Denver’s First Mappy Hour

On December 5, Mappy Hour launched in Denver at Black Shirt Brewing Co. We were stoked to meet fellow Denver outdoorists and talk about tiny living, moving into an RV or van, and reducing our environmental footprints.

The night started off in the regular Mappy Hour practice of filling out name tags that display an outdoor activity you know a lot about and one you’d like to learn.

Then, we heard from our speakers, Kathleen and Greg. Kathleen and Greg are the brains behind Tiny House Tiny Footprint, a website dedicated to living small in an effort to reduce environmental footprints and get outdoors. The couple owns a tiny house, lives in an RV, and is in the process of moving into a van. They dished the dirt on dealing with limited wattage, the pros of downsizing your possessions, and how to survive in an RV in the winter (sleeping bags and lots of insulation!).

Before we left the previous backyard where we were parking the camper, our landlord asked us if we wanted his ’87 van. “It needs some work, but it’s got some good memories,” he said with a laugh and a look off to the distance. Perhaps he knew we could resurrect his little rig and relive his younger days. Since that time, we’ve experienced breakdowns, both mechanical and mental. But the van has been a steady through it all. This junkyard-bound vehicle has transformed into our adventure mobile, eyes wide on the road. | grab a copy of our book in these last few days of its presale. (link in bio) 📷 @ashtonrayhansen

A photo posted by Tiny House, Tiny Footprint (@tinyhousetinyfootprint) on Nov 3, 2016 at 7:54am PDT

Next, it was time for the big giveaway. Mappy Hour leader Jeremy Goldsmith donated a smorgasbord of NatGeo maps for the lucky winner of the most creative #MappyHour Instagram post. Meredith Turk took first place with this clever shot:

We’re curious about this #mappyhour

A photo posted by Meredith Turk (@mereturk) on Dec 5, 2016 at 6:43pm PST

…and yes, as per tradition at Mappy Hour inaugurations, there were temporary tattoos involved.

Stay tuned for the next Denver Mappy Hour, coming January 2017.

Check out the full album (and tag yourself!) here on Facebook. All photos courtesy of Alan Westman