Instagram Inspiration: Thrill Seekers

On my way home from work this week, I walked by some kids playing in a park near my house. Four of them had set up a soccer game in the grass with a pair of shoes acting as the goalposts. Another girl, maybe 3 or 4 years old, flew past me on a plastic tricycle. She grinned ecstatically and pedaled recklessly fast. The look on her face said “THIS IS SO FUN.” She had no fear of crashing and no reason to slow down. 

Seeing that girl so happy and worry-free made me wonder if I’ve felt that way in the recent past. I’m not sure I have, at least not to that extent. As we get older, it gets more difficult to abandon our stresses and insecurities and mounting college debts. It’s not impossible–we just have to work harder for it.

This week, I’ve tracked down five images from some truly fantastic Instagrammers of some (very) extreme sports I’d love to try around the Pacific Northwest. Rent quads in the Florence sand dunes, go downhill mountain biking in Whistler, participate in a Duck Dodge sailing race on Lake Union, try kiteboarding in the Columbia River Gorge, or summit Mt. Adams.

All of these activities have the potential to provide the mind-engulfing joy that girl experienced just by going four miles an hour down a hill on her blue and yellow tricycle. Let’s forget about Monday by chasing some of these gutsy thrills.

1. Ashley Ragovin: @ashleyragovin 

2. Cam Kelsey: @camkelsey

3. Xio Alvarez: @lawlxir 

4. Brianna Joy Hirsch: @briannahirsch

5. Kaytlyn Gerbin: @kaytlyn_g