8 Things to Consider Before Taking a Lady on an Outdoor Adventure

[lisa]

She's going to love #3!

http://www.vanvagabond.com/8-things-to-consider-before-taking-a-lady-on-an-outdoor-adventure/

I included some canyoneering specific tips. Anyone have a good story about taking a lady on her first canyoneering adventure? Share, share!

[Slot Machine]

Hey Lisa,

Great idea for a thread.

My wife Stephanie loves your big, creepy van. I asked how it smells. She said, “Really nice.” I’ve checked out your blog a few times, and it is very cool. I envy your lifestyle and your nice smelling van.

As far as taking a lady canyoneering goes, if I focus on putting together a rad trip, then pull it off with moderate style and minimal pain, then I don’t have to worry about the rest. If we get back to our car with water to spare, and daylight to spare, then Steph always wants to go again.

…But we are talking about one super-tough lady that never complains, and also provides her own treats.


*Walking toward Woody Canyon, September 2013. Steph was 8 weeks pregnant, trudging slowly behind me and Micah.*

Me: How’s it going back there?

Steph: I have morning sickness, I’m not feeling so good.

Me: Are you alright?

Steph: Well… I’m not having a miscarriage yet. So, I guess I’m doing alright.

Micah and I, laughing hysterically: That’s not funny. THAT’S NOT FUNNY!! :lol8: :haha: :lol8: :haha:


POTHOLE WARRIOR
82660

Our first canyoneering adventure was Keyhole then Pine Creek. We taught ourselves how to rappel the week prior on a 30 foot wall. Keyhole went smoothly. Pine creek also went pretty smoothly until the last rappel. Before that day we had never rapped anything over 30 feet, nor anything free-hanging. Now we were faced with a 100 foot free rappel, on a dynamic rope?

Terrifying stuff. We said our goodbyes to each other on the diving board, hoping for the best. We obviously lived, but it wasn't a pleasant way to introduce ourselves to the sport.

:eek2:

[Iceaxe]

Anyone have a good story about taking a lady on her first canyoneering adventure? Share, share!

The first time I took my wife canyoneering I made the usual he-man mistake and picked something a little longer than I should have. On the return hike she was really dragging ass.

As we cleared a rise I excitedly told her I could see the truck in the hopes it would boost her spirits. She hurried to the top of the rise to see for herself and as she cleared the top she asked "where is the truck?"

I proudly said over there as I pointed to a rise 3 miles away, and said "look and you can see the sun reflecting off the windshield".

"you mean that tiny little dot clear over there", was her reply.

"That's it", I told her proudly.

At which point I thought she was going to kill me and leave my body rotting in the desert.


http://climb-utah.com/Zion/Files/keyhole5.jpg

[hank moon]

At which point I thought she was going to kill me and leave my body rotting in the desert.

The genius of the program: she's too exhausted by that point to pull it off.

[lisa]

Thanks for sharing, Slot Machine! I'll bet that rappel in Pine Creek was memorable as your first longer rappel. Stephanie is totally a superhero. We did Knotted Rope together at a Chickfest a couple years ago. That was the canyon where we encountered the AUTHOR, moving quickly, eyeing the large group of chicks with a get-me-out-of-here-now expression! Did Stephanie tell you about that?

And IceAx, I can only imagine your wife's disappointment at seeing the car soooo far away. That is such a common moment in canyoneering. You see the car but there is a sea of slickrock between you and your escape pod. I still remember my first big exit hike. I was stunned by how much effort went into getting out of a relatively short slot canyon and I wondered why would anyone do this for fun. But then I got addicted to canyoneering and the rest is history.

[Slot Machine]

Thanks for sharing, Slot Machine! I'll bet that rappel in Pine Creek was memorable as your first longer rappel. Stephanie is totally a superhero. We did Knotted Rope together at a Chickfest a couple years ago. That was the canyon where we encountered the AUTHOR, moving quickly, eyeing the large group of chicks with a get-me-out-of-here-now expression! Did Stephanie tell you about that?

Indeed, it was memorable. Not in a good way. VERY scary. The following day everything seemed to be passing by in slow motion. Any stimulus seemed dull, almost like being in a black-and-white movie. It took a few days for that fog to wear off.

And yes, she told me about your Kelsey sighting in KR. It sounded like an exciting day, some 15 'chicks' in that group. We've since met Kelsey, who is a fascinating person. Did you know that Steph ended up doing KR three times in 2013? Twice while pregnant!

Back to your writing- I’m curious lisa , did a particular experience prompt you to write this piece?

[lisa]

I tapped this out on my iphone last summer during a 13 day sea kayaking expedition in Glacier Bay, Alaska with my now-husband.

I'm a writer. I'm always thinking, always writing and sometimes my content sits for years before I put it out there.

There I was with my iphone in the Glacier Bay wilderness. My husband was off scouting some horrible boggy area that could be a portage while I waited alone on shore. He was gone quite awhile and I started to think about how much I appreciated the effort he was putting into taking care of me on this difficult trip. Our biggest difficulty was weather. We had rain most days and it was cold. Paddling near the glaciers made me hypothermic and I did not have the right gear to stay warm. And I've been to Freezefest a few times! You think I would know how to stay warm. But this was an unfamiliar environment and I didn't know what I would need.

As I wrote this I also thought of a story a young ranger told us right before this trip. The ranger had planned a long sea kayaking expedition with his girlfriend. His girlfriend was yelling at him from her kayak as he took her through advanced areas that really scared her. Of course, he hadn't intended it to be that way, he just wanted to take her on a fun adventure and to him this was fun.

So there I sat, grateful for my husband and wondering how many potential adventureships had been stopped dead in their tracks by a failed trip. To be honest, I once ended an adventureship over a failed trip.

I've seen great examples of leadership in the canyon community. I don't claim to be one of those great canyon leaders but I've learned a lot from them. I've also heard many stories of adventures gone wrong (and right!) I was super inspired to hear about a marriage proposal in the Black Hole on New Year's Day and that also inspired me to finally publish this content.

I guess a lot has gone into this!