Human Powered Movement didn’t even have a website when I wrote the original “What is Human Powered Movement?” journal exactly two years ago. The platform was a covid-born concept to bring encouragement, inspiration, and positivity to our pandemic-rattled lives. The universal appeal of being active and our mission of “facilitating greater human powered experiences in all of us” hasn’t changed since those early days, but the evolution of HPM certainly has.

We’re on the doorsteps of the holiday gift giving season which means different things to different people. I’m stereotyping, but adults perpetually cringe at getting another uninspiring pair of undies or a regifted candle while kids absolutely lose their marbles to tear open whatever new toy or gizmo has recently hit the market.

I freshly celebrated my 40th BDay so I’m squarely in the camp of “I don’t want any more chintzy crap for Christmas this year”. What I do want, is more gear … and I want lots of it. I want more bikes for paved tarmac, fresh gravel, and tacky singletrack. I want more boats to paddle flatwater and rapid laced rivers. I want the latest running shoes for casual neighborhood jogs, long-distance trail sessions, and scrambling up peaked ridgelines.
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2022 was a banner year for me when it comes to adding more outdoor gear to my arsenal. I feel like a footie-pajama wearing, snot nosed kid, on Christmas morning and I can't wait to show and tell.

I’ll be honest; this Journal Entry is self-fulfilling. I’ll be honest again, explaining our deeper approach to Human Powered Movement merch and business in general is wildly more important than making a few extra bucks on swag. It’s no surprise to anyone that follows HPM that we are outspoken and unashamed tree hugging eco-lovers. Here’s why it’s so important to us.

In my mind, the concept was simple … create the Southeast’s newest Adventure Race by spreading a few checkpoints across an area that is ripe with trails, greenways, historical landmarks, and a navigable river flowing straight through the middle. The simple concept that I drummed up in the fall of 2021 became a reality on April 1 & 2, 2022 and the response absolutely blew my mind.