A backpack is something I use every day. While my Ergon pack performed wonderfully on the Tour Divide, I don't need all the complex suspension and hydration systems when I'm going to the store or the coffee shop. For trips like this, I'm more likely to grab one of my smaller packs, something like my Osprey Daylite which is pictured above. The Osprey is a great little pack, but when I cram it full of six books, there isn't a whole lot of room for snacks and spare clothes, so I decided to look for something a bit bigger. My lovely wife is completely happy with her somewhat larger Osprey Helix so I figured I'd check out what else Osprey had for sale. I wanted something maybe a bit different that the Helix, so off I went to the Osprey website to find the pack of my dreams, the baby bear's porridge of packs, something neither too big nor to small, the pack that would be just right.
While I found a plethora of packs there, I also found the Osprey blog and a contest. The contest was to complete this thought: "Instead of driving I..." The top ten winners would get to select from a range of very cool Osprey packs.
"Ah Ha!" I said in my best "the old man from a Christmas Story" voice, "Powers of the mind!" I set to work crafting my entry. I suppose if I'd been sly I wouldn't have blabbed to folks on Twitter and email about how they too could have a chance to win a pack, but I'm more chatty than sly. I told Christine, I told my kids, I told my biking and Twitter buddies.
I wrote my entry, hit submit and than waited out the days for the contest to end.
And I gave away the end to this story in the title of the post.
Yes, I won. I won! I won! I won! I danced around our apartment when I got the email, explaining to my long suffering wife that it's not just a pack, it's a major award. I think she's very grateful that it's just a pack and not a lamp in the shape of a leg.
You can read all the winning entries on the Osprey Blog.
This was my entry:
“Instead of driving I walk, bike, bus or take the train where I need to go. I’ve learned that what I need I can carry and what I can’t carry I don’t need. I have a small bike that carries me and when I get to the bus or train I can fold up the bike and carry it aboard. I have a pack that’s big enough to carry what I need for a day and life really only happens one day at a time. I have enough time to get where I’m going and what I need to enjoy the trip. Why would I want to be in a box, looking out at the world when I can be out in the world instead?” — Kent Peterson
This winning entry also caught my eye:
“Instead of driving, I step out my door to be greeted by a thermometer reading -40. Celsius, Fahrenheit, doesn’t really matter at this point. Hopping on my bike I cruise by a moose and her calf hanging out by the side of the road and get greeted by the sun rising over the Alaska range as I pedal into work appreciating that I live in a pretty cool place and discovering it is possible to break a sweat even at 40 below.” — Peter
That's Peter Peterson, my bike riding scientist son.
Those powers of the mind, I guess they run in the family!
Keep 'em rolling,
Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA
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