Simply My Best: First online RSVP

SIMPLY MY BEST

UPDATE: This was the website where we figured out what SMB would be. Then we created a new site for SMB 2014. Then, in March, 2014, we launched a REAL website for the event and our nonprofit called Pilot Butte Summit Seekers. Check it out...

WWW.PILOTBUTTESUMMITSEEKERS.ORG

Kind of cool to watch it change from something we literally made up as we went along to something that was built on the efforts of so many and actually planned to some degree. It will be fun to watch the new website take shape over the coming months.

Btw, if you haven't heard, SMB 2014 is May 10th!

Note: Many functions on this old site have been removed or disabled, but the blog remains as a record of the SMB journey.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

First online RSVP

Our first online RSVP came in just after 11:00 this morning. That actually surprised me because it was just after Carol had the info in hand to give out. Really exciting to see things starting to happen. I hope it is running as smooth on your end as it is on ours. Please email us if you have any problems completing the online RSVP form: simplymybest2013@gmail.com

One thing I forgot to mention is that there seemed to be no good way around us having to make each person RSVP separately. This is mainly because we are flying by the seat of our pants and needing
certain info to know our targets for the fundraising side. If this event is as successful as we are hoping, and we end up doing it again next year, we should then be able to have a group RSVP form. For now, we can only apologize for any inconvenience you experience.

Btw, if the first RSVP is any indication, this is going to be an amazing day. That person said that their personal best is two times to the top and that they will be shooting for six! I had told Carol this morning that I was pretty sure I could add one lap to my personal best. Here I am planning the darn thing and I didn't even realize that I'm probably not thinking right about my abilities. Yeah, I'm sure I can add more than one lap. Can I add four like this person? I would be surprised. That is for me a perfect example of what this event is all about. Without this information, I would have been selling myself short and all it took was one inspiring person to help me see that. Definitely cool ...

Happy trails, Bill

THE INSIDE SCOOP

This is not your typical event. It is informal and casual by nature. We hope to never be out there aggressively spreading the word because we think the event will always have a certain magic if we let it grow at a natural pace. Plus, as we have already found, Pilot Butte itself is the perfect place to spread the word. Not only are there a lot of hikers who already know each other, we have really been surprised by how many regular hikers there are that we don't know. It is no accident that the parking area gets over 15,000 cars per month. People love Pilot Butte.

If you haven't yet noticed, this event is really set up to take what you already do and then make that an outstanding experience one day out of the year. It is almost more a celebration than anything else. So you just show up and hike, something you'd probably do anyway. There is no entry fee, no official start time, or anything like that. There have to be a few formalities, but we are doing our best to make them as painless and fun as possible. We are also focusing a lot on the social aspect of the event. We want the normal encouragement that people always experience on the Butte to become infectious and reach new heights. In other words, while this is a day in which it could be easier than most to hike a personal best on the Butte, the overall focus is still on having fun. Then, as a side benefit, we end up solving one of the problems that people are most concerned about on the Butte. So there is actually a kind of reward in place if you decide to go for a personal best that day. But you don't even need to do that. Hiking your normal distance, or even less, still helps us raise the funds we need. Your being there is what is most important.

As much as possible, SMB is what you need it to be. We purposely left the term "personal best" a little vague and we are glad we did. Some people have already indicated that they go by a different standard than what we had in mind. That's great and we are trying very hard to work them into the event.

In designing this event, we are kind of taking our lead from Pilot Butte's Century Club, now a 13 year old tradition on the Butte. It demonstrates the power that a simple idea can have. This event will be a big success if we can keep it simple for both the hikers and the organizers. So we invite you to come out and "hike your butt off on the Butte." You can RSVP by clicking here.