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00:00:00
00:00:01
Beckie Irvin
6 Plays3 hours ago
Join Alasdair and Beckie as inclusivity, trail creation and redefining what matters in life all get discussed!
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Transcript
Introduction and Background
00:00:01
Speaker
And on this week's episode of the Outdoorsy Educator podcast, we have Becky Arvin. Becky, how are you today? I'm great, Alistair. Thank you so much for having me here. Of course, I'm excited. We've been sort of trying to schedule this for a little while. or You're somebody who's been top of my list because a lot of what you are involved in or passionate about is something, are are they are things that I'm very interested in too. So I'm excited to sit down and finally have this conversation with you.
00:00:30
Speaker
Thank you, me too. Of course, why don't you start off telling our listeners just a little bit about yourself, who you are. Yeah, ah my name is Becky Irvin. i use she, her pronouns. i live in central Texas in a small town of about 1,200 people. um i moved back to Texas two and a half years ago after a seven-year stint in and Northwest Arkansas and working in the outdoor and cycling industries in Bentonville, Arkansas. um
00:01:03
Speaker
I was born and raised in Texas. i grew up here where I live now in my hometown of Heiko, Texas. um And my journey to the outdoors really began with a rural upbringing.
00:01:17
Speaker
so hunting, fishing um were our main activities. And then or i would also say like riding ATVs and four wheelers. And and i had a pretty deep connection to the land growing up, but I didn't really know that that was something I had until I moved to West Texas. I went to college at Texas Tech University. um And I remember
00:01:49
Speaker
in my first week living in Lubbock, Texas
Career and Personal Growth
00:01:52
Speaker
in the dorms, going to my boyfriend at the time and being like, you have to get me somewhere where I can see the stars.
00:02:01
Speaker
Because I'm going to lose it if I don't see them soon. um I grew up in this super rural area. i could see the Milky Way from my house whenever I wanted. And I didn't realize how like city lights affected your ability to see the stars. And I had no idea that not everyone saw the Milky Way every night. Right. um And so that was kind of like my first clue that I had some kind of deep connection to land. um
00:02:33
Speaker
And then when i was, I'm just giving you the whole story about how I got into outdoor education. yeah So when I was a freshman at Texas Tech towards the end of my first year, i was looking for a job.
00:02:48
Speaker
And I started looking at the rec center because that seemed like a cool place to work. And it just so happened that Texas Tech's outdoor recreation program um Which happened to be one of the best in the country, I had no idea at the time, was hiring like their next class of.
00:03:11
Speaker
employees and trip leaders. And in order to get hired, you had to complete a 14 day backpacking trip in the San Juan mountains in Colorado. auto right And I loved a challenge at that time. And even still today, like I loved doing things that people didn't expect of me. um And so I was like, I have to apply to this job. i have to get into this program. I have to go on this trip.
00:03:39
Speaker
um And that trip completely changed my life. i i have worked in outdoor education, outdoor recreation, and or adjacent to those fields ever since then. um That was...
00:04:00
Speaker
The spring of 2014 was when I got hired into that program. And that summer was when we took the big backpacking trip. um I went on to the University of Arkansas where I got my master's degree in recreation and sport management there. My master's thesis um was on women's perceptions of and barriers of entry to the sport of mountain biking.
00:04:27
Speaker
That kind of catapulted me into the cycling industry that was starting to bubble up at the time in and Northwest Arkansas. That's when I started GritFest. That's when I started All Bikes Welcome. ah And now here I am. i Back in your hometown. Yeah.
00:04:48
Speaker
But that's the origin story. I love it. Well, I've got several questions based off of that. um My next door neighbors and another couple, good friends of ours, into mountain biking. So they make the, it can only be described as a pilgrimage to Northwest Arkansas, to Bentonville. I mean, our next door neighbors go at least once a month for races, competitions. It's somewhere that I'd love to go because I've driven through central Arkansas, you know so west to east, many times going different places. but I've never been to that Northwest corner.
00:05:22
Speaker
And I just keep hearing great things about it. What was your experience like being up there? It is a phenomenal place. um In terms of cycling infrastructure, cycling community access.
00:05:40
Speaker
I mean, you can literally from downtown Bentonville be on a trail within two blocks and the trails are just woven throughout the entire city there.
00:05:53
Speaker
The city north of it and the three cities south of it and one city to the east and one city to the west. I mean, it you can mountain bike hundreds of miles just in the northwest corridor. And that has started to also creep out to like all the rest of Arkansas. I think it's
Advocacy and Inclusivity in Cycling
00:06:14
Speaker
super interesting to...
00:06:16
Speaker
how the stakeholders in Arkansas have come together. um During the time that I lived there, the the um legislature, i don't know what it's called when they like create a new office, but they created the Office of Outdoor Recreation. um And that was like a huge milestone and just what recreation meant for the state's economy. um And so it it would it was an exceptional place to live. um And then in terms of like
00:06:48
Speaker
Art, music, aviation, entrepreneurship. There is so many resources being poured into all of these avenues. Hospitality um and everything also has some sort of like bike element interwoven into it. And so you'll go to dinner and there's just like 20 bikes outside of a restaurant. It is unlike – unlike any place I've ever been just in terms of like ease of accessibility. um and And of course, with any place, there's always going to be like accessibility challenges that get overlooked. and um But I think the region is also doing a really good job of responding to that. So, for example, like um affordable housing.
00:07:37
Speaker
Right. When this place exploded and all these people moved in and it became really cool all of a sudden, um affordable housing became really difficult to find. But I'm seeing people in that region be extremely proactive about trying to, like, regain ground in affordable housing. Yeah.
00:07:56
Speaker
And come up with solutions so that it doesn't just get worse and worse like we've seen in places like ski towns in Colorado. um And so I really admire like all the people there for the work that they're doing and feel really blessed to have called it home for the seven years that I did.
00:08:12
Speaker
i find that fascinating. Oddly, that's something my neighbours have brought up because I joke with them, are you going to move up there at some point? And they're like, we couldn't afford to now. Right. it's Maybe 15 years ago we could have, but it's been the secret's out is what they say. And now everyone's there. That one thing I thought about when I knew we'd arranged a time and then I looked at your website and found out about All Bikes Welcome. I'm going to lean into a stereotype here, but there is something to back it up. i've had read that
00:08:42
Speaker
There was some pushback to traditionally marginalized communities um in Arkansas, and that spilled over into this the Northwest Arkansas area, the biking world.
00:08:54
Speaker
There was, i think it was a painted sign that was something that had, okay, you're nodding a head like, I think you know I'm talking about. And it just caused controversy. I didn't read what happened in the end, but I was curious as to you are clearly somebody who is an advocate for all. and wants everybody who wants to be involved, regardless of race, gender, orientation, all these things, you clearly want them on two wheels if they want to be.
00:09:20
Speaker
how How did you navigate that while you were up there? Was it a challenge or was was it not?
00:09:29
Speaker
For a long time, so I started all Bikes Welcome back. I mean, the idea bubbled up in 2018 and um along with my co-founder, we took it public and started creating in 2019. honestly, for a while, we kind of flew under the radar.
00:09:52
Speaker
Like people said things about us behind our back. Um, and it always made its way back to me, but it's funny how that happens. Yeah. yeah But no one was like at a systemic level trying to like stop us from doing anything. Um,
00:10:11
Speaker
We at the time when we started this mountain biking festival, we wanted the ethos of it to be like an amazing place to learn to mountain bike, which meant for us that it needed to be extremely inclusive. um And this was in 2019. Like I was seeing a lot of conversations popping up about this in the rock climbing community, but not yet in the cycling community. And so i was learning a lot from what was going on over there. My co-founder and I were doing our best. We certainly did not do it perfectly, um but trying to create this inclusive space. um
00:10:48
Speaker
And so from the get go, like trans women were openly welcome and affirmed at GritFest. um And that, again, it really just flew under the radar for several years. Then...
00:11:03
Speaker
then I would say late 2020 through like 2022. mean, the cycling industry just like exploded in terms of its understanding of inclusivity and access and barriers of entry to the sport. um And so All Bikes Welcome, under the leadership of our new executive director, Rachel Ulcer, really,
00:11:33
Speaker
became this like role model in the industry for what it looks like to uphold inclusivity. um on every front um for multiple different historically marginalized communities and people with intersectional identities. So people who might hold more than one marginalized identity experience significantly greater barriers of entry to a sport such as mountain biking. So
00:12:04
Speaker
um i Really, i started to step out of leadership from All Bikes Welcome in 2022. And that was when, at the beginning of 2022, we hired Dr. Rachel Olzer. And Rachel built such an incredible community of advocates within All Bikes Welcome that I think it was movement that it was a movement
00:12:37
Speaker
right And we were able to manage this conflict and come through it because there was like a movement of humans behind it. um And the So the mural incident, I'm not going to get into it because it's so nuanced and so detailed. If anyone's curious, there's like tons of press articles about it. um Look up All Bikers Welcome mural, Bentonville, Arkansas. um
00:13:10
Speaker
All Bikers Welcome has like – I don't know if it's still published, but they had a statement on their website for like the several months that this took place. That was the timeline of events and exactly everything that happened. um Anyways, that was an All Bikes Welcome mural.
00:13:27
Speaker
I didn't realize that. I just knew was going to be in your, no pun intended, wheelhouse. yeah You would know about it. I didn't realize that. That's so interesting. Yeah. um And I was already living back in Texas. And so I did a lot of support work on the back end.
00:13:44
Speaker
I'm typically like... pretty good at writing, but in terms of like setting the strategy and what we're going to do and how we're going to approach these situations, um ah Dr. Rachel Ulzer leads that. And again, like she had just this incredible community around them to support this movement. um And so it really working with All Bags Welcome has opened my eyes to the importance of community building and um mutual aid and community support efforts and communication within communities. And I feel really lucky to have gotten to watch people like Dr. Ulzer who understand it so deeply lead that for All Bikes Welcome.
00:14:38
Speaker
And where does it stand today, All Bikes Welcome? How is it as we approach 2026? Yeah. So All Bikes Welcome is a 501c3 nonprofit organization based in Northwest Arkansas. um Our Keystone event is a three-day mountain biking festival that takes place at the end of September um in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
00:15:04
Speaker
And the organization is on a mission to build more equity and belonging. and cycling and the outdoors by providing free and low cost programming in Northwest Arkansas. Everything we do is in Northwest Arkansas, but people from all over the globe have traveled to um attend either GritFest or do one of our programs. um We are going through a period of transition right now. We're actually hiring an executive director right actively. Applications are open right now. um And so it's super exciting. I think like
00:15:46
Speaker
Rachel and their team have done such an incredible job and also the board of directors of setting up a sustainable nonprofit that can live on. um And I'm excited to continue supporting them. i work as a fractional and development director for them. So primarily I do the fundraising.
00:16:07
Speaker
I love it. it's um It's speaking to my heart a little bit. Biking has never been on my radar at all. I've always always found it like frustrating frustrating. I'm a bigger guy, but where whatever weight I've been, it's just been something that I've found frustrating.
00:16:22
Speaker
difficult, even though i really wanted to love biking, always loved it. I've owned a couple of bicycles, but then going up in hills, I find it frustrating and get out of breath and I, you know, get all mad at myself. I'm not, built I wasn't built for that. I can go hiking 20 miles a day for five days and do a hundred miles and no problem. But if asked me to run a quarter a mile or to cycle far, I was out and I hated it because I always wanted to be ah on a bicycle. well This August, I purchased an e-bike and it's been an absolute game changer. Amazing. And it's like, I'm all sad today because it's raining and I'd like to go on my bike. i yeah
00:17:01
Speaker
I live three miles from where I work. I go, I work in the office a few days a week and I've driven once since August when I got my bike. And it and it's like, I just, I love it. yeah But even there there are times though, I will see we have in the town I live in, there's quite an active cycling community and I will see them flying by and I'm intimidated and I am straight, white, about as cisgendered waspy as you can get, you know, to look at. So I can only imagine...
00:17:34
Speaker
how difficult it must be for the trans community. um um I'm sure you know about All Bodies on Bikes, that the organization, you know, people who... yeah I'm so glad organizations like yours and theirs exist, because if I feel intimidated and and wary of of these people flying by in a blur and their light around this and that, I can only imagine what people, um you know,
00:18:00
Speaker
a little ah you know a little farther away from the stereotypical cyclist man or woman might feel like. So
The XTX Trail Project
00:18:08
Speaker
I'm just so grateful. I'm so thankful that you exist. And now I'm dipping my toes back into the cycling community. It's so exciting. Like all I want to do is get my bike. So thank you for providing these opportunities um for so many.
00:18:22
Speaker
I'm sure it's, I don't think it's overstating if I say it's life-changing for some to find their people. yeah you know It's all about finding good people. Yeah, belonging. Belonging. It's what we all want, right? Whatever walk of life we're in, we want to know that we belong somewhere. 100%. And we'll kind of transition from that into something that I'm you know very excited about. um Talk to us about the XTX trail that you're involved in.
00:18:50
Speaker
Yep. So the XTX trail um is going to be a trail that connects the Piney Woods in East Texas to the Trans-Pecos Mountains in West Texas. it At this time, there is a drafted route that uses public right-of-ways, the um roadsides, gravel roads, and then some national and state park managed roads. Um, we are soft launching this route in January of 2026, and then it is going to be a living, evolving route from there. Um, the model for the X-TACs the Arizona Trail, the Colorado Trail, these other long distance through hikes in the United States,
00:19:52
Speaker
The Appalachian Trail, obviously, Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail are multistate trails that you can do as well. um And within the hiking community, there's um and I'm sure that you can attest to this as well. There's an understanding that a long distance hike is transformational.
00:20:14
Speaker
okay physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally transformational. You do not come away from that experience the same person that you were. Absolutely.
00:20:29
Speaker
For that reason alone, what we're building is super exciting. um And then on top of that, there's like,
00:20:40
Speaker
We are going to get to share the culture of Texas. People are going to get to see how diverse the eco regions of Texas are. We are going to be able to impact like economic development in rural areas of Texas. um This trail has so much value.
00:21:00
Speaker
positive opportunity for the state. And I am thrilled, honored, humbled to be working right now as the acting executive director of this project. It is incredible.
00:21:16
Speaker
Yeah, it just, I know a little about it I've listened to a couple of podcasts, read and all I want to do is find out more. Because in my head, in five years time, maybe 10 years, I don't know, it it seems like it really could become the winter long distance hiking trail.
00:21:37
Speaker
yeah the AT will be snowed out as the CD, all these ones that run north to south. Right. you can't you've You've got a very small window. And I'm sure you guys have looked into this. Of course you have. But, I mean, it's really going to be a 12-month-a-year trail, I would assume. mean, it's going to very hot in the summer.
00:21:54
Speaker
But it won't be impassable um for any long lengths of time, I would i would assume. Am I right or am I wrong in that kind of thinking?
00:22:05
Speaker
I think that at this time, the West Texas section is too hot for the summer and potentially even the central Texas too. Um,
00:22:20
Speaker
it' And at this time, like water and shelter are so far apart in West Texas and you would need so much water to do a long day in West Texas that I don't think it's going to be a summer trail. i But it does have the potential to be like a three season trail. um So fall, winter, spring, the exception. And let me back up a little bit here for folks who aren't aware, like the Arizona Trail.
00:22:50
Speaker
um crosses through a lot of private property. And that private property links up publicly managed land. And that is how they created the Arizona Trail.
00:23:03
Speaker
We're looking to do the same thing here in Texas. It's going to take us years, likely at least a decade to really get a significant portion of the trail moved off of roadsides and onto private property. Um, because I'm talking about like hundreds of miles here. right Right. Um, and, uh,
00:23:27
Speaker
So where was I going with that? Oh, we have this unique challenge of private properties and hunting seasons in Texas. Hunting is a huge economic driver um to the state. It's one of the largest economic drivers in our outdoor recreation economy that we have here. And so that's going to be a little challenge.
00:23:53
Speaker
I'm not exactly sure what it's going to look like if we'll have to Well, I shouldn't get too far into it, but that is like one challenge we're going to have to manage in terms of what seasons can people do the entire thing.
00:24:06
Speaker
Yeah, that's i mean, I'm not a hunter. Just didn't grow. I grew up in a much more urban environment. That's that's I mean, nothing morally against it being done right or anything. It's just I grew up in the city. Yeah.
00:24:19
Speaker
but I just happened to read the other day ah an article about the amount of money brought in from outdoor activities in general. And I couldn't quite believe the hunting was up there with boating and ah RVing. It was like those were the big ones. I think it's just because of quite exactly where I live, there's a lot of lakes around. So i mean every Friday you just see cars dragging boats up to the lake and big RVs everywhere.
00:24:46
Speaker
i you know So hunting isn't necessarily on my radar. Now I did through like the Lone Star Trail couple of years ago. And you had to, you know, those windows where if you're on the trail, you have to wear bright orange. Right. Things like that, you know, so I had to look at exactly when to go and make sure I'm following the the hunting rules. And yeah.
00:25:05
Speaker
I got off the trail literally just a couple of hundred feet off one bit of the trail was a road I'll save you the whole boring story but met a sheriff he he pulled up he saw me with my backpack and asked where I was going and he was quite upset with me because he assumed I was hunting And it wasn't hunting season.
00:25:26
Speaker
And I was like, no, no, like, you know, do what you need to do. I've got no guns, no, butb I'm not hunting. He really didn't believe there was a hiking trail there. And he, and he ended up telling me he grew up in the area. Like he just had no idea. Because hunting is hunting is kind of life yeah in in those parts. And you know through hiking isn't really on the radar. right So there was an assumption made, we laughed about it in the end, he drove me five miles to the campsite, nicest guy. yeah
00:25:57
Speaker
But it was quite funny, that sort of initial, um you have to be hunting if you're out here. Right, right, right, yeah, that assumption being so deeply ingrained. And has there been much contact with the private landowner in general at this point? Has it been well received or sceptical or are you not at that stage yet?
00:26:17
Speaker
I would say, i mean, so the landowners that we've talked to so far are very enthusiastic. Wonderful. But if you look at a parcel map of like landowners along the X-Tex, it's thousands. and So, um you know, i i am super excited and honored um and bringing enthusiastic landowners on board or in the early stages is critical. um But I'm not so naive to think that we won't also find people that are like really skeptical and then also people that are like, absolutely not. Please leave me alone.
00:26:56
Speaker
And I respect that. Um, But yeah, so we'll see. I mean, at this time, i would say all stakeholders have been extremely enthusiastic and supportive. um And we, you know, it's it's how do you eat an elephant?
00:27:18
Speaker
One bite at a time. Right. Same thing. You can only talk to one landowner at a time, at least meaningfully. course. And so,
Philosophy and Influences
00:27:27
Speaker
yeah. Yeah, and because I'm sitting here thinking about it and three thoughts sort come to mind and all seem very plausible. You could have somebody come back to you and say, absolutely not. I moved out into the middle of nowhere for a reason. Right. You know, respectfully, I don't like people. I don't see people. It's not for me.
00:27:45
Speaker
i could see, you know, people just saying, absolutely. The more people, the better. I want people to see what a lovely place this is. you know Hey, have build a trail through the back of my property, go for it. And then there's probably an economic motivation for some. like i imagine if I had a large property and the trail went through the back of mine, I might think, you know what? I could house these people for $20 a night, feed them breakfast, That might be a little moneymaker if I'm managing Loveland. So that I could see all sorts of feedback coming your way. Absolutely. Yeah. We're having a lot of those conversations. It's exciting. Like um there are a lot of...
00:28:28
Speaker
Legacy landowners in Texas, like people who their families have been stewarding these properties for generations and they're excited. They're excited to share the history. They're excited to share the culture of the place that they call home. They're excited to facilitate an opportunity for people to reconnect with nature. Like there's so many reasons people are supporting the ex-tex and it's really an honor to be working with them on this.
00:28:58
Speaker
I love that. And long may continue. um I'll ask you the end, but just in case I forget, I'd love to share a link, you know, you for you to tell people where they can find out more about this, the X-Tex Trail. because Totally. yeah In my head, and I try not to get too excited about these things, it could be huge.
00:29:16
Speaker
like it could It could be up there with the Colorado Trail, the Arizona, somewhere somewhere like that is on people's radar to do. yeah It's a part of the country not known for long distance through hiking. And i don't know, i find I find the whole premise of this very exciting. It's super exciting um and it's really encouragingd she encouraging to hear how excited you are about it. And you see the vision, like it could be huge. um And i would say if people are interested, we have a biweekly newsletter and we have so much going on right now. There are updates in that newsletter.
00:29:53
Speaker
it comes out every other week. You can sign up for it on our website. We also have opportunities for people to volunteer. All of those opportunities are outlined on our website and are only going to continue to grow. um and then not surprisingly, we need financial support as well. um Giving Tuesday is coming up. Well, this podcast might come out after that, but. ah We'll just give on the next Tuesday. It's fine. Yeah, yeah. Right. Any Tuesday will do. Any Tuesday would be awesome. Right.
00:30:28
Speaker
I love that. um As we kind of round the bend here to the home stretch, there's three questions I would like to ask you. And no pressure, no stress, the first things that come to mind. um You've had quite a diverse background. So I'd love to know what and how success has changed its definition for you, if it has, or what does success look like for you?
00:30:53
Speaker
I really appreciate this question. I'm going through a very dynamic and intentional mindset shift around this. So um I'm 31 years old.
00:31:06
Speaker
I spent my teens and my 20s very focused on academic and career success. um Just almost laser focused. And to the point that... um In 2022,
00:31:26
Speaker
two And spilling into 2023, I experienced severe burnout that came with health complications. um I wasn't sleeping. i was sick all the time. um Chronic headaches, chronic cough. um And just feeling groggy and fatigued nonstop.
00:31:54
Speaker
And... and
00:32:02
Speaker
I wish I could go back and tell my 20-year-old self or the version of me in my 20s that I was doing more than enough. I was doing probably like three, four times as much as I needed to be doing. Right. um And, you know, i i try not to regret it because it's also can i can do some of the jobs that I do um currently at only 31 years old. But I also,
00:32:38
Speaker
ah i think I could have enjoyed my 20s a little bit more instead of being just like so strung out and having such a frazzled nervous system, um even despite like doing outdoor activities almost constantly. um And so my definition of success now is like, did I get a good night's sleep?
00:33:09
Speaker
Do I feel peaceful and fulfilled in my heart? and
00:33:17
Speaker
do I love being alive? Nobody has ever said that on this podcast before. And I think that's beautifully phrased and so important for all of us.
00:33:29
Speaker
It has been so transformational and it has taken me three years of deep work with therapists, life coaches, um journaling, meditation,
00:33:47
Speaker
lots of really, really long walks to get to this place. And what's so crazy to me is that like, now that this is the definition of success that I'm embodying,
00:34:02
Speaker
Work, focus, energy, motivation, discipline, like all of these things that I need to achieve things in my career just flow out of me so much easier.
00:34:19
Speaker
I absolutely love it. And congratulations. That is not an easy journey. to And I know it's not finished. It's ever finished. Right. But to b to come as far as you have is a huge achievement. So so well done. That's fantastic. Thank you. And I think there' there's such a trend in what you're saying.
00:34:37
Speaker
you i think of a sort of linear path at one end being corporate success and the car and the house and the this and the that and the ladder and then nature being at the other end and it really is a one-way st street to happiness you never see people coming the other way yeah everyone's flowing that one direction whether it's in their 20s or their eighty s At some point, that people go, I need more of that. It's not more of that. I'm pointing and we're on a podcast. But you know what I mean? It's never people going, nah, too much nature. i need i need more corporate ladder in my life. um So even though you've mentioned, you know, what could you have done differently in your twenty s
00:35:19
Speaker
it seems to me like you got on the path a lot earlier than many others. So you have a lot of life to live. Thank you. Go in the right direction. That's super exciting.
00:35:30
Speaker
My second question for you is, I'd love for you to think about, it could be one or two parts, a book and or piece of music that's been particularly influential in your life.
00:35:42
Speaker
I love this question. Okay. When...
00:35:51
Speaker
I feel like this is kind of an obvious answer, but like as a 19 year old, i read Wild by Cheryl Strayed. One of my favorite books of all time. Changed my life. um And just further cemented that I was like on the right path. um That was super inspiring.
00:36:10
Speaker
I have thought about like rereading it now that I'm in my thirties, just to see like how I would internalize her experiences differently. um There is a short book called,
00:36:28
Speaker
oh my gosh, Canyon Solitude. And it is written by a woman. Her first name, I want to say, is Patricia. It's also been about 10 years since I read it. And I read it multiple times. um Another one, I think I was 21 when I read it. and it is the story of a woman who becomes a raft guide, i think, either in her, like, mid-30s or 40s. And then she takes a solo trip in her raft down the Grand Canyon.
00:37:02
Speaker
incredible book. ah Her reflections on connection to nature, connection to sport um is just beautiful. And it was a very empowering read in my early 20s.
00:37:22
Speaker
I would say
00:37:26
Speaker
recently the best book I read in 2025 I love to read which is why you're getting a whole list of books instead of just one wonderful I love it bring them all on um the best book I read this year was The River's Daughter by Bridget k Crocker it is like it was light It was like the feeling when I first read Wild by Cheryl. ah And I...
00:38:00
Speaker
It's also about like... um A lot of her like dating and romantic relationships in the for her, it was like the raft guiding community. And I saw a lot of parallels to myself in terms of like dating and romantic relationships in the cycling industry and in the outdoor industry in general. and um You know how we sometimes like use these sports to mask or avoid like deeper inner emotional turmoil. And I am not kidding you When it got to the epilogue of this book, I just it was like tears
00:38:43
Speaker
Like a wave of tears and emotion washing over me. um It was so, so good. and then And that's not even to mention just like her amazing descriptions of the rivers that she's run. um if you're a water person, this book is absolutely incredible.
00:39:01
Speaker
All right. The River's Daughter is on my list. Yes. It's here. Amazing. I love it. And then what about a piece of music? Is there any kind of music that that takes you somewhere, has a particular meaning or or importance to you?
00:39:17
Speaker
I I love music. i always always buy the iPhone with the most storage because I need my entire Spotify library downloaded. I can't go anywhere without my 4,500 songs. yeah um And oh my goodness. it o I don't know if I can pick just like one, but i i mean, Spotify came out when I was in high school still. So I've been making playlists
00:39:51
Speaker
As long as I've been adventuring even longer. um And I still have like my college playlist. So I had a playlist that I would listen to every time we traveled to the mountains. And I had a playlist that I would listen to every time we traveled to the desert. And.
00:40:09
Speaker
and Then just over the years, like during my time in Arkansas, I have several playlists that are associated with like being out in the Ozarks and adventuring out there. um and then i spend a lot of time in and New Mexico, specifically northern New Mexico. I feel like a very deep connection to the land out there. and i They all kind of have like a little and like a slightly different flair.
00:40:40
Speaker
um And then I also have my I have my Texas music. There's like Texas rendered country. There's radio country. There's alt country. And I just oh, I consume music nonstop. And it's all connected to place for me.
00:40:59
Speaker
I love that. For me, it's yeah but connection to place, but to to points in my life, which I'm sure those things are intertwined. Yeah. um A song will come on I haven't heard in years and it immediately takes me to that place, that time, that ah sometimes that feeling. Now I'm going to throw an idea your direction, no pressure, yeah but um I consider myself an average reader. Like I read probably, and I wish I'd read more and it's actually something I've started doing in the last few weeks. is carving out, even if it's just 15 minutes a day. I'm walking my way through a fascinating book. Yeah. Wild, I read,
00:41:37
Speaker
probably six or seven years ago. And it's the last book, and I've read books I've enjoyed since, being at work during the day going, I just cannot wait to get home and yeah pick up this book. yeah and i've And it's one of the few times in my life that that is really, I've had that feeling of, I can't stop thinking about what might happen next in this book. um And sometimes I think about if, God forbid, there was ever a fire in my house, what things would I grab? I have a signed copy of Wild by Cheryl Street. That might be one of the things. if If a book has had an impact on my life, I do whatever I can to try and get a signed copy. That'll be something I pass along to my kids.
00:42:18
Speaker
And they'll probably throw it in a box in the attic and that'll be that. but rightina But that's something I try and do. Well, I'm going to throw out the idea of a virtual rereading of Wild as a book club.
00:42:30
Speaker
You know, if you do, if you're if you're on board, I'm in. That could be super interesting and really fun. It is. so I need to reread it. like Yeah, I need to as well.
00:42:41
Speaker
It's like, it's not overhyped. That is a fabulous book. Right. And it was one of those ones i want you know I've seen the movie. The movie is always a drop off from the book. yeah The movie was to me was good, but the book's just untouchable.
00:42:56
Speaker
It just, that's a great way to put it. Just so good. um My last question for you will be, I need you to transport yourself into the future. The X-Tax trail is complete. It's finished. You're hiking along it.
00:43:10
Speaker
Who would you like to hike for a day with? And it could be somebody in your life, past, present, somebody famous, not famous, somebody you've met, somebody you haven't met. It could be any human being. Who would you like to hike 10 miles with on the X-Tex Trail?
00:43:29
Speaker
And I always like a disclaimer, significant others are not included, so nobody gets in trouble. ah Right? Ooh. Oh my goodness. There's like so many authors and
00:43:48
Speaker
artists.
00:43:52
Speaker
Yeah. Frank Dementia was Prince a few weeks ago because he just had so many questions. Yeah. Gosh, I, o Okay. Um, Another author that I love who I forgot to mention is Pam Houston. Okay. um She...
00:44:14
Speaker
I also love writing like personal nonfiction and, you know, playing around with like travel writing. um And that is like her forte. She teaches it. um So maybe Pam Houston, her book, Cowboys Are My Weakness is also another one, especially if you date men, if you date outdoorsy men, you have to read Cowboys Are My Weakness. It's such a good book. um So yeah, she she comes to mind.
00:44:47
Speaker
I love it. And that's what we that's what I like is is who comes to mind? This isn't a deep question. Yeah. You know, it's just who pops into your head that you would love to have these conversations with. So to me, that sounds like a perfect answer. I love it.
00:45:02
Speaker
Well, Becky Arvin, it's been an absolute pleasure. pleasure I cannot thank you enough for joining us today. Thank you for the invite. This was wonderful. Of course.