When 34-year-old outdoor enthusiast Jake Mercer first rolled into Salida, Colorado, he figured he’d stumbled onto just another quiet mountain town. But by the end of the weekend—after whitewater rapids, high-alpine hikes, and a few craft beers shared with strangers-turned-friends—he realized Salida wasn’t just a stopover. It was a wild, magnetic blend of small-town charm and big outdoor energy.