun in the summer, and
in a place that has a wide rangeof temperatures and seasons,
that means you end up havingquite a lot of gear to go with
(01:46):
said seasons.
I am a jacket hoarder.
I think you know this well.
Joy Blue (01:53):
Me too.
So when we got married, ourjacket collection exponentially
expanded.
Much to the joy of both of us.
Brie Blue (01:59):
Yeah, we're roughly the same size and we wear the
same size, and so it's reallygreat.
And now we both have double thejackets and double the shoes.
We also weirdly wear the sameshoe size.
Joy Blue (02:09):
Double the jackets.
Double the fun.
Brie Blue (02:11):
Woo woo
Joy Blue (02:12):
Okay.
What are we nerding out abouttoday?
Brie Blue (02:14):
We are nerding out about outdoor gear.
Joy Blue (02:16):
Outdoor gear.
Okay.
When did you start nerding outabout outdoor gear?
Brie Blue (02:22):
I think my journey with outdoor gear actually
starts just in the journey ofgoing outside and finding
healing in going outside andneeding to be outside no matter
the weather.
Joy Blue (02:36):
Mm
Brie Blue (02:37):
and there's the saying that there's no bad
weather, there's just bad gear.
And so trying to find the rightgear was a journey that took a
long time so that I could findways to go outside as often as
possible.
Joy Blue (02:52):
For those of us that might not know what you mean by
healing by being outside, couldyou expound on that just a
little?
Brie Blue (02:59):
I grew up in an abusive household and it was
safer for me as a child to beoutside.
I found sanctity outside.
I remember as a kid, I had thistree that was in my cul-de-sac
and when it was unsafe to beinside, when my mom and her
(03:19):
boyfriend were arguing, Well,boyfriend singular, but she had
many boyfriends.
Joy Blue (03:24):
Mm-hmm.
Brie Blue (03:25):
But when my parent figures were arguing, when my
home was unsafe, I would gooutside.
And I would crawl up into thattree and I would imagine that
tree as my home.
So one long limb was thekitchen, another long limb was
my bedroom.
I remember I would curl up inthat limb and sleep.
(03:47):
Like I actually found comfort inbeing within nature.
And this was when I was a reallysmall human.
Of course, when I moved throughmy teenage years and college,
that kind of left me for alittle while.
But post-college, I was reallyfinding that emptiness again
inside.
And when I turned to goingoutside, I found that same
(04:11):
healing that I had felt as achild.
That same comfort, that samesoothingness.
And so I began realizing that asI started to unpack and heal
from the trauma that I'dexperienced as a child, it was
integral for me to self sootheby going outside.
That was where I was able tofind comfort and be met as
(04:35):
myself.
You know, Nature doesn't requireme to be perfect.
Nature doesn't require me to beanything but me to just show up.
And I felt loved.
I still feel very loved and heldby Mother Earth.
And every Mother's day Icelebrate my mother, who is
Mother Earth.
And in that way, I found just somuch comfort in the journey
(04:59):
toward being myself.
Joy Blue (05:01):
That is beautiful.
I have not felt that to thedegree that you have.
I think part of my escape andhealing is to dive into stories
or listen to something.
So it's been a fun journey thatI've been able to witness from
the unique position of beingyour wife, of watching how you
(05:24):
might be stressed or you mightbe tense for some reason, and
then you go outside, maybe takeour dog to the dog park and you
come back and you're so muchmore centered.
It's a beautiful thing.
I'm really glad you found thattool.
Brie Blue (05:37):
Thank you.
I am too.
I think in a lot of ways, goingoutside has saved me.
It's been a place where I canhold grief, where I can rage and
cry and experience the widerange of human emotions and
still be allowed to have thoseemotions there and be present.
(05:59):
You might think of me as like,Oh, going outside means that I'm
this adventurous human, that I'malways going to new places and
that I'm always discovering newtrails or hiking new mountains
and there are many people whoenjoy that.
For me, actually going outsidelooks like walking the same
piece of earth over and over andover again.
And you're like, that's probablynot very exciting.
(06:21):
Why would you do that?
But I do that because I find joyin the little changes that
happen day to day within nature.
And I noticed that when I walkthat same loop, so oftentimes,
as you mentioned, the dog park,we will go together and we'll
walk the same path in the sameway.
(06:42):
And that's very comforting forme because I know what to expect
on that path.
But those small things thatstand out, maybe the sunflower
that has blossomed or the grassthat's now greener or now the
water is running because rainjust came.
Joy Blue (06:57):
Yeah.
Brie Blue (06:58):
Those small things that I notice, those small
changes, I find a lot of joy inthat.
And I like noticing how even thesame patch of Earth can change
and evolve and move and grow,and that just brings so much
like light and happiness.
And so I do find a lot of joyand goodness going outside.
Joy Blue (07:20):
And that comes into a lot of our conversations as
well.
The patterns in nature that younotice then help support you
along your journey.
Because nature is circular.
Everything comes back around andI, I love that, that you bring
that awareness into our house.
It means a lot to me.
Brie Blue (07:40):
Thank you.
I think we are nature, Nature isus.
We are not separate from nature.
We are communing with nature.
We talk a lot about Indigenousprinciples.
I align and love learning aboutIndigenous principles.
And one of those principles thatIndigenous folks often refer to
(08:02):
as opposed to white settlerism,is that we are communing with
nature as opposed to taking fromnature.
Joy Blue (08:10):
right.
Brie Blue (08:11):
If we take from nature, we're taking from
ourselves.
And so this idea that we are ona level playing field with
nature, we give to nature,nature gives to us, is something
that I really resonate with.
And it helps me to see thatcyclical nature in myself.
The ebb and flow of feelings,the seasons that we might
(08:34):
experience in life.
I love that summer is the seasonwhere you just wanna be outside
all day.
It's light for 13 hours.
You know so much energy.
You're all, Your motors areturned up, you're going outside
as often as possible.
Everything is hot and movingfast.
And the winter calls us in toslow down, right?
(08:55):
That darkness creeps in.
It asks us to turn down theengines, to hibernate, to rest
well, so that when summer comesback, we have that energy to go
full throttle again.
And I love that nature remindsme constantly of the season that
I could be.
It invites me into that seasonand asks if I wanna join it
(09:19):
there, and I love that.
Joy Blue (09:21):
Ugh.
I love how much you've taught meabout this.
So bringing it back to the OGtopic.
Brie Blue (09:27):
Yes.
Joy Blue (09:27):
Tell me how gear enables you to be outside.
What's your journey been likewith that?
Brie Blue (09:33):
My first introduction to gear was just finding like
the right hiking boots.
Like more solid shoes thatallowed me to walk further and
didn't give me too manyblisters.
And frankly, I talk a lot aboutaccessibility, right?
I ended up working at Arc'teryx,which is a high end outdoor
retailer.
(09:54):
They make$700 jackets, and wecan talk about why those jackets
are$700.
But it is important to note thataccessibility is important, and
so I have no judgment forsomeone going to Walmart, buying
a$30 jacket because that's whatsuits their need in that moment,
and that$30 jacket allows themto get outside in the same way
(10:14):
that a$700 jacket allows them toget outside.
Obviously, that$700 jacket isgoing to give them more features
that allow you to stay outsidelonger and do more high energy
output activity.
But the bottom line is thatsomeone is going outside.
There's no judgment from me ifyou're buying from Walmart or
you're buying from Arc'teryx.
(10:35):
I want to promote people goingoutside.
And the reality is that noteverybody has access to spend
$700 on a jacket.
Joy Blue (10:45):
Right.
So tell me more aboutaccessibility.
I know you and I have talkedabout this a lot.
Both of us are larger than, theskinny blonde woman stereotype.
Um, Both of us are very wellrounded and we like it that way,
but folks like us aren'tnecessarily the stereotype for
(11:07):
who goes outside.
Can you tell me more aboutaccessibility, about part of
your fight for that
Brie Blue (11:16):
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, how long do you have?
We could talk for a long timeabout my thoughts and feelings
around being in a larger bodyand not having proper gear to
get outside in my larger body.
And I just wanna pause there fora moment and say that my larger
body is actually normal.
Joy Blue (11:32):
Mm-hmm.
Brie Blue (11:33):
My size is the average size of a female in the
United States, and so themajority of folks, the majority
of females are over size 14.
Joy Blue (11:42):
Yeah.
Brie Blue (11:43):
Most high end, outdoor technical gear is under
the size of 14, or 14 might betheir largest cap.
Joy Blue (11:50):
Yeah.
Brie Blue (11:50):
It was that way at Arc'teryx.
And what that says when there isno accessible gear for a body
like you or me, is that youdon't belong in this space.
Joy Blue (12:02):
Mm.
Brie Blue (12:03):
that is the message that is being sent.
One might argue that, oh,there's not enough people in
that body size that are goingoutside, so that's why they're
not making the gear.
Or, fat people don't go outsideand so we don't need to make
this gear for fat people.
And I use fat in, in theconnotation of not a negative,
but personally for me, Idescribe my body type as fat.
Joy Blue (12:25):
Yeah, it's a neutral descriptor.
Brie Blue (12:27):
Correct, just like skinny would be a neutral
descriptor.
Fat for me is a neutraldescriptor.
And so there hasn't historicallybeen clothing for people in fat
bodies to get outside,
Joy Blue (12:40):
Mm-hmm.
Brie Blue (12:40):
and part of that is because it feels like there's
some gate keeping that'shappening in terms of those at
the top that are making thedecisions for what clothing
sizes to make, saying that youdon't belong on this mountain
with me in my gear.
Joy Blue (12:56):
Mm.
Brie Blue (12:57):
And so a lot of my fight with Arc'teryx, and I say
fight in terms of as a business,I was internally arguing with
them to create clothing and gearin sizes that were outside the
five sizes that they made.
Extra small, small, medium,large, extra large for women,
specifically.
For men, they made extra smallup to three x.
(13:19):
So they expanded for men.
So they're able to do that formen, but they refuse to do that
for women.
And that's been the case forreally a lot of technical
outdoor gear until the lastseveral years.
In the last several years, we'veseen brands like Outdoor
Research and Columbia who'veexpanded up to three X for
women.
And we've also seen smallerclothing companies like
(13:41):
Girlfriend And Co who are makingup to six x.
Right.
So it's definitely expanding interms of availability.
But I'm talking about technicalgear.
And this is gear that you needto wear in order to live when
you're climbing or hiking ormountaineering or snowboarding
(14:02):
or skiing in an environment thatif you didn't have that gear,
you could die.
Joy Blue (14:07):
So you're talking about shoes, pants, jackets,
layers, headgear, support stufflike backpacks, hiking poles,
Brie Blue (14:19):
Yep.
Joy Blue (14:20):
et
Brie Blue (14:20):
we're talking about snowboarding, you might talk
about boots that fit larger calfsizes.
Joy Blue (14:25):
Mm.
Brie Blue (14:27):
If we're talking about trekking poles, we might
think about trekking poles thatsupport a body up to 300 or 400
or 500 pounds.
Joy Blue (14:34):
Yeah.
Brie Blue (14:35):
If we're talking about jackets, we might be
talking about a four or five xjacket, especially that outer
layer that's already going overyour base layer, your mid layer,
and your insulating layer.
So it needs to be maybe a sizeor two larger than you are.
Joy Blue (14:50):
Right.
Brie Blue (14:50):
If the match is extra large and I'm already at that
extra large, that means I can'twear any additional layers.
And when we restrict movementwhen we're outside, that is very
dangerous.
Joy Blue (15:02):
So what you're saying is we shouldn't be like Randy
from a Christmas story where hecan't put his arms down.
Brie Blue (15:09):
I mean, you could if you want.
I wouldn't recommend climbing amountain like that, though.
That sounds pretty dangerous.
But even in terms, you know, youand I climb, right?
We do a lot of climbing andaccess to an extra large harness
is hard to find.
And if I'm climbing a mountain,if I'm mountaineering, which
means I'm wearing thicker pantsand need to strap in with my
(15:30):
harness, my harness probablyneeds to be, again, one size
larger than maybe I am toaccommodate those larger, bulky
clothing.
Joy Blue (15:38):
Right.
Brie Blue (15:39):
What it says is that you don't belong here and you're
not made for this sport ifyou're not making clothing for
people like me to be able to getout there and do that.
And so I've definitely spent alot of my time asking and
promoting companies to make gearthat fits larger body types, and
we're slowly starting to seethat trend as, outdoor companies
(16:02):
are making that technical gear.
And the incredible part is whenoutdoor companies do release
that gear, it's actually whatsells out first, right?
Those extended sizes are usuallygone much faster than the
average sizes, and that doesrelate to how many people do
want those types of products.
Joy Blue (16:21):
Yeah.
Wow.
Yeah.
We've had that conversationbefore of, is it the chicken or
the egg, which comes first
Brie Blue (16:26):
right.
Joy Blue (16:27):
and.
Yeah, I would hope thatmanufacturers would take the
lead on this to not gate keep,and to enable other people to
find the healing that you havealso found outside.
Brie Blue (16:37):
Yeah.
Thank you.
I think the other part of thatis representation and shout out
to some of the amazing women, myfriends, who are breaking
barriers to get outside and dosports that have historically
only been within a sphere of awhite, thin male.
Joy Blue (16:59):
Mm-hmm.
Brie Blue (17:00):
So to see a woman in a larger body climbing
Joy Blue (17:03):
Mm-hmm.
Brie Blue (17:05):
is representation that allows for someone who
might not have tried thatbefore, because they were the
only one in the gym that lookedlike that.
And so to see thatrepresentation, to see the
expanding of what that sportcould look like, who's in that
(17:25):
sport, is also a part of this,right?
So it's not just that clothingisn't available, it's also that
historically, our body types,our gender, hasn't been well
received in that industry, inthat sport.
And so both of those things arehappening at the same time.
(17:46):
More technical gear is beingoffered so that folks can be
able to join those sports or dothose sports that they love, and
then more of those people whoare doing that are posting about
it or talking about it, orcreating groups specifically for
that, that are welcoming morefolks in who look like them.
So these things were going handin hand together and really
(18:07):
that's just been in the lastthree to five years.
Joy Blue (18:10):
It's a beautiful thing.
Brie Blue (18:11):
It is,
Joy Blue (18:12):
going to our climbing gym and looking around and
seeing more diversity of bodytype.
Of human type, of age.
There are people, like it'shashtag couples goals for you
and I, there are people that areprobably in their sixties that
go to the gym together, butthere are also tiny kids that
come and we get angry at thembecause they're little, They're
little wall squirrels
Brie Blue (18:33):
They're so good.
They're so good at climbing
Joy Blue (18:36):
it's obnoxious.
But I'm so proud of you.
Keep going.
Brie Blue (18:39):
Yeah.
Joy Blue (18:39):
Yeah, I've loved learning more about this because
of your passion for it, and I'mreally grateful for that.
And taking a slight turn.
Brie Blue (18:49):
Sure.
Joy Blue (18:50):
There are so many technical things that I've
already learned from you aboutjackets and layers that I think
the general population needs toknow.
So side note, if you ever cometo our house and you look at our
coat closet, we have a lot ofjackets.
And Brie had the joy andpleasure of sorting them by
weight.
(19:10):
And so then I have had thejourney and challenge of trying
to figure out what weight isthis jacket?
Where does it get filed on thespectrum?
So anyway, can you tell us moreabout layers, about
breathability, whatever.
This is your nerd.
Tell me everything
Brie Blue (19:28):
Let's talk about it.
So a couple of things I want tocomment on.
First is the layering system.
You've mentioned that quite abit.
So we'll talk about the layeringsystem and then we'll also talk
about the tow types, the twomost common types of insulation
and what to look for.
So,
Joy Blue (19:42):
Here we go.
Brie Blue (19:43):
Here we go.
Teacher Brie, putting her haton.
First is the layering system.
The layering system is havingadequate layers that you can put
on or remove depending on howhot or cold you are, right?
That's the basic.
The layer closest to your bodyis often known as the base
layer.
For women that excludes bras andundies.
(20:04):
I'm talking about shirts andpants that live on your skin.
There are typically two types ofbase layers that you can buy,
and honestly, if you're gonnasplurge in any of the categories
that we're talking about today,if you're like, Oh man, I really
do need to go get what Brie'stalking about, I would
absolutely encourage you tofirst splurge on base layers.
(20:27):
That layer closest to your skinis doing the most work.
There are two types of baselayers.
There's one base layer made ofnatural fibers.
Usually we refer to that asMerino wool and then there's
base layers that are made ofsynthetic or manmade fibers, and
those two types apply to almostevery single layering system
that we'll talk about movingforward.
(20:47):
There's usually a naturalcomponent, and then there's a
manmade component, pros and consto both.
But the general idea is you wantsomething that is going to
absorb the moisture from yourskin.
Don't wear cotton as a baselayer.
It absorbs a hundred percent ofits weight in moisture and does
not evaporate.
That's why you're really coldafter a hike when you wear
(21:08):
cotton.
Joy Blue (21:09):
Mm-hmm.
Brie Blue (21:10):
So to prevent that cold, we want that moisture to
evaporate.
And how that works is merinowool, nature's amazing, or
synthetic layers that we'vedesigned with technology that
allows that moisture to beabsorbed and evaporated.
Joy Blue (21:25):
what is that material?
Brie Blue (21:28):
It's really just called a synthetic material.
There's no really direct name.
What you're looking at is whatthose fibers are made from.
If they're a hundred percentnatural, like smart wool, right?
The whole smart wool brand isobviously a wool brand, and so
all of smart wool's products aremade from Merino wool.
(21:50):
Some people though, think thatMerino wool, and I find this to
be true for myself, it's alittle bit itchy or maybe
irritates your skin, and so Itend to lean into the synthetic
fiber.
The downside of synthetic is itsmells more It
Joy Blue (22:06):
up your body odor.
Brie Blue (22:07):
Correct.
It collects and retains yourbody odor.
Whereas Merino wool is, I mean,nature is amazing, right?
It gets it right.
But if it's itchy oruncomfortable to your skin, and
I'm not gonna wear it.
I'm not gonna buy that productand I'm not gonna wear.
So that's why synthetics arethere.
They're a little less irritatingto the skin.
However, you have to wash them alot.
(22:29):
That's why your workout clothesstink.
And like even when you wash thema lot, they still stink.
Because those body odors andthose body oils remain in the
fabrics, but usually they'refaster drawing.
And they tend to work better ifyou sweat a lot as I do in my
larger body.
So I tend to stick withsynthetic, but obviously both of
(22:51):
those will serve the purpose.
Joy Blue (22:52):
Yeah.
Okay.
So mid layers.
Brie Blue (22:55):
Yep.
So we talked about base layers.
It's Merino wool or thesynthetic.
A mid layer is something that'sgoing over that base layer.
Sometimes that looks like a thinjacket.
Sometimes that looks like athick jacket, but the reality is
you pick whatever that mid-layeris based on how much you're
going to be moving.
(23:15):
So stationary versus activewarmth.
And then how cold it is outside,right?
So if I'm gonna be moving a lotand it's not very cold, I'm
probably gonna pick a prettythin jacket to put over this.
If I'm not moving a lot, let'ssay I'm like going to a bonfire
and we're just hanging outaround the bonfire and I need a
lot of warmth, I'm gonna picksomething that is heavier.
(23:38):
In the same vein as Merinoversus synthetic, there's also
goose down versus syntheticfibers in a mid layer.
Are you still with me here?
Joy Blue (23:48):
I'm totally here and I love your nerding.
Keep going.
Brie Blue (23:51):
So, natural fibers like goose down, I mean, again,
nature gets it right.
It's the lightest warmth toweight ratio, so it's gonna keep
you warmest and it's gonna bethe most lightweight.
The downside of goose down isthat once it gets wet, you are
sunk.
(24:12):
It takes days to dry.
It will not keep you warm.
You are
Joy Blue (24:19):
It's.
Brie Blue (24:19):
a sitting duck, for lack of a better term.
Joy Blue (24:22):
Sitting Goose
Brie Blue (24:23):
Yeah.
If you get that goose down wet,you are not gonna be warm.
And so if I'm unsure about theweather that I'm gonna
experience or if it's scatteredshowers, I'm gonna choose an
insulated jacket that's made ofsynthetic, manmade fibers
because it's quick dry.
(24:43):
Even if it gets wet, it's stillgonna keep me warm and it's
gonna dry quickly.
So even if I get caught in therain, I'm still gonna stay warm
and as soon as I get inside,have a cup of coffee, by the
time I'm done, it'll be dry andI can go back outside.
Joy Blue (24:56):
That's magical.
Brie Blue (24:57):
It is I mean, the technologies that we have around
gear right now is insane.
Like I can spend so much timetalking to you about the
technology that's built into ajacket.
It's mind blowing.
I'm sure you have spent likealmost no time thinking about
it.
And why would you, cuz you'relike, it's a jacket.
But we've made so much progressin the technology that we've
(25:22):
added into our clothing thatit's just incredible.
And that's part of the reasonwhy those more advanced
technologies cost more.
Joy Blue (25:32):
Yeah.
Okay.
Final layer.
Brie Blue (25:35):
Final layer, that outer layer, which is sometimes
referred to as the shell.
If you think of it as like aturtle, it literally is that
outer layer that's protectingyou.
And oftentimes that most outerlayer is also going to be the
layer that is waterproof.
Joy Blue (25:49):
Mm.
Brie Blue (25:51):
So you've got your base layer on, your nice comfy
base layer shirt, you've put iton an insulating jacket, and now
you might wanna put a shell overthat to keep all of that nice
and dry.
Joy Blue (26:02):
Yeah.
Brie Blue (26:03):
And that shell, again, can range from a$30
jacket to crazy expensive$700jackets.
The real difference there isbreathability, and
Joy Blue (26:14):
you encasing yourself in Saran wrap or can you have
the waterproof ability whilestill letting some of that
excess out?
Brie Blue (26:23):
and this matters a lot when you're moving with high
output energy.
So when you're climbing up amountain, for example, or you're
doing back country skiing,you've got your skis on your
pack and you're climbing up thatmountain and you're trying to
find a good spot to then skidown.
That's a lot of energy to carryyour whole body and it's also
(26:43):
very cold.
So you need all of those layers.
And this is why having a baselayer that pulls that moisture
away from your skin andevaporates it into the next
layer, the next layer pulls thatmoisture out and evaporates it
through the next layer, right?
So that evaporation of movingthat moisture away from your
skin, allows you to keep aregulated temperature if you are
(27:06):
covered in moisture, you aregoing to get cold pretty
quickly.
So we want those, that clothingto move that moisture away from
your skin so that your bodytemperature can remain regular.
If they're not evaporating andpulling that moisture away from
you, you're in trouble in asituation like back country
skiing.
Joy Blue (27:28):
I have so enjoyed learning all of this.
I mean, granted, I've hadseveral months to dive into this
with you and our listeners arejust now probably getting their
heads blown.
What's one thing, if you couldsummarize one thing you wish
people would walk away with?
Brie Blue (27:42):
Oh man.
My whole goal in trying tooutfit somebody with proper gear
to keep them safe is so thatthey can go outside.
And I wanna come back to that.
Going outside is what I want toleave you with and what I want
you to encourage you to do.
And whether that, again, is justgetting started with simple gear
(28:08):
that will allow you to beoutside for longer, or if you're
more advanced and you want toupgrade that jacket so that you
can stay outside nice and dryeven when it's pouring rain.
It doesn't matter where you arein the journey.
My goal and my joy is to try toget what you need so that you
(28:30):
can go and enjoy nature in a waythat allows you to find goodness
and healing.
Joy Blue (28:35):
Mm.
Thank you for spending time withus today and for letting your
nerd shine.
Brie Blue (28:40):
Thank you.
I love you.
Joy Blue (28:41):
Okay.
Love you too.
Bye.
Brie Blue (28:43):
Bye K bye.
Joy Blue (28:44):
So here we are! This podcast is so timely, especially
since where I'm at in theChicago land area got our first
touches of snow this week.
I found so much beauty inlistening to and absorbing what
Brie talked about.
Taking the time to go out intonature and notice.
To walk.
To breathe.
(29:06):
To exist as a small part ofsomething larger.
It has been such a gift to leaninto this experience with you
Brie.
Thanks for sharing your nerdwith us.
If you've got a flavor of nerdthat you want me to celebrate, I
would love to hear all about it.
So go ahead and email me atherewearethepodcast@gmail.com
and tell me everything.
I love taking time to sit andmake space for nerd to be
(29:28):
celebrated.
If you really like this podcastand want to financially support
what I'm doing, head on over topatreon.com.
Search for Here We Are ThePodcast and sign up for one of
the many beautifully writtensupport tiers that I'm very
proud of.
So until next time.
Don't forget that curiositywins.
And the world needs more nerds.
Bye
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