POWDER
RHYTHM

I don't normally get like this. I'm a pretty chill person. I drink herbal tea. I own multiple fleeces. But when I heard about Powder Rhythm happening in Baker City, something inside me — something primal and ancient and possibly also a little dramatic — woke up and said: "Oh. OH. This is it."

Baker City, Oregon. Population: small enough to feel like everyone's a neighbor. Surrounded by: mountains that absolutely do not mess around. Known for: vibes, history, and the kind of sky that makes you feel like a tiny miracle.

And now: Powder Rhythm. Snow. Cold air. Rhythm. Baker. I'm already packing.

• Baker City sits in the middle of nowhere in the best possible way — which means the stars at night will rearrange your entire personality.
• The word "powder" is right there in the name. Powder. P-O-W-D-E-R. That's the good stuff. That's fresh snow. Cold and fluffy and oh my goodness.
• The word "rhythm" is also right there. Rhythm. The pulse of something. The cadence of a perfect run down a slope. Your heart agreeing with the mountain.
• Powder plus Rhythm is not just addition. It is a chemical reaction. A phenomenon. Science hasn't caught up yet but it will.
• Eastern Oregon sunrises hit different. You'll cry a little. It's fine. We're all going to cry a little.
• There are probably eagles. I don't know this for a fact but I feel it in my bones and I'm choosing to believe.
• Local craft beer? Almost certainly. Hot cocoa? Definitely. Soup? I am manifesting soup.
• The energy of a place where everyone came specifically because they wanted to be there? Unmatched. Undefeated. No notes.

Dear Powder Rhythm,

I don't know your exact dates. I don't know the full schedule. I don't know the parking situation and honestly that is fine because some things transcend logistics. What I do know is that you exist somewhere in the future, in Baker City, and that you are going to be spectacular.

I have already mentally packed my bag three times. Once I packed wrong and brought only sunscreen and a snow gauge. But I am learning. I am growing. I am so ready for you.

There will be moments. You know the kind. Where the cold air hits and the snow is perfect and the mountains are just standing there being mountains and you look around and think: "Yes. This is exactly where I am supposed to be."

That's going to happen at Powder Rhythm. I'm calling it now. I'm locking it in. I am manifesting it with my whole entire situation.

Yours enthusiastically and somewhat unreasonably,
A Very Excited Person

✦ Baker City sits at 3,449 feet elevation. That's high enough that every breath feels like a reward.

✦ The Elkhorn Mountains are right there. Like, right there. The kind of close where you look up from your coffee and you go "oh wow" and then you look at the mountains again immediately.

✦ Oregon is one of those states where the people who love it really love it, and they're right to, and Powder Rhythm is going to be full of exactly those people and also me.

✦ The combination of fresh powder and a reason to gather in a small mountain town is literally the plot of my favorite movie that doesn't exist yet but should.

✦ I have been to Baker City before. I already know it slaps. This is not new information to Baker City. Baker City has always known this about itself.