Discover the Love: A Backcountry Guide to the Five Love Languages
It’s not hard to find love in the backcountry. Adventurers love to explore it, homesteaders love to work it, and solitude seekers love to savor it. But the alpine wilderness isn’t just here to be loved. It can facilitate connection, too, by providing the perfect backdrop for expressing your love for the people you care about most—especially during the holidays.
As you gear up for festive gatherings, gift exchanges, and quality time with loved ones, it’s worth pausing to reflect. And what better way to navigate this season of joy than through the lens of the five love languages?
The love languages extend far beyond romantic love, of course. Whether you’re expressing appreciation for a friend through acts of service, bonding with family members over quality time spent together, offering words of encouragement to a colleague, exchanging thoughtful gifts with a neighbor, or simply sharing a warm hug with a cherished friend, the love languages are universal… and every one of them can be spoken in the backcountry.
Here are our favorite ways to speak your love language at Mount Hayden Backcountry Lodge.
1. The Gift of Adventure:
Gift-lovers, rejoice! The holidays are your time to shine. This year, take the focus off things and consider gifting experiences instead, like the gift of a shared adventure in the backcountry. After all, the true essence of a gift lies in the memories created together—memories that can be revisited and cherished long after the holiday season has faded into the past. Surprise your favorite gift-appreciators with a future getaway at Mount Hayden Backcountry Lodge, and they’ll know just how loved they are.
2. Quality Time, Uninterrupted:
Quality time takes on a whole new meaning in the backcountry. What better place to spend time with your family, unplugged and undistracted, than a beautiful lodge completely off the grid? There’s so much to do together at MHBL, from stargazing around a campfire to embarking on snowy treks to family game nights; you and your kids won’t miss the love… or your screens.
3. Self-Love with Words of Affirmation:
For those who find solace in words, the backcountry is the perfect place to turn those heartfelt affirmations inward. The alpine wilderness is ideal for reconnecting with yourself, journaling in nature, expressing gratitude for the simplicity of off-grid living, and basking in the words of affirmations that YOU need to hear.
4. Wilderness Touch:
Are you and your partner in need of a place to reconnect and renew your physical connection? Leave the city behind and head to the mountains for some true intimacy in the backcountry. MHBL has several private bedrooms, a wood-barrel hot tub, and plenty of time and space to express your love through a grounding, genuine touch.
5. Acts of Backcountry Service:
At MHBL, acts of service are our favorite way to ensure YOU feel loved. Owner and chef Eric Johnson cares deeply for the lodge, the land, the backcountry lifestyle, and the people with whom he gets to share it. He relishes the opportunity to share his love with guests through acts of service… preparing meals, chopping wood, hunting elk, and all the other activities that go into homesteading in the San Juan mountains. Unlike other backcountry mountain huts, Eric does the work, so you don’t have to.
Have a Wild, Wonderful Holiday
As you prepare for the holidays, consider the love languages that resonate most with you and your backcountry-loving companions. By infusing these languages into your celebrations, you’ll not only create an intimate and unforgettable experience but also forge deeper connections with the wilderness and those people closest to you.
Here’s to a backcountry holiday season filled with love, gratitude, and the untamed spirit of the great outdoors.
Happy holidays from MHBL!