mountainFLOW implemented a new employee policy that mandates all workers to take a 3-night unplugged adventure. We will be chronicling these adventures in a series called "How's your MA (Mandatory Adventure)?"

mountainFLOW founder, Peter Arlein, along with his wife and two young children embarked on a 4 day/3 night adventure on the White Rim Trail in Moab. The White Rim is a 100 mile loop located just below the Island in the Sky mesa and perched above the Colorado River. It is a permit-only trip that is very popular with both 4-wheelers and mountain bikers and, as it turns out, only mildly amusing to a 2 and 4 year old who are used to riding their bikes on paved streets. This trip had all the trappings of a classic adventure - laughter, tears, bikes, and beers. 

DAY ONE

Dawn Patrol packing session. 

Our first campsite on the White Rim was 30 miles from the trailhead, which we estimated would take about 2 hours to drive. Thus, we figured that with the 4 hour drive from Carbondale to Moab, we would be looking at a very manageable 6 hour day in the car. However, the White Rim was slow-going and our nearly 30 year old truck averaged about 5 mph. 

Anna trying to drop into the Shafer Switchback and Tully making a barefoot first descent.

 Mile 10 of 30 and still keeping it together

DAY 2

Wake + Lube: mountainFLOW's biodegradable wax lube was the perfect fit for long days on the dusty White Rim trail

Day 2 was a drastic improvement - no 4 hour highway drive and only 14 miles on the trail. Everybody was starting to settle into the new pace and enjoying the solitude. Since the White Rim requires a permit, there are very few people on the trail. 

We took our time and the kids were able to get some more miles on the bikes.

The kids are on the bikes and they're stoked!

Our 1995 F-350 held up pretty well on the bumpy road. 

DAY 3

Backcountry Bacon Hack: Dave shows us how to properly dispose of bacon grease in the backcountry 

Our friends Dave + Olivia with their kiddo showed up for the second half of our journey. It was great to have some friends along for the adventure and the kids were stoked to have another playmate.

Some key takeaways from the trip:

- More bikes, fewer trucks: It's best to pile the gear into one truck and pack the rest at the trailhead

- Adults should operate at kids pace and not the other way around

- Lower expectations and elevate the stoke: getting everyone and everything packed up and on the trail is a win. Anything on top of that is gravy.