Living at 10,000 Feet
How the Mountains Taught Us the WILD Life
The morning frost crawled across the panes of the kitchen window as I brewed another cup of coffee, watching the sun spill gold across the snowcapped peaks surrounding Crested Butte, Colorado. At this altitude, the air is different—crisper, sure, but it also demands something more from you. Every breath is a conscious act. Every decision carries weight.
My hands, dusted with flour from the morning's batch of cinnamon rolls, paused as I took in the same view I'd woken up to for years. The same mountains that had greeted thousands of guests at The Ruby of Crested Butte, our bed and breakfast inn. They came to experience Colorado’ top rated inn, a place to rest after long days on the slopes or the trails. But they often left with something else—a conversation that shifted their perspective, a question they couldn't ignore, a glimpse of what a deliberately crafted life might look like.
Back when my wife, Andrea, and I first took a leap into this life, we never imagined we'd become successful innkeepers, entrepreneurs, and guides for others navigating their own transitions. We're both introverts at heart, and opening our home to thousands of strangers wasn't exactly in our plans. But the mountains have a way of clarifying what matters. And after years of building a life that honors wisdom, intention, leadership, and discovery—the core elements of what we now call sparkWILD—we realized that the most meaningful thing we could do was share this journey with others as they contemplate their own path.
The Call of the Mountains
It started, as most big shifts do, with a question.
In 2004, while many of our friends were climbing corporate ladders or settling into suburban rhythms, we felt the pull of something different. Andrea had built a successful career leading teams in one of the world's largest corporations, but something was missing. I had been traveling the state with the Governor's Office, helping build coalitions of small business owners—helping other people chase their dreams while learning .
Then, one crisp Colorado summer evening while mountain biking in Crested Butte, we asked ourselves the question that changed everything: What if this wasn't just a place we visited, but the place we lived our story?
Three months later, after scraping together enough money for the down payment (including selling our car on the way to closing), we bought a building in Crested Butte and opened our small inn. Friends thought we were having a midlife crisis—except we weren't even thirty. Family worried we were throwing away promising careers. But we knew, deep down, that this wasn't an escape. It was an embrace.
The Ruby Years: 33,000+ Lessons in Hospitality and Humanity
Running an inn in a remote mountain town isn't for the faint of heart. The seasons dictate everything. Winter brings skiers chasing powder; summer delivers hikers searching for wildflowers. And yet, over time, we realized our guests were looking for more than just adventure.
Over coffee and cinnamon rolls (which somehow became my signature dish), people shared their stories with us. The executive questioning his career. The couple adjusting to an empty nest. The solo traveler marking a year since losing a partner.
Andrea has a natural gift for creating spaces where people feel both comfortable and brave, so our breakfast table often turned into a place where life's biggest questions were explored. My background in entrepreneurship and personal development meant that more than once, I found myself on the back deck, talking through a guest's next big move in a backdrop of wildflowers.
"We came for the skiing, but we're leaving with clarity about our next chapter," people told us time and time again.
We didn't know it then, but those conversations—the ones that happened over coffee, on hikes, and in quiet moments by the fire—were shaping what would become sparkWILD.
Beyond the Inn: Building Communities That Build Communities
Over time, our work expanded beyond the walls of The Ruby.
Andrea's passion and background in education led her to rethink how we teach our son, blending mountain life with hands-on learning. Instead of a classroom, he has forests, rivers, and real-world experiences that are shaping his understanding of the world.
Meanwhile, I opened a law office for local business owners and those hoping to become one. My work shifted as I began teaching at a university in the area, weaving together academic theory with the realities of running a business. The contrast—between structured lessons and the unpredictable, hands-on work of running an inn—gave me a new perspective on what it really takes to build something meaningful.
More and more, we found ourselves drawn into helping others navigate their own transitions. We started working with nonprofit leaders clarifying their mission, startup founders figuring out work-life balance, families wondering if they, too, could make a mountain life work.
And then in 2019, after 15 years of fun, we realized it was time to write our own next chapter.
The Birth of sparkWILD
After 33,000 guests, and more conversations than we could count, we made the decision to sell. Not because we were done—but because we were ready to take what we'd learned and share it in a new way.
The wisdom gained from listening to thousands of people at different crossroads.
The intention required to build a life that aligned with our values.
The leadership it took to build a business and a community.
The discovery that came from constantly adapting to change.
We realized these weren't just lessons—they were guiding principles. And they weren't just for us. They were for anyone searching for a way to navigate uncertainty with purpose and confidence.
That's how sparkWILD was born—not as a business plan, but as a calling. That is what we share — a way to help others design lives of adventure, intention, and meaning, no matter where they are on their journey.
What WILD Means to Us
The WILD framework isn't just a catchy acronym—it's how we've shaped our lives:
Wisdom isn't about having all the answers. It's about asking better questions. At this elevation, when snow storms roll in and isolation sets in, wisdom is knowing what really matters.
Intention is what turns activity into meaning. It's choosing what deserves your time and energy instead of just reacting to the world around you.
Leadership isn't about authority—it's about stepping up to create positive change, even in small ways.
Discovery keeps us growing. It's the curiosity that turns the unknown into an adventure rather than a threat.
These four elements guided us as we built The Ruby, are raising a child, and it has molded our lives. Now, they form the foundation of what we hope to share with you.
Why Now, Why Here?
You might wonder why we're bringing this to Substack instead of just continuing to host people. The answer is simple: we want to meet people where they are.
Not everyone wants to drop everything and move to the mountains. But the principles of WILD living—living with wisdom, intention, leadership, and discovery—aren't tied to geography. They work whether you're in a city, a suburb, or a cabin tucked away in the forest.
Through sparkWILD, we want to create a space where we can explore these ideas together. A place for real conversations, shared learning, and practical tools to help you navigate whatever transition you're facing.
Join Us on the Trail
As the sun sets behind the mountains, we find ourselves at the start of a new adventure, guided by a new North star.
sparkWILD isn't just a project—it's the next leg of a journey we've been on for decades. And we'd love for you to be part of it.
So, what calls to you about this journey? What questions are you wrestling with in your own life?
Drop a comment, share this with someone who might need it, or simply take a moment to consider what living more WILD might look like for you.
The wilderness awaits. Let's discover together.
With gratitude from 10,000 feet,
Chris