It was just after sunrise when I arrived at the foot of Buachaille Etive Mor. ‘Golden Hour’ was in full swing and setting the scene perfectly for my first-ever wild camp. The hike up was tougher and steeper than I’d anticipated, but the views were more than worth it. We’d heard that the weather was due to come in so we descended to the bottom of the mountain to set up camp. This is when I discovered for myself the famous sideways rain of the Scottish Highlands.
Soaked to the bone, my backpack’s rain cover did what it could but ultimately succumbed to the almighty drenching that Glencoe’s clouds were dishing up. We floated to the bottom of the mountain and pitched our tents, settling down for a few hours of on-and-mostly-off sleep. Looking back, I always smile and remember that weekend fondly, despite the utterly miserable experience of feeling cold, wet and shattered! I later discovered that I was experiencing something called Type 2 Fun…
The Fun Scale Explained
Type 2 Fun is part of the ‘Fun Scale’, which categorises three types of fun (well, kind of…) that can be had when you’re outdoors. Nobody, in particular, is credited with creating the scale, but it is commonly referred to by outdoor adventurers as a way of justifying to others why they seemingly put themselves through miserable experiences for pleasure.
Type 1 Fun: This is the straightforward, instantly gratifying kind of fun. It's a leisurely hike on a sunny day, wild swimming in a crystal-clear lake or skiing with friends on a fresh coating of snow.
Type 2 Fun: Here's where things get interesting. Type 2 fun involves activities that are challenging, uncomfortable or even painful in the moment but become enjoyable in retrospect. It's the satisfaction of pushing through adversity, overcoming challenges and growing from the experience. Think long-distance backpacking trips, endurance races or eventually conquering a crag that has been putting you on your backside for weeks.
Type 3 Fun: This type of ‘fun’ is a paradox in that it’s not fun at all. It’s neither enjoyable in the moment nor in retrospect. It involves situations of danger, extreme discomfort, or significant regret. Fortunately, it's not something we actively seek out in our outdoor adventures.
Is Type 2 Fun good for you?
While Type 2 Fun may not always feel enjoyable in the moment, it can give you important life lessons that can’t be found in a textbook. Here are some of the skills and characteristics that Type 2 Fun can teach you:
Resilience: Type 2 Fun requires perseverance in the face of adversity. It’s about going past the point where you think you can’t carry on and proving to yourself that you can. It teaches you to push through discomfort, fatigue and doubt, ultimately building resilience and mental toughness.
Problem-solving:When faced with challenging situations during Type 2 Fun activities, you'll often need to think on your feet and find creative solutions. Examples include changing your planned pitch spot on a multi-day trek or finding shelter during a storm. This improves problem-solving skills and adaptability, an important skill for life and an essential one for adventuring.
Perspective:Enduring hardship during Type 2 Fun can shift your perspective on what you're capable of achieving. It can instil a sense of gratitude for the experience and a deeper appreciation for the journey. You’ll always appreciate a sunset more after you’ve trekked for hours to see it.
Self-belief:Getting to the finish line or reaching the summit when you didn’t think you could brings a feeling of pride and belief in your own ability. Importantly, it also gives you the confidence to push yourself further and faster the next time.
How to make the most of Type 2 Fun
Type 2 Fun may involve moments of struggle, but there are ways to make the struggle more bearable. They’re all centred around having the right mindset and remembering that the hard part may just be the most rewarding. Here are some tips to help:
Embrace the challenge: Instead of resisting discomfort, embrace it as an opportunity to improve your skills and endurance. Focus on the process rather than the outcome, and celebrate small victories along the way.
Break it down: When faced with an uphill task, break it down into smaller, manageable steps. Set achievable goals and celebrate each milestone as you progress. If you’re training for a marathon, don’t focus on the 26 miles. Focus on your next training run and give it your all. By taking care of your short-term goals, your long-term goals will take care of themselves.
Distract yourself: Sometimes it can be hard not to focus on the task at hand, and when that task is strenuous it can really challenge your mindset. Try taking on the challenge with a friend or listening to music or a podcast. It will give you something else to focus on. By distracting your attention with something else, you’ll be less focused on the difficulty you’re facing and will find it easier to overcome it.
Which outdoor activities are good for Type 2 Fun?
Most outdoor activities have the potential to provide Type 2 Fun experiences. A quick lap around the Blacks office chatting to the team uncovered plenty of personal anecdotes. Here are some examples from our team:
Cold Water Therapy (Neil, Data Insights Manager)
“I started doing cold therapy about four years ago to help with inflammation after running. The reason I’ve carried it on is the discipline of daily practice and the intensity of a REALLY cold one. Going in a river at 2-3oC where you never form a thermal barrier around you is really bracing and not something I want to do at all, but afterwards I’m bouncing around and there’s a feeling of contentment that lasts for hours. I believe it has helped me cope with many situations as they become easier in comparison. Ultimately, I don’t think there’s anything you can do that’s as invigorating in two to three minutes that doesn’t involve jumping out of a plane.”
Multi-Day Trekking (Daniel, Senior Graphic Designer)
“The West Highland Way stretches 96 miles from Milngavie to Fort William – the steel toe to the boot of Ben Nevis. A fair distance to cover, with promises of changing scenery, uncertain weather, and a romanticised aura. I’ve been to the wilds of Scotland before. I’ve encountered horizontal downpours and I’ve battled relentless onslaughts of midge invasion. For me, this challenge was about creating a 154km long tortuous network of those experiences.”
“Before, during, and after the West Highland Way, the feeling of excitement loitered around my body, but would I say it was a fun experience? Probably not. It was a different variant of fun. The kind of fun that has a physiologically and psychologically different meaning.”
“It’s the water sloshing around in your shoes for miles upon miles. It’s the chafing. It’s the aches and pains, the inflamed tendons. It’s blowing up your sleeping pad with the breathy scent of a dehydrated food sachet. It’s the GPX malfunctions. It’s the edge of what you think you can do. But it’s also the excitement. The sunrise, and the sunset. The winding forest paths dense in fauna and fungi. The camaraderie. The chiselled mountainous and rugged landscape. It’s the start of what you can do.”
Long Distance Cycling (Gavin, Digital Trading Director)
“My most vivid memory of Type 2 Fun was cycling the Etape Du Dales in 2021, a 110-mile tour of the Yorkshire Dales. Its defining features are extreme wind and very steep climbs, and both were in full force that year. The circular route meant I was riding into a headwind for two-thirds of it, leading to a moderate existential crisis just past the halfway mark. To make matters worse, I dropped my pal on the final climb which broke him. The beer at the end tasted magnificent and the retrospective pleasure kicked in immediately.”
Cycling Race Events (Adam, Graphic Designer)
“Myself and two friends took on a Sportive in 2021, around 100km and 2000m of climbing around the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire. What started as a glorious summer ride started to feel a bit more gruelling after the halfway point.”
“The final section took us over The Old Salt Rd, which climbs up and over Salter Fell. A very remote and fairly arduous ride on its own, but after 80km of off-road and climbing more than Snowdon, we were feeling it. We were now 20km into the last section and things started to ramp up. The climbing was relentless. It felt as if you were to stop pedalling, you’d roll backwards. We had ascended enough to notice a real shift in the weather, dark thick clouds rolled in and suddenly we were in the middle of an intense downpour. We started to notice other riders dropping out due to being exhausted and cold. We cracked on, but my mate’s summer riding kit was not cut out for these conditions and he began to shiver, so I lent him a waterproof. We were now sodden, cold, knackered, riding into what felt like icy rain and questioning our life choices. I remember turning to my mate and saying, “We have to get off this hill”.
“We picked up the pace and started to descend again. Our hands were so cold we could barely feel brake levers in our hands, hoping we were grasping our handlebars hard enough, as we hurtled down the rocky south side of the hill. Spotting a group in the distance gave us some hope and we raced to catch them. We rolled back into the event village and celebrated making it all the way around, with one of the best brews of my life. Organisers then told us a storm had rolled in in the last hour and conditions were so that they were advising riders behind us not to attempt the last section. It was genuinely pretty scary and at the time, the hardest thing I’d done but an experience that’s stuck with me and given me a lot of confidence in overcoming hard times.”
Wild camping (Ethan, Content Executive)
“Every year in the summer months, I like to get out for a night of solo wild camping. I pack very lightly with just the basics. It was July and the evening before saw a lot of rainfall. The ground was still wet and I soon realised there would be no fire that evening as all the fallen branches I found were far too damp. I strung my tarp between three trees and laid out my kit. Soon after I heard the first rumble of thunder in the distance and the odd flash of sheet lightning. I hoped it would miss the area but before long the heavens opened and down came a thunderstorm. It was a tricky night under the tarp but the next morning was probably the calmest, clearest morning I’ve ever woken up to while camping. It felt like I had been fully immersed in the countryside for a night. I even saw some deer that morning as I packed away.”
Endurance Running (Catherine, Brand Marketing Manager)
"Tre, due, uno – we’re finally off! It was 1am and the end of a long day waiting to start the race I’d trained through wet nights, long weekends and family birthdays for."
“The TDS was a go and 145km with 9000M+ of climbing through the Italian and French Alps lay between me and the finish line in Chamonix. Trying to keep my emotions in check I ran through the spectator-lined streets of Courmayeur and soon exchanged the bright lights of town for silvery dots of heardtorch beams. Despite being surrounded by 1500 other runners I felt quite alone as I headed upwards into the dark mountains. Have I done enough training? Can I sustain this pace? Am I good enough? I worked hard to keep those thoughts at bay and reminded myself that right now, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Snow unexpectedly started to fall (this is August?!) so I took a moment to put on my jacket and gloves. I felt better. Warmer. More optimistic. If I were to wake up now and this had all been a dream I’d be disappointed. I remember thinking “I’m here, living my dream and whatever happens over the next 40 hours – I’m going to finish.”
