Hoodies in the Wild is one of our favourite byproducts of creating Gym+Coffee
Our community have been out Making Life Richer in their G+C hoodies and sharing the experience with us. The influx of photos provides us with some much appreciated doses of inspiration each week.
Recently, we did something we had been meaning to do for quite a while. We reached out to the people behind the photos to find out their stories. Want a quick catch up on everything? Learn more about Hoodies in the Wild here. Check out the inspiring story hidden behind an image of a Volcanic Eruption in Bali, by clicking here.
In March, we were sent a series of jaw dropping Hoodies in the Wild images in the Arctic Circle from part-time adventurers Peter and Susan Grogan. Susan is oh so stylishly sporting her Charcoal Fleck Hoodie. What struck us was how adventurous a choice of location it was to visit. We reached out to the couple to find out more about their trip and what brought them there. We were so inspired by their story. A normal couple with a passion for adventure and making life richer.
Susan and Peter filled us in on the reason behind this particular trip. “It was our honeymoon. We got married in August and wanted to do something a little different. I love the snow and ice and I got Peter on-board with that way of thinking. We’ve seen Norway in the summer but we wanted to experience the snow and see the Northern Lights. It was pretty cold, there was a -28c windchill. Ice-climbing a 60ft frozen waterfall was a definite highlight.”
Listening to Susan and Peter, you can’t help but be inspired by their enthusiasm for travel, adventure and life in general. Judging by the quality of their photos and their passion for travel, you might think this was their full time careers. Susan explained that this is not the case, which managed to make it all the more inspiring.
“By no means are we day-to-day adventurers. As with everyone, we work and have family and other responsibilities to take care of before we can take on adventures. But we do feel very privileged that we get to visit such amazing places. We’ve been up the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, been to Norway on several occasions, Iceland, Italy and United States among others.”
“We aren’t really ones to go off on holidays and lie out in the sun. We like to get off the beaten track as much as we can. Generally, when we travel, we use Airbnb and often it’s not about picking a particular destination. We pick a place we like the look of and plan a trip around that. It is almost a game of chance. If that takes us out into the wilderness, all the better.”
The couple have a list of places they hope to visit and adventures they want to take on. Kayaking off the icebergs in Antarctica and hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu are two that are high on their list. They also want to visit such places as the Faroe Islands, the Isle of Skye off Scotland and the Galapagos Islands. For Peter’s birthday next year, they are heading to beautiful Trolltunga in Norway. We hope the cameras and hoodies are ready for that one.
Listening to their bucket list, you would be motivated to take on the world. But, as Peter and Susan pointed out, adventure doesn’t have to mean travelling to foreign lands.
“Adventures can be found on our own doorstep. We live in a very beautiful country with many amazing mountains and hikes. Sometimes you have to become a tourist in your own country. People forget this sometimes. You get into the mindset that you have to leave Ireland to experience adventure.”
“The country has so much to offer. The likes of the Wild Atlantic Way and the Waterford Greenway are just incredible. People come to Ireland and rave about the beauty. As a nation ,we sometimes take this for granted. Only last week we hiked around the glacier lake in Coumshingaun, which is not far from where we live in Waterford.
It’s too easy to sit on the couch and do nothing. Adventure is right here if you want it. All it takes is a little bit of get up and go. When you do make the effort, the rewards are massive. For me it’s more than the physical aspect, it’s the mental therapy that goes along with it."
Speaking to Susan and Peter even gave us the shake we needed to go out and make things happen. Susan works as network technician with ESB while Peter owns a creative agency Emagine, which has offices in Waterford and Kildare. They both live very busy work lives but understand the power in finding time for adventure.
Their parting message was one that really resonated with us. A recipe for creating an adventurous life.
“We definitely think everyone should experience the great outdoors at least once a fortnight. Whether that be a walk on the beach or countryside or even a longer hike. Everyone needs to get outdoors, to free the mind and open the spirit. Sometimes you get trapped in a bubble and get so caught up with the business of life that you forget to live. Everyone should have a list of places they want to go and just start scratching them off. There’s nothing stopping you.”
We were so delighted to be able to chat with Susan and Peter. A truly inspirational couple who embody everything we believe in as a brand. If you want to follow their adventures you can check out their instagram pages - @petergrogan and @sudy0. Thanks again to you both for sharing your stories. You definitely inspired us all to go out and make life richer.
