We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sharie Dodge & Logan Meyer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sharie Dodge & below.
Hi Sharie Dodge &, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
Context is everything, and a risk I take daily could be considered life changing to others. Of course, the inverse is true, too. One of the most risky choices I had to make in my life was while backpacking in Peru. Breaking with tradition, instead of a big fancy wedding, we opted to celebrate by going to the Andes Mountains to climb higher than we ever had before. This would mean our marriage would always be a high point in life, literally. We camped at the Refugio (a rustic shelter at 14,000 ft elevation), while many experienced mountaineers were acclimating for a few days before attempting any summits, we are fortunate to live in Colorado and are well adjusted to high altitude. Early in the morning we ate breakfast, packed our things and headed up the trail. We would be ascending well above our previous personal records, Colorado’s tallest mountain, Mt Elbert, 14,439ft. As we climbed out of the valley the views were breathtaking, as was the high elevation! Our traverse became quite slow as we scrambled up the steep hills. As the sun began to beat down on us, we spotted movement below us on the trail, not too long after a Peruvian porter carrying a comically large, heavy looking bag of gear passed us. He seemed amused that we were hauling our own packs. He appeared confident as he casually scampered up the mountain wearing a branded tee, blue jeans, and some kind of leather loafers with all the gear someone else would be using to summit Tocllaraju. The ease with which he navigated the murky trail and floated up the strenuous terrain was sickening; his outlook on how risky this outing was gave us some peace of mind, just another day walking around in the Andes. Before he completely blew past us, we managed to ask him about the pass and the trail down the other side. He indicated that he wasn’t sure; he wasn’t even sure that there was a safe route into the next valley. Though a little bewildered by our inquiry, he soon moved on at that same steady clip while we resumed ours.
We comforted one another saying, well, we only know what we know. He had successfully climbed to the pass many times but had never considered wanting to go anywhere but to the summit. We were armed with the guidebook and GPS that assured us there was an alternative trail that would lead down instead of up. Our goal was not to summit Tocllaraju, at 19,797ft, it was beyond our abilities, and we did not have the mountaineering gear required to ascend the steep snow caped peak. We were merely hiking to the pass, roughly 3,000ft below the summit. As we approached what appeared to be a side trail that could lead to a highpoint and possibly the unknown trail down that we wanted to find; we decided to split up. Sharie removed her pack and left it with me while she went to explore the route. Minutes passed; my heart raced. It felt like she had been gone for an eternity. I began to call out for her. No response. I waited impatiently, becoming frantic as more time passed. More than once I considered leaving our packs to go looking for her. I was almost committed to the idea when I heard rocks shifting nearby. I called out and Sharie answered. She had scrambled as high as she dared, but it was not a functional route. We consulted the maps again and headed back towards the trail the porter had taken.
We reached our high point on the pass. We were rewarded with stunning views of gigantic peaks and turquoise lakes. We explored the rocks. Trekked through the first few hundred yards of snow leading to the summit of Tocllaraju and built a snowman next to the trail. Engulfed in the magic of such a majestic environment, we pulled out our marriage license and at roughly 16,785 ft we became husband and wife. I smiled and said, “Well, it’s all downhill from here.” We began scouring for a trail down the other side of the pass. Another group with a guide arrived at the pass. We again asked if they knew of a route down to the valley on the other side. The guide shook his head and said there was no trail down, just up. We thanked him and walked back to our packs and anguished over what to do next. Sharie’s determined nature led us to explore options that could be route down, close to what was in the guide book. It was questionable, but we seemed to have found three cairns along a route… but was that enough? Should we push forward on the unknown path with steep cliffs and gamble that we would find a path down that no one else seemed to know about or should we turn around and go back the way we came on a known trail. We discussed our options; we stated the pros and cons. In the end we decided our first move as a married couple would be to bet on ourselves and our ability to find our own way in life. It was not easy, it took us until sunset to clear the boulder fields, but we did it. We set up camp as the sky darkened; exhausted physically and mentally, but safe, and on nearly flat ground.
The following day we traipsed through the valley, greeting several cows along the way. As we descended lower into the valley we encountered a few groups of people, mostly herders. There were stone carrells and other rock structures as we traveled down toward our destination. We passed through a small farming community as we walked towards a “major” road where we hoped to find a taxi to take us back to Huaraz. School had just let out, so we shared the road with children walking home. One brave girl said hello to us in English. We said hello back and gave her a piece of candy we had brought with us. The road was rough, no cars were on it, only a few dirt bikes had passed us. As we trudged up what we hoped was our last hill a dirt bike approached. He beeped his horn to greet us, but unlike the others he slowed to a stop just past us and hopped off the bike. He started rummaging at the back of his bike. We gawked at him not sure what was happening. He took the lid off a styrofoam container and encouraged us to look inside. He then exclaimed “Helado!?”
Utterly surprised, we accepted his offer. I doubt we would do the same in any other setting, but having just conquered the unknown, we gladly accepted a scoop of ice cream from the back of his bike and finished our trek up the road where we found a taxi and returned to the city. I’m not sure which was riskier, the hike or the helado. Both had a positive impact on my life.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Meet the dynamic duo behind Mountain Mudworks, Logan and Sharie. Alabama boy, Colorado girl; lots of adventures. If we aren’t playing with mud, we are probably in the mountains. When we say we make pottery, most people assume we throw on a pottery wheel. But, we are a different kind of mud manipulator and use liquid clay called slip along with plaster molds to duplicate complex shapes, like statuary. The Mudroom is where all of our basic making takes place. Equipped with a large forty-gallon slip tank, an ever-growing collection of plaster molds, and a big electric kiln. This is where all the clay magic happens! Some of our molds are commercial, some are vintage, but more and more are made exclusively by us. We sculpt a design in clay, frame it up and pour plaster. It sounds easy enough, but like slip casting it’s a long, complicated process with plenty of opportunity to screw up before completing a project.
Mountain Mudworks has become known for creating whimsical watering spikes that help keep plants hydrated, as plant lovers we understand how hard it can be to keep all your plant friends happy and healthy and our plant watering spikes help simplify your plant care routine.
The ceramic spike allows water to move through its pores into the soil, providing slow consistent hydration. Suction is created around the spike through soil moisture tension, which pulls water faster as the soil begins drying. On the flip side, if the soil is exceptionally wet, the water remains in reservoir until the soil dries again and water is needed. Ancient technology, modern style that makes a fantastic gift for plant lovers. Great for when you go on vacation or if you are prone to over-watering. We create each piece by hand, so each item is unique and full of character!
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
In 2018, my husband Logan and I (Sharie) convinced my uncle Lex, a seasoned craftsman & engineer, to teach us to make pottery because we wanted several larger planters for our ever-growing houseplant collection. We did not expect it to be very hard…but, experiencing the WHOLE process gave us a real appreciation for the patience and skill involved in getting from a “want” to a finished product. Sometimes it seemed like a miracle for a piece to make it through the entire process successfully; there are just so many opportunities to fail while working with clay. Lex kindly nudged us to try making a few smaller objects before we made more attempts at large pots. Slowly, but surely, we began to get the hang of it. Plant Tenders, aka Watering Spikes were a great way for us to learn and practice the creation process; small, functional, and fun! Once all our plants had a new friend we decided to see if we could fund our hobby by selling a few online through Etsy. It was thrilling to see our functional art attract the interest of other plant lovers! Over the course of a year, demand increased, and our hobby grew into a business. Since then, we’ve gained a lot of experience and have focused on making unique & efficient watering spikes. To make the best possible watering aides, we have learned to create our own playful molds to make distinctive watering spikes and planters.
By the end of 2021 we started to transform our garage into a pottery studio, and in April of 2022 our studio, aka ‘The Mudroom’ was up and running! We are working to provide unique and original designs. As we continue to expand our skills and knowledge, the quality and consistency of our products improves, as well as our ability to contribute to the mold making, slip casting and art communities. We are excited to continue to share our creativity and expand our product line as well as represent the materials, tools, and brands that have been our benchmarks for quality along the way. In my experience, if you make something you are proud of, others will find value in it too.
Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?
Our first year, we received an email from a young 10-year-old boy, who found our products online. He told us he lives in New York and shared a photo of his plant. He told us how much he loved our toilet watering spike and desperately wanted one. He did not have money to purchase it, but he had started a YouTube channel and asked if we would send him the item and in exchange, he would make a video about it and post it on his channel. It was an offer we could not refuse. We sent him the toilet spike and about a week later he sent us a link to a 60 second infomercial he had made declaring to the world how awesome his toilet plant watering spike was and encouraged his followers to get one too. Not sure it led to any sales, he had a meager following, likely just his family and a few friends; but it was a fun, lighthearted connection, and we both got a good laugh out of the deal. We love the community that art creates.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mountainmudworks.com/
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