“I think there is a lot of value in carving out time to be singularly focused on one task: riding up a mountain pass, making dinner, making music, sketching, reading, etc.”
A warm welcome to our newest flag flyer—North Carolina native, good food advocate and two-wheeled roamer, Hailey Moore. Since moving way out west to Boulder Colorado in 2016, she’s racked up a pretty stacked escapism CV.
As an avid gearhead, Hailey’s been spinnin’ pedals for a long while now, bringing a shedload of bikepacking know-how to troop ‘Made To Roam’. As a cyclist, climber, runner, writer, and photo hobbyist, it felt pretty seamless to get Hailey’s name up on the ambassador list. We’re stoked to get saddled up and follow tracks, so watch this space as we lean on Hailey to bring the noise, tips, tricks, and trail hints.
For now, we get well acquainted over a few Qs and a mug of strong black.
Images by Kody Kohlman (@kokody)
Hailey Moore, what’s your story?
“I’m originally from North Carolina and also spent my college years there. During college, I got into climbing—bouldering, specifically—which led me to do some traveling around the US after graduation. At that time, climbing was a vehicle to see different parts of the US that I hadn’t been to previously while doing something I loved. After a little over a year living in Tennessee following that time period, I ended up moving to Boulder, Colorado, in late 2016 for an editorial internship.
“Since moving to Colorado, I’d say I’ve been trying to find some balance of freedom to pursue meaningful, challenging experiences—on the bike, running, and still somewhat in climbing—while also finding work that feels creative (and still pays the bills). For the past two years, I’ve been working as a regular freelance contributor for the cycling website The Radavist while also working as an ambassador for a couple of brands on the adventure side of the cycling industry.”
“I think there is something vital to finding time to exist in an un-entertained state; running or riding or working in the yard or cooking without consuming any media”
A Passenger classic and one we ask all our ambassadors—what does Escapism mean to you?
“As a writer, I’m a bit of a stickler for language and while I do think that the word “Escapism” has an alluring romance to it, I do prefer to think about my life in terms of balance. Ideally, I don’t want to be “escaping” from anything; rather, I want the disparate parts of my life to feel like they enrich and support the other(s). For instance, I’ve found that it’s important for me to have creative outlets that complement my athletic training—fortunately, as a writer, my work is creative and also involves photography (though I’m very much a beginner behind the lens). I also enjoy cooking as a creative outlet and I’d like to learn to sew.
“That said, I think there is something vital to finding time to exist in an un-entertained state; running or riding or working in the yard or cooking without consuming any media (TV, social media, music, podcasts, etc.). I don’t think we give our minds enough chances these days to work more randomly and it’s often in these “unplugged” moments that I do my best thinking. I suppose you could call that a form of Escapism.”
“The places that mean the most to me are those where I’ve been able to experience profound personal growth”
If we gave you a handful of pins to stick in a map of places that mean the most to you, where would they land?
“The places that mean the most to me are those where I’ve been able to experience profound personal growth: where I live now in Boulder, but also Colorado more broadly, and western North Carolina, where I spent my university years and found climbing. Both places are mountainous in starkly different ways—Colorado is known for its dramatic, imposing peaks while the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina feel softer (though still plenty steep) and more inviting.”
What’s a usual food day looking like back home?
“Summer is fast approaching in Colorado so it’s an easy time of year to be a lazy cook with all of the fresh fruits and veggies. A lot of houses in Boulder, including mine, don’t have AC so the emphasis is on COLD foods. This time of year, I want some kind of salad every night of the week—either a more traditional leafy salad, or maybe a vinegar-based cucumber or bean salad, or a heartier grain salad.
“I’m often paralyzed by choice when it comes to planning dinner so—when I can—I like to just rely on whatever is in season locally from late Spring through Fall to help me decide. Otherwise, I’ve been trying to make more of an effort to make things at home that I might usually buy if I’m crunched for time—granola, pizza dough, snacks to take on the bike, baked goods, popsicles, etc.”
“I’ve (...) been digging back into Radiohead’s early album Hail To The Thief, so that’s been on repeat for me.”
What have you been listening to lately?
“According to Spotify, I’ve been listening to a lot of Protomartyr, Big Thief, Idles, Cherry Glazerr… and I’ve also been digging back into Radiohead’s early album Hail To The Thief, so that’s been on repeat for me. I’m also big on podcasts and routinely listen to Tangle, The Ezra Klein Show, The Gist, and Bandsplain.”
And finally, any Escapism hacks & tips you’ve picked up along the way?
“It’s so cliche to say but I think there is a lot of value in carving out time to be singularly focused on one task: riding up a mountain pass, making dinner, making music, sketching, reading, etc., without any external inputs or thought of documenting the experience to share later. It is so special to be able to capture memorable experiences but I think we need to balance this tendency to remove ourselves from the moment at hand by experiencing it behind a screen.”
