8 Signs You Grew Up in Denver

Growing up in The Mile High city gives you the kind of childhood everyone should have. Where else are you going to find the best skiing, outdoor concerts, and high abundance of water bottles all in one place? Let’s not forget the many instagramable spots our photogenic city has to offer. Below are eight signs you grew up in Denver, Colorado.

1. You carry a water bottle everywhere

You have a Nalgene (the teal blue one) or a Hydro Flask, it’s almost never full, and it’s definitely 32 oz. Your hair is dry, your skin is dry, and you’ve probably had that winter cold for three months because there is absolutely no water in the air! If you’re not drinking water 24/7 you’re probably collapsed outside of the Patagonia store in Breckenridge from dehydration.

2. Said water bottle is covered in mountain related stickers

That Colorado flag sticker is all too familiar. I mean, did you even go to Breckenridge, Vail, Steamboat Springs, Keystone, etc. if you don’t have a sticker on your water bottle to prove it?

3. You need to refill your water bottle and pee every 30 minutes

We already know you’re drinking an absurd amount of water in Denver which means it is far too common to hear “I’ve got to use the bathroom,” anytime you arrive at or leave any destination. You’ve got to go once in every class, in between every episode of Nailed It, and at least twice in every restaurant.

4. Hiking is all over your snap story as soon as it gets above 70 degrees

The amount of times you see your friends go hiking is upwards of 100x every summer. You’ve probably gone at least 20 times yourself. In our defense, we live in a state full of natural beauty, can you blame us?

5. You’ve got time to ski all weekend and squeeze in that essay that’s due

It’s winter. It snowed yesterday. Maybe it didn’t snow yesterday. Nevertheless, what are you doing this weekend? Skiing. Homework? No problem. The slopes close at 4 pm which means you’ll be back home at 6 pm giving you a full 12 hours to get it all done before school Monday.

6. You get your ice cream from a giant milk can

Little Man Ice Cream is perhaps the most iconic ice cream shop to ever exist. A New York Times destination right in your backyard. A two-hour line? Who cares? You’re getting ice cream from a milk can and who could miss Magic Monday, Flick Fridays, or Swingin’ Saturdays?

7. You went to camp for three days every October with your 3rd-5th grade science class

The Rocky Mountains stretching across our western border means lots and lots of campsites and outdoor science trips (shoutout to Calwood Science School). You definitely played Mafia in the woods and had to fight to survive against the kids who got to be mountain lions and the parent chaperone who was lucky enough to be the hunter. (Forever hoping you weren’t a chipmunk.)

8. The best concerts of your life were 40 minutes from the city and surrounded by red rocks

You got to go to concerts IN THE MOUNTAINS. Red Rocks is the kind of experience you can never replicate and perhaps one of the hardest things to move away from when you go to college. It’s summer, you’re outside, you feel like you’re a million miles away from the world, even the band playing says it’s the best venue they’ve ever played at. What could top that? Let’s not forget Film on the Rocks (better than a drive-in movie), Yoga on the Rocks, and the seemingly hundreds of trails that are all too easy to get lost in.

From Denver to anywhere around the world, what are the signs that remind you of your hometown? Share your stories on the comments below!

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