Things I've liked in October
*a non comprehensive list
Dear Kula Diaries,
I hope that all of you have had a wonderful… interesting… adventurous… memorable… or otherwise fantastic month of October. October is my favorite month of the year, because it’s my birthday month. I also love the lack of bugs, hot weather, and crowds.
This month, I have a plethora of fun things to share with all of you — this is my monthly post where I can include all of the random things that have brought me joy or interest during the month. I’d love for you to share in the comments anything that you loved in the month of October too!
Vote for Kula!
Kula is currently in the running for an ‘award’ from USAToday. I say the word ‘award’ very lightly… because we won this award last year, and what I received was an ‘invitation’ to pay a very large licensing fee in order to put the ‘Top10’ logo on my website. Ummmm… wait… WHAT? I won a contest… and then have to pay $5,000 to use a logo? Well, apparently the answer to that question is yes.
Inspired by this uninspiring model for rewarding folks for bringing thousands of clicks to their website, I actually asked my creative director Amanda to design something last year… that I regrettably never used….
And this was the logo that we designed…
I’m feeling re-invigorated by this never-before-used award, so if you’d like to nominate somebody to receive the Kula Cloth Excellence Award for 2024, you can nominate them HERE. You will NOT be charged to use this logo. I will send it to the winners with an appropriate poem and adoring praise for who they are as a human being on this planet. Who is eligible? ANYBODY. You can send it to your favorite gear company … or to somebody who has made a difference in your life… or to your favorite YouTuber… or to a celebrity (which could be interesting for me to attempt to deliver)… or to yourself… or to your pet… or to a dear friend or family member… or to somebody who you think might benefit from a little bit of a boost in their life. Nobody should have to pay $5,000 to have an award, and it’s so important to recognize the people that we love in a special way.
Also, for the record, I’m very good-spirited and also very competitive, so I still REALLY WANT TO WIN the USAToday Top 10 award — old habits die hard. So, if you have a few moments to vote, I genuinely would appreciate it and it is always very exciting to get new eyes on our beloved little piece of gear!
This photo - Kula in REI catalog
A few weeks ago, my employee Chizuko came into the Kula office holding the REI Holiday Gift Giving Catalog. She turned to a page entitled, ‘Gifts for “Almost There” pep-talkers … and, lo and behold, on the bottom of the page… nestled next to a pair of Darn Tough socks… is an Arctic Pine Kula Cloth.
For the last 4 years, since Kula launched in REI, I have hungrily paged through every single REI magazine… hoping for the day when I could see even a tiny glimmer of a cloth triangle dangling off somebody’s backpack. I had absolutely NO idea that they were going to include Kula Cloth in their holiday magazine, and the joy that this brought me was really quite special. Less than six years ago, a pee cloth was an ‘unmentionable’ piece of gear that was usually ‘disguised’ in the form of a bandana or piece of fabric lashed to the back of a backpack. And now… the paradigm has shifted. A pee cloth is indeed a real piece of gear.
A few days ago, I had a meeting with my mentor, Glory Dole — and we were talking about ‘Stacy’ — the overly critical voice in my head who likes to chime in and make inappropriate commentary about how I’m not, ‘doing enough’ or how I’m ‘not good enough’, etc… This voice is completely worthless, although I do understand why she exists — because, in some way, she’s trying to protect the version of me that is afraid of disappointing people… the version of me who is afraid of letting people down.
I shared some vulnerable things with Glory — including my own confession that I still do suffer from imposter syndrome when I read ‘intimidating things’ from other entrepreneurs who appear to, ‘know what they are talking about’. Sometimes, I read advice from other business owners that is more acronyms than words, and I feel myself shriveling into a tiny ball… trying to make myself small and inconsequential by attempting to contemplate all of the things that I should know or the things I should be doing. This shriveling is very much unlike the person that I know that I am — a person who has literally turned a pee cloth that I made on my kitchen table into a company that has now sold over 315,000 products all over the world… and is now appearing in the holiday gift guide for one of the largest gear stores in the world.
As I looked at my own irrational fears of inadequacy, compared to the vastness of what has transpired in the past 6 years, I realized one thing that is very true: I’m doing pretty well. And do you know what? That is independent of anything that happens at Kula Cloth… but I’m still going to give myself permission to celebrate these little moments of joy.
Podcast - The Adventures of Tom Slick
Since Kula Cloth moved out of my house last year, Aaron and I now commute 35 minutes each way to our small office. I was initially a little worried about having to commute to work, but I actually love it. Aaron and I have turned this time into an enjoyable way to listen to good podcasts and to chat and decompress on the way to and on the way home from work. Let me reiterate this: I absolutely love not working at home. I love that my home is, once again… my home.
I’m always on the lookout for a fun podcast, and recently we binge listened to a fun adventure podcast called Tom Slick, Mystery Hunter — which features Owen Wilson as ‘Tom Slick’. When I listened to the podcast, I thought that it was entirely fictional, but as it turns out, a lot of the details are based on true events of a real person.
This show is a fun listen — it’s wholesome and entertaining, and it won’t have you arriving at work feeling depressed… which is how I feel if I’m listening to true crime — ha!
Movie — Unfrosted
I did not think that a movie about the invention of the Pop-Tart would be entertaining, but I genuinely enjoyed this film on Netflix that features some big name actors like Jerry Seinfeld, Amy Schumer, Hugh Grant and Melissa McCarthy.
The entire movie focuses on the mostly-true (but obviously embellished) story of the cereal industry’s ‘race’ to create a shelf-stable pastry that could revolutionize breakfast. The movie is witty and clever and really wholesome (minus the high fructose corn syrup), and I loved watching it so much that I actually went out and purchased a Pop-Tart, because I hadn’t had one in over 30 years. I genuinely remember enjoying Pop-Tarts as a child (particularly the S’mores flavored Pop-Tarts), so I was very excited to see how it tasted. The verdict? YUCK. Disgustingly sweet and nearly inedible — almost like a blandly-oversweet piece of cardboard. The movie is a must see… the Pop-Tart? Nah.
In other Pop-Tart related news, my mom discovered a brand called Ghetto Gastro — and she carried their Apple Cinnamon Toaster Pastries on our last backpacking trip, and she loved them. So… if you are craving a shelf-stable treat for your next hike, they might be worth checking out. You can find them at Target stores, or on their website.
Jasper — a big, overdue update
I’ve shared at length about the feral cat that arrived at our home last December during a brutal cold snap. At the time, the temperatures were barely above 5 degrees, and so Aaron and I quickly purchased a tiny hut and a warming pad for this cat to use. We started feeding him on our porch, and we quickly became attached to him — even though we only ever saw him through our security cameras. We named him Jasper, and, unbeknownst to him, he became a very special part of our family.
Unfortunately, having an additional cat at the house started to cause some issues. Namely, our cat Cinder made it her life’s mission to find and chase him… which resulted in some off trail escapades of epic proportions to try and find our own cat. Additionally, we started having local wildlife visit our porch — an Opossum (who still visits), and, more problematic… two large raccoons who were becoming relatively aggressive about retrieving the food off our porch. With the addition of the raccoons, Jasper was hardly able to get any food at all, and we were worried about him, because he had indeed become dependent on his daily food source.
In May of this past year, we met a woman who specializes in cat rescue, and she had a significant amount of experience trapping feral cats. She gave us a lot of resources about how to properly prepare for this endeavor, and we purchased a large kennel and all of the supplies that we would need to introduce Jasper to our home. Our hope was that if we caught Jasper, we could gradually work to ‘tame’ him — and eventually introduce him to our cats. This would prevent Cinder from attempting to chase him on a daily basis, and we would also be able to give him the option to either live in our home, or simply come and go as he pleases (while no longer being the ‘forbidden fruit’ for our own cats).
Along with the kennel, we also purchased a trap — and, as it turns out, Jasper was a genius. He would walk into the trap just enough to get the treats inside… but never enough to get trapped. So, we started putting his food dish at the front of the trap, and then very, very gradually, we inched the food towards the back of the trap. While we did this, we de-activated the trap — in the hopes that he would simply become comfortable using it as a place to eat. Well, it took about 6 months… but, eventually, Jasper was regularly going in and out of the trap. During the month of September, we were gone a lot, so we left the trap deactivated, but when we returned home from our fishing trip, we decided that it was time to try and trap Jasper.
The night that we finally set the trap, Jasper arrived around 8pm … walked into the trap… and CLUNK! The door closed behind him. I felt a pang of guilt, if I’m being honest — and so did my husband — but we quickly went to work covering the trap with a towel (to calm him), and then gently moving him into his new kennel. For the first few days, Jasper was very scared and didn’t move much… but, gradually, he started to become more and more comfortable. Eventually, we were able to open the door to his kennel and allow him to wander around our guest bedroom. Within the first few days of his arrival, we also gave him a deworming pill and flea medications.
It’s been about a month since we brought Jasper into our home — and he continues to make little tiny steps of progress every day. He excitedly takes Churru treats from our hands… and we pet him with both a back scratcher and while wearing a glove. He is not friendly (yet) like a typical domestic housecat — he hisses and growls still, but he is gradually becoming more and more comfortable. From much of the material that we’ve read about adopting a feral cat, it can take anywhere from 3-6 months before the cat starts to acclimate.
Our next step is to work towards getting Jasper into a small kennel so that we can take him to the vet and check him for a microchip. This week, we are going to introduce him to a small kennel… and our next task is also to bring his larger kennel into a ‘busy’ area in our home (our living room/kitchen/dining area) so that he can start to develop more of a sense of trust that he is going to be OK.
It has been a very strange experience having this cat in our house — because it’s odd to love something that doesn’t quite love you back yet. I asked Aaron how he felt about it, and he told me that he loved Jasper because he could just tell that there is something else there within him. He’s such a beautiful cat… with piercing blue eyes, and Aaron and I dedicate large portions of our days to simply sitting with him and petting him and giving him treats and helping him to feel a bit more at home. I don’t know how this entire process will go, and it’s definitely a big commitment, but I’m hopeful that Jasper will start to feel the love that we are showering him with… and that he’ll be able to enjoy the good life, instead of having to avoid detection from our neighborhood assembly of cougars…
I’ll keep you all updated on his progress!
This video from my neighborhood
… and now, for the aforementioned assembly of cougars! My neighbor caught this incredible video on his game camera. As you watch this, keep in mind that this is NOT a boomerang/repeating video… this is just one video… and yes, you are counting correctly. There are THREE OF THEM.
We believe that this is a mother cougar and her two almost full-grown cubs. I’ve never seen ANYTHING like this before, and I thought it was pretty incredible. I’ve also been carrying my bear spray every single morning now.
A few days ago, I walked down to Homestead 2 for a short meditation, and my pepper spray rolled out of my tiny backpack. I usually take the ‘lock’ off the pepper spray while I’m walking so that — in the event that I need it — I don’t have to fumble with it. Well, apparently, the can of pepper spray got bumped just right… and it squirted out a tiny burst of spray. As I sat in my pre-meditative state, I suddenly felt a familiar suffocating burn… ohhhhhhh shhhhhiiiizzzzzznnnnttttttt were the exact words out of my mouth. I scrambled to get to my feet while simultaneously trying to hold my breath and not trip off the edge of Homestead 2. Luckily, the dose was tiny, and I only had lightly brushed my temple with a little squirt of pepper spray.
Many years ago, when I attend the park ranger academy, I received a full dose of pepper spray. As a part of our training, we were sprayed in the face with OC Spray… and then we had to ‘fight off’ a fake assailant with a foam baton… then retrieve keys from the hood of a parked vehicle… enter the vehicle and close the door… and then make a radio call to ‘dispatch’ to request help at our location (all while using proper radio procedures). As somebody who has literally been sprayed in the face with pepper spray, I can say authoritatively that it is absolutely not fun. It was unbelievably painful, and the initial relief of the spray wearing off was punctuated by fun ‘re-exposures’ to the substance every single time that I took a shower for the next 2 days, because more and more of the residue emerged from my pores and dripped all over my body. That being said, I’m glad I had the experience — because if you ever are in a situation where you are using pepper spray (either on a person or on an animal), there is a 100% chance that you will be exposed to the spray in the process. Knowing what it feels like… and knowing that I absolutely can function and push through the discomfort is oddly comforting.
If you carry bear spray with you, my biggest recommendation is to train with your bear spray! Don’t let the very first time you use it be in the event of an emergency. Most bear spray companies sell inert training canisters, which will allow you to practice removing the ‘locking mechanism’ and depressing the lever to release the spray. The lever is very often quite difficult to press down, and in a high stress situation, it’s helpful to already have that muscle memory so that you don’t panic.
Personally, I don’t carry bear spray while I’m hiking or backpacking on a normal basis — unless I’m walking around my neighborhood alone (because of aforementioned triple cougars) or in Grizzly Bear territory. This past summer, when we hiked in Montana, I absolutely carried bear spray. I had the opportunity to meet with bear biologists in Yellowstone a few years ago, and their number one recommendation was to carry bear spray — it’s extremely effective and relatively easy to use.
As a fun side note, I’m going to be performing at REI in Seattle on December 11th (which is completely sold out)… and we just added a SECOND date on December 12th! The Musical Mountaineers will be performing alongside author Kevin Grange, who will be doing a book reading and talk (and book signing!) for his new book called Grizzly Confidential. I would love to see you at the event, I think it’s going to be very special!
GORP Camp
On October 18-20th, we co-hosted our first ever GORP CAMP with my dear friend Miranda, who is the host of the Miranda Goes Outside You Tube Channel. You can watch the most adorable reel about GORP Camp filmed by my friend Chelsea from She Colors Nature right here: Most Adorable Reel Ever.
Miranda approached me and our event coordinator Allison in the beginning of this year about hosting a big event, and I am going to be completely honest — I was hesitant — not because it wasn’t a good idea, but simply because I have so much going on that adding ‘large scale event planning’ to ‘running a fulfillment center and the rest of the company’ sometimes feels a bit overwhelming for me.
Luckily, Miranda, Allison, Morgan and Kelly (who help plan the Kula events) were a force to be reckoned with… and with my somewhat sporadic input… we worked hard for most of the year to plan the very first ever GORP Camp. What did GORP stand for? Get Outside… Relax… and Play.
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into the event. We had spent so much time dreaming about making this a really special weekend for folks, and so it was a bit exciting and nerve wracking when people started showing up. People travelled from around the world (as far away as South Korea!) and all over the USA and Canada to attend this GORP Camp experience… and I’m pleased to report that it was everything that I had hoped it would be and more.
I do tend to get a little bit of social anxiety, but this was my first event co-hosting with a truly remarkable human who is a self-proclaimed, aggressive extrovert. Miranda is BRILLIANT… kind… genuine… and enthusiastic. Over the weekend, we each had the opportunity to excel in the ways that were most natural to each of us — and it really bloomed into a beautiful weekend that I will truly cherish forever. Over the course of 2.5 days, our group of campers laughed… and meditated… and made goofy Kulas… had a silent disco in the dark at night… and learned about backpacking… and competed in the most incredible backpacking gear fashion show. It was a really wonderful weekend, and I know that the seeds for lifelong friendships were planted.
As an ‘ambivert’, I usually feel somewhat drained after massive social interactions, but I felt unbelievably energized after this event. When Miranda and I visualized what we wanted to create, it was really the ‘perfect trail mix’ of everything that we love: people, the outdoors, connection, creativity, joy and fun. And you know what? We did it! After reflecting on the events of that weekend, I simply feel grateful. Grateful to have Miranda in my life (which all started when she interviewed me via Zoom during COVID for REI’s YouTube channel!)… grateful for the unbelievable dedication of Morgan, Kelly, Allison and my mom who made the event happen… truly grateful for my husband Aaron who worked long days to make sure that every single person left the event with a completely custom Kula of their dreams… and unbelievably grateful for all of the folks who showed up for this event for the first time.
Going backpacking with my mom and Aaron to an alpine lake
My mom travelled to WA a few weeks ago to attend GORP Camp and to go on our annual backpacking trip. I’ll share more about this trip next week… but I had to include it here, because it was such a special and beautiful trip. We had miraculously perfect weather, and we spent 2.5 days in a completely magical, alpine wonderland. Every single time I venture out into the wilderness here in WA, I feel so tremendously lucky to live in such a beautiful place. I have been backpacking and climbing and hiking in the PNW for almost 2 decades, and I often feel as though I’ve barely scratched the surface of the beauty that exists for all of us to discover. We live in a place of such incredible vastness … and even though I’ve travelled all over the world… no matter where I go, I’m always happy to come back here… to come home.
Well, friends… that’s my non-comprehensive list of things that I loved in October. To be honest, I’m sure that I loved a lot more things… but I had fun compiling this list, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I hope that you had a lot of things that you loved in October too. I’m so grateful for all of you… and for your kindness and support. It means a lot. I’m looking forward to November, which usually means a lot of work… because holiday shopping is about to start. I’m feeling excited and energized to send a whole new batch of Kulas out into the world — knowing that maybe, just maybe, those unsuspecting folks might just buy a pee cloth… but the universe has a funny way of being… and maybe, just maybe, they’ll surprise themselves and end up dancing.
I hope you can find a reason to dance today — simply being here and alive is enough. You matter so much friends, never forget it!
My favorite part of the month was taking my kids to Hunter Farms in Union to get pumpkins, Olympic Mountain Ice Cream and a stop at Twanoh on the way home to look for spawning salmon.
This past weekend while volunteering as a Dolly Sods Wilderness Steward, I met a lady with a Kula Cloth attached to her pack. When I commented about her Kula Cloth she said it was her favorite piece of outdoor gear.