Why am I starting this Friday Faves out with a picture of a Swedish Fish truck? Because on our mega-huge to do list for next week’s Outdoor Retailer is to buy some Swedish Fish as part of our super cool Under Solen swag to give to our nearest and dearest. And so three block away from my house at the end of my morning run as I was mulling over said to-do list my jaw dropped when I saw this lovely van parked on the street. Serendipity perhaps?

Just like a lot of you out there, we’ve been in high-end OR planning mode, which has included t-shirt printing, workplan writing and way too much email sending. But as I’ve made my way through the craziness of this past week, I’ve been reminded of two of the key things that you need to run a successful business: support and empowerment.

Tomorrow marks month 9 of official Under Solen business, and this gives me some cause for introspection, because when you’re on month 9 of business and still eating, you’re pretty stoked. On Wednesday we had the chance to present on Social Media and Small Business: Crafting a Strategy That Works For You at the second official Portland Society meeting. This is a group of intelligent, business savvy, bike loving women, and to be perfectly honest, I was a little nervous going into it. Come on, a bunch of independent, awesome women that all take part in making this one of the best bike cities in the country — how could you not be a little intimidated?

But as the meeting progressed I quickly went from intimidated to inspired. I sat and listened to the women in the circle give thanks to others that had helped, supported, or just brought a bit of fun to them throughout the last month and felt a new sense of empowerment being part of this community that’s not only committed to providing a supportive network for each other but reaching out to even more women.

This was a reminder that I get that kind of support everyday, not only from my ever fabulous, ridiculously hard-working business partner that I wouldn’t be anywhere without (big Friday Faves love to you Ms. Nuchols), but an amazing network of individuals that help us do what we do on an everyday basis, and keep us inspired to continue to move forward.

Women like Karyn, who works tirelessly and never ever complains, and Rachel, who’s always up for a photo shoot (with dogs and doppios) and life advice, and Julie, who’s number one in the Under Solen role model book for always being on her game and appreciating funny emails, and the other Julie ,who always has something positive to say. And then of course there’s the 23 Feet ladies who are rolling in to Portland tomorrow, which means we get to transition from long distance email chains to good ole in-person creative brainstorm sessions.

But that’s only a handful of the people that keep us on our toes on a daily basis; the connections that make Under Solen function on an everyday basis span the globe. Running a business is all about taking risks, but taking those risks is doable when you have a support network in place, and I couldn’t be happier about the one we’ve got around us.

So this weekend, take time to thank your own support system, and empower them to go out and do great things. That’s how we’re going to make positive change in the world.

-Anna

How often do you count your blessings? With the bustling lives we lead, it’s so easy to take our blessings for granted. Many times I forget to be grateful for my awesome family of friends, the delicious food growing ripe in my backyard, and this body that takes me for a run every morning.

And it’s thanks to the lovely ladies of 23 Feet that I’ve been reminded this week. So read on and take note of your blessings today and every single moment that you can.

From Elephant Journal:

We are being shown again and again by the people we’ve met on the road that joy can be found in the smallest things. A wholesome meal shared under mountain stars, an unexpected kindness in the heat of the day. We’ve traveled through four states already, and one of the most magnificent gifts I’ve been given was the accidental witnessing of a sunset in the Mojave Desert. Our engine had threatened explosion, and for hours we were stranded on the side of the road, surrounded by Joshua trees and distant mountains. The sun blazed under the horizon, we were alone, and my heart felt quiet, open as the desert sky.

We have been blessed with good attitudes, friends to lean on and a wide open expanse of beautiful land to roam. Good people have trusted us with their stories. Let’s remember how lucky we are. Let’s sit around campfires with friends, travel our country when we can and create opportunities for ourselves. Let’s be grateful for what we’ve been given.

Now watch this humbling and inspiring film from Sean Mullens about a friend of his named Michael and his daily ritual to find his natural self through surfing. If this doesn’t inspire you to overcome what stands in your way and get out and do what you love… I don’t know what will.

“Part of the water, and my draw to it is that it’s a birthright… You can transcend. You can get to a place where you’re sort of free to be able to dance, to be able to be fluid… To be what you were meant to be.”

Happy Friday!

Thanks to Andy Maser of the Epicocity Project for the tip on the video!

PHOTO via gorp.com and 23 Feet

A sunny Friday here in Portland, which means we’ve got berry picking and biking on the brain.

It’s been a crazy week here at Under Solen (which included dancing in a salmon suit), with lots of exciting stuff happening. Plus it’s summer… and we couldn’t be happier!

Photo by Andrew Ferguson

Here’s just a small selection of stuff that got us stoked this week and that we think you’ll enjoy:

• Did you know that more than 100 elephants are killed every day by poachers? Save some Elephants by becoming a fan of Elephant Ivory Project over on Facebook.
• Need some wanderlust? Read this great post about Moab from the ladies over at 23 Feet.
• Kids get it. Nature that is.
• Plastic bag ban in Portland. Hopefully.
• A bike-thru? Yes it might be a reality.

Now that’s enough being on the internet. So listen to this (our official Under Solen summer anthem), grab a friend, and get outside!

Dawn at Little Redfish Lake in the Sawtooth Valley of Idaho. © Neil Ever Osborne

Need a little inspiration this Friday? Here are two stories that are sure to get the job done…

From the Save Our Wild Salmon blog:

Snake River sockeye make an epic migration each year to Redfish Lake in the Sawtooth Valley, climbing nearly 7,000 feet and swimming more than 900 miles to get there. To get a visual — that’s the distance from Denver to Chicago and higher than five Empire State Buildings stacked one on top of another.

In addition, these red fish tackle an eight-dam gauntlet on the Columbia and Lower Snake Rivers. The tenacity and determination of these fish is undeniable and at times unbelievable. It’s no wonder that they are often referred to as the lifeblood of the Northwest’s signature rivers.

Take action to save them here.

From The Cleanest Line:

Editor’s note: Patagonia ambassador Kate Rutherford and Madaleine Sorkin recently spent five days climbing The Freerider (VI 5.12+), a 3,000ft. route on the Southwest face of El Capitan. Kate shares her take on the climb here with photographs by haul bag maestro, Mikey Schaefer.

Five years ago, I thought freeing El Cap was an impossible goal. The huge scale, logistics, and physicality of freeing a big wall seemed beyond me. Over the years climbing started feeling easier, I spent more time on big routes, and Madaleine and I built up our endurance together on long routes like Moonlight and the Northwest Face of Half Dome. Alpine climbing in Patagonia helped me understand huge objectives, and I learned to break down my intimidation by just focusing on one pitch at a time, just doing the task at hand.

Read more…

Salmon and ladies, you rock. Keep it up!

Happy Friday!

© Neil Osborne, iLCP

We’re thinking that most of you have already bailed on office work (and hence keeping up on your favorite blogs) for more entertaining, long-weekend adventures, so we’ll keep this short and sweet.

This week has been focused on exploring, in all forms of the word, from the beautiful landscape of Idaho’s Sawtooth Valley to taking off on crazy Airstream adventures to creative brainstorming on new proposals. So for this week’s Friday Faves, we’re giving you our top picks — in 5 different categories — that will ensure that you’re inspired to get out and explore this weekend.

Adventure: Something everyone should do at least once in their lives: buy an Airstream and take off on an epic road trip.

Conservation: How do you protect a species? Give people amazing visuals.

Nature: The Flathead Valley scores another break, which might mean even more protection for this wild and beautiful place.

Travel: Got a pack that’s crammed full of gear? Take a photo and win another.

Foreign: German techno dance beats? Yes please.

First order of business this Friday is to give major props to our amazing friend Allie Bombach of Red Reel Video and 23 Feet. She created this gem of a video to show folks a little more about who we are at Under Solen.

Under Solen means “under the sun” in Swedish. So with it being officially summer, we’ve thrown ourselves head first into the season. Being Swedish, we’re all about celebrating summer (today marks the official kick-off of Swedish midsommar) because the long sunny days of this season invoke a kind of happiness rivaling nothing else. It means warm morning runs, backpacking trips, kayaking and rafting adventures, seeking out this year’s perfect swimming hole and countless picnics and barbecues with friends.

I’ve spent the last couple of days visiting some old friends in Seattle and we hit up a hike off Snoqualmie Pass yesterday. A summer hike and catch-up atop a high peak in the North Cascades is pretty hard to beat.

And speaking of friends. Our good friends over at Nau are having their fabulous warehouse sale this week. What’s a better way to kick off summer than slipping into some hot threads at cool prices? Exactly. If you’re in Portland, make sure to boogie on down their way.

Whatever you do this weekend, take some time to relish the sun, the change of season and get outside. And make sure to grab some of those wonderful friends of yours!

Happy Summer!

We’ve once again made it to Friday, and here in Portland the sun has finally decided to grace us with its presence. Thank you sun!!! And sunshine obviously makes us want to get out and play, which gets us thinking about why we love the outdoors so much. A big part of that is from our upbringing, so this week we want to give a special shout out to our good ole dads. We wouldn’t be where we are without you.

I’m going to go ahead and give a personal shout to my father, who taught me the beauty of outdoor eating and exploring. A big part of what we do here at Under Solen is promote getting outdoors, and he was a big part in instilling that value in me. So thanks dad. And thanks for teaching me that trips should always have good food and good wine, no matter where you are in the world.

So instead of spending your money on some ridiculous Father’s Day gift (trust us, he doesn’t need another grill…) take your pops outdoors. And if that’s not possible, take someone else outside and show them all the great reasons why we should protect the places that we love.

Sure, we spend most Fridays telling you to get outside and get active… but that’s the Under Solen mantra! Now hop to!

We’re still trying to wind down from out “Mountainfilm hangover.” Four days with inspirational films, organizations and people certainly takes its toll, and we’re still trying to sort out how to take all that we learned and saw and translate it into everyday life. But it doesn’t just take a film festival; all of us encounter moments and people that inspire us to make positive change. But it’s taking that inspiration and translating it into action, on whatever level you can, that counts.

Since starting Under Solen we’ve gotten to know quite a few people that are doing exactly that, each in their respective fields. You don’t need to have a 10-page resume or a fancy degree in a complicated field to be effective and have an influence on those around you; you simply need to go after what you love. And that’s what all of these people are doing, which is why we draw on them for daily inspiration. We hope you do too.

Joe Riis

Joe is a wildlife photojournalist, and an excellent one at that. He has worked extensively on Pronghorn migration for the Freedom to Roam initiative, and he’s a big player in our favorite organization, the International League of Conservation Photographers. Incredible photos that capture the sense of urgency in protecting these animals. That, and he’s an all-around cool guy. You can check out his site here.

Julie Schwietert Collazo

A rocking travel writer and Hispanaphone, this woman proves that multimedia can have a positive effect on the world. She’s the Managing Editor at one of our favorite sites, Matador Network. Check out her work here.

James Edward Mills

If you need to know what’s up in the outdoor world, James is your guy. He’s a multimedia journalist that runs the excellent site, The Joy Trip Project, where he covers everything from sustainability to art to outdoor sports. Definitely an inspiration to anyone trying to live a more sustainable, active lifestyle.

Allie Bombach

Allie knows what’s up when it comes to videos. She runs Red Reel Video Media and specializes in marketing for the outdoor industry. But the main reason that she inspires us is her decision to buy an Airstream and drive across the country all while making a documentary film. 23 Feet “is an adventure film about what it means to leave it all behind for the things we love, whether it be climbing, backpacking, or surfing. We’ll travel 2600 miles to explore the wild lands of the west in a 23 foot 1970 Airstream.” That’s worth supporting.

Claire Smallwood

I actually went to college with Claire, and when I came across SheJumps I was excited to find out that this incredible non-profit that promotes getting women outdoors had Claire for its Executive Director. Anyone who launches a 501c3 nonprofit at the age of 22 is inspiration in our book. She recently wrote about her role in Wend Magazine, and said this: “We started SheJumps to celebrate the beautiful, empowering camaraderie of what females and genuine, unselfish support can do.” Check out SheJumps and all the good things they do to inspire women to get into more outdoor activities.

Dan Austin

We had the pleasure of meeting Dan in person this last weekend in Telluride. Dan is one of the masterminds behind 88 Bikes, which transportation to young people in developing countries. In other words, bikes. Listening to him talk, you’re immediately convinced that bikes can change the world (which we’re big believers in). Check out 88 Bikes and how you can take part.

Who inspires you? We want to know who in your life gets you motivated to get out and take action!

How is it the last weekend in May? Somehow spring has managed to fly by us and summer is right around the corner. We’re spending Memorial Day down in the beautiful city of Telluride for Mountainfilm, where we get to meet great people and organizations like Chris Jordan, Tim DeChristopher, 88 Bikes and iLCP. It’s amazing to get so many people that are so passionate about important causes together in one place.

We want to make sure we inspire you to have a great Memorial Day Weekend, be it a weekend full of play, activism or creativity,

Play

“Get outside” … it’s practically the Under Solen mantra. But this time we mean it! I spent the beginning of this week in the backcountry of Utah, and I can assure you that there’s nothing better for you sanity than playing outdoors. And like we wrote about yesterday, it gives us an excellent reminder of why we chose the lifesyles that we do.

What’s your favorite place to play? Take some pictures this weekend, send them in and we’ll feature them on our site!

Get Active

There are so many ways to get active and take part of your local and international community… where do we even begin? Here are just a few things that we’re excited about right now.

• Give a bike — 88Bikes just launched their 88Bikes Villages program, where they’ll be reaching out to children in rural parts of Lesotho, Mongolia, Tanzania, Latin America and the United States, focused on small rural locations where our bikes can have a major impact. We dig that!
• Check out the Global Action Atlas — National Geographic’s new Global Action Atlas is a great resource for learning about causes around the world and enables you to support efforts across the globe to reduce human suffering, protect natural landscapes, and more. There’s everything from saving salmon to providing education opportunities for women.
• Thank Obama for suspending Arctic drilling — Take a moment to thank President Obama for his decision to postpone Arctic offshore drilling until at least 2011. On the heels of the Gulf oil spill, we think that’s a great move, and he deserves our support.

Be Creative

Our social media ninja had her first official art show last night and we’re very proud of her. A great reminder that it’s always good to have many interests. An excellent place to start for some creative inspiration is photographer Chase Jarvis’ blog. Here’s one of our favorite tips, from a very solid list:

Admit to yourself that you don’t know about something you’ve been pretending to know about. Sit down and do the research yourself. Learn it.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!