Once a month we throw our contributors for a loop with a question about their lives in the outdoors. This month we asked, “What’s the best thing you’ve ever given away?” Here’s what they had to say.
DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN
I try to give away as much of all this extra gear I have as I can. There are few things better than simply giving something away and wanting nothing in return.
ELIZABETH O’CONNELL
Recently, I made a lady in a beat-up Subaru’s day by giving her my parking space and pay-to-park ticket that still had an hour left on it.
CAMERON MARTINDELL
Travel. I once had enough airline miles to fly my brother and me to Europe to visit where we grew up.
TYRA SUTAK
A bike. Bicycle Longmont is a local organization that has a great holiday program where they collect and distribute bikes for kids. It’s awesome to see them light up like I do when I get to ride bikes.
CHRIS KASSAR
On our way down to base camp on Denali, I gave away an unopened jar of Nutella and some reindeer sausage to some folks who were only a few days into their climb. That may not sound like a big deal, but up there that was worth a million bucks.
RADHA MARCUM
Time. It’s easy to feel that I don’t have any, but even fifteen minutes with a loved one—or an hour teaching students a new skill—is of far greater value than any physical gift.
PETER KRAY
Skis.
MELANIE WONG
I gave my parents a border collie named Lucy. She got a loving home and my parents got a new “kid” and nonstop entertainment.
SCOTT WILLOUGHBY
I found a small shell on a remote beach that had worn through to create a ring that my eventual wife and mother of our two daughters accepted as an impromptu engagement ring. Turns out it’s also the best gift I ever received.
