Why you should #OptOutside Today!

If you're like us, typically one of the first things you do when you get up in the morning is toon to social media. You 'have to' see what you missed while you got a somewhat restful sleep. Especially with the holiday season upon us, spending AS MUCH time as possible to avoid the awkward 'turkey talk' is a great way to dodge those questions. WELL, hopefully this will be one of your friendly reads and then you can even bring it up to diffuse conversation at the dinner table. 

So, what is #OptOutside and why should you do it?

Mount Denali, Alaska

Campsite at Wonderlake, Denali, Alaska

Last year, REI started a movement called, (you guessed it) #OptOutside. The goal of this project was for people on the Friday after Thanksgiving, commonly referred to as ' Black Friday'. On this day, the company closed all their stores and paid their employees as if they worked and choose not to fill any online orders; but instead told them to go outside and enjoy nature. Last year, this movement resulted in over 1.4 million people and 170 companies who choose to #optoutside instead of spending the day Black Friday shopping. Some of these companies who join REI in the #optoutside movement include Google, Burton, Camelbak, Portland State University, Travel Kansas, Travel Oregon, and many many more! See the full list here. 

Cadilac Acadia National Park, Maine

Also, this year the National Park Service and Local State Parks announced that they will be offering Free Entrance to all parks. With much of the country enjoying perfect late fall weather today, if you have the day off we encourage you to spend it outside! You can visit the National Park Service website to find a local park near you to enjoy on this Friday! 

Now, throw on some sneakers and workout clothes, bundle up and enjoy this beautiful day while burning off some of the calories you consumed on thanksgiving!