tips

Game on: 12 (Mean) Ways to Introduce Your SO to Outdoors

Last updated: April 19, 2022 by Canberk Koksal

If your partner doesn’t like the great outdoors as much as you do, you may need some tips on how to get your SO to experience the outdoors and grow to love it. You’re in luck; I gathered some info and sharing the best advice for you to get your SO outdoors with you.

A study by the Association for Psychological Science shows that sharing a good experience with someone else makes it more intense. So, in the end, your partner will thank you for their new found love of the outdoors.

Table of Contents

5- Find Some Training

6- Get them out on their own

7- Know Their Level

8- Join a Club

9- Combine Activities

10- Separate but Together

11- Relationship First

12- Know When to Say When

References

1- Don't ask!

I repeat - DO NOT ASK!

My SO hates hiking and isn’t afraid to tell me. I believe the phrase, “over my dead body,” was used a few times early on. Needless to say, I got the hint. I’m a good listener like that!

But this didn’t stop me from pushing for an outdoor adventure together, no way. I felt like we both needed to get out of our comfort zones. Plus hiking is my happy place, and I feel like we’re missing out on valuable time together when I go as a solo hiker. I love my SO and it’s fun to do things together. In fact, I hope our entire family will all enjoy the outdoors together. It'll be a good example if both parents are outdoor enthusiasts.

Don't ask or I (a monkey. Hello) will come and shut it for you. You're welcome.

So, instead of asking, I just signed us up on a group hike. Then, and this was key, I acted like it was my SO’s idea in the first place. I know, just a tiny white lie, but before you know it, you and your SO will be enjoying a nice hike together.

I kept the hike a manageable length and terrain, which also helped. “Oh, it’s just a short one! You’ll be back in front of the fire with your book in no time!” I explained, and it was mostly true. I also bought this cool backpack in my SO’s favorite color. After all was said and done, my SO ended up having a good time on the hike after all.

2- Bribery

I knew I wasn’t going to get away with another ambush hike, so I had to try a different approach: bribery was the obvious choice. My SO happens to love Denver, Colorado and is fascinated by Pike’s Peak and the other mountain ranges that make up the Rockies. While I would rather visit the East Coast or possibly Europe for a change, I’m okay with Colorado and all it has to offer an outdoor enthusiast such as myself.

Don't offer them euros though... they might say no.

My SO, as it happens, loves Colorado for the food, beer and history more than the outdoors. So to sweeten the pot, aka form a great bribe, I combined our hiking trip with a beer and food tour of LoDo, which is the Lower Downtown district of Denver, Colorado. A milestone anniversary was coming up, so it seemed like the perfect occasion to plan a splashy trip.

I had the whole thing planned out including a great hotel, a meal at a famous chef’s Denver location and a beer and food pairing on another evening. Oh, plus a group hike up Pike’s Peak, taking the cog train back down to civilization. With the promise of being pampered and spoiled before and after, it was no problem to sign up for the hike. The trip was a huge success! We both got what we wanted, especially plenty of time outdoors for yours truly.

3- Let Them Choose

I have to fess up; my SO didn’t particularly enjoy the hikes I bribed and surprised my way into. Instead of continuing down this path, I decided to ask my SO what outdoor activity actually appealed to them. After all, I’m the flexible one in the relationship, I’ll be the bigger person (as always!) and do an outdoor activity my SO likes.

One day, while walking our dogs, I asked, “Are there any outdoor activities you’d like more than hiking?” Surprisingly, the answer was camping! Duh, I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. Instead of tromping in a circle or doubling-back, my SO wanted to spend more time in nature and enjoy the peace and quiet! “Camping! Let’s go,” I answered.

4- Gear matters

Making sure your SO doesn't have a +%^%ty gear for their (first) outdoor activity you're dragging them along on is a huge key in getting them to warm up to it. Not only that, but having time to try out said gear is just as important.

Make sure checking out our gear category if you're looking for some. If you have quality gear though, you're completely fine even if they're old. Don't believe anyone trying to sell you stuff.

Sure you don't need to buy anything meant for "pros", but do make sure they're not going to curse the day they said "yes" to you. And I don't even mean your outdoors adventure offer, I mean your proposal. That's right, terrible gear sucks that much in multi-day trips.

The time I talked my SO into a 100-mile bike ride comes to mind when I think of having the proper gear and knowing how to use it. We were planning our first ride together near Palm Springs, California to enjoy the desert landscapes as part of an organized group ride. My SO didn’t have a bike, and I’m afraid we addressed that particular challenge a bit late.

By the time we got my SO a bike, there was only room for one training session before we left for our 100-mile ride. Can you see where this is going? We were winging it with a new bike and took it slow and steady, but it was not meant to be; my SO was very sore in a very private place and decided that bike riding was not a good thing.

5- Find Some Training

You’ve seen that couple, or maybe you’ve been part of that couple. The couple on the lakeshore or hiking trail screaming in frustration at each other. One person is terrified and the other is frustrated, and you known when they make it back to their car, campsite or hotel they won’t speak to each other the rest of the night.

Sharing an outdoor experience should make your relationship stronger, not break it up. To remove your partner’s newbie blues, give them some training before you embark on your outdoor adventure. Find a class on rock climbing, skiing or whatever outdoor activity you are trying to introduce them to and sign them up. Heck, sign up together, more training never hurt anyone.

The point is, the more your SO is exposed to the activity, the more comfortable they will be when they try it with you. Not only will this cut down on the arguments, as you have both had the same training, you can each go at your own pace with confidence.

6- Get them out on their own

This one may blow your mind, but it actually worked for us. Instead of going hiking together, I encouraged my SO to sign up for a hiking group with peers and friends first instead of going with me. This helped my partner feel less judged on the first time they ventured out for a hike.

Not only that, my SO found that they were able to focus more on the hiking experience rather than worrying about my opinion or direction. When we finally did go hiking together, I had a confident partner with ideas of their own on finding water, foraging for food, getting our bearings and a whole load of skills.

As a bonus, my SO made new friends and goes hiking with a group they have joined as well as joining me on hikes too. While we appreciate the time together, we also recognize that it is healthy for us to have our own pursuits and groups of friends.

7- Know Their Level

This isn’t news to anyone, but men and women are different! I know, but hear me out; this has an impact on how your SO physically deals with the challenges of being outdoors on a hike, camping trip, snowboarding adventure, etc. Men have more upper body strength, while women are stronger in their legs and lower body. Each has a different sense of balance and center of gravity, and this all impacts how activities are learned and mastered.

The point of telling you this is that your SO, if not the same sex as you are, is going to have different challenges learning outdoor skills than you. Additionally, people have different fitness levels, so be aware of your partner’s needs. Take things easy at first and don’t push or you will risk alienating them from you and from the activity.

8- Join a Club

There are clubs out there for just about anything, including hiking, climbing, skiing, fishing, etc. Join a club together as a couple and volunteer for fundraising duties and event planning. By being social with other people and other couples focused on your favorite outdoor activity, this interaction will encourage your SO to become more involved and open.

Joining a group or club is also great for the off-season, and every outdoor activity has one. If your activity is ice fishing, for example, during hot weather you are pretty much out of luck! But not if you join a group, who will be discussing the upcoming season and planning new, exciting adventures for when the water freezes again.

Being part of a group that is passionate about your shared outdoor activity will be very encouraging for your SO. Plus, you can get great tips on equipment, events and activities that relate to your sport or activity.

9- Combine Activities

My SO is an avid photographer, and therefore loves being outdoors looking for that next perfect shot. By volunteering to carry part of the photography gear, I was able to talk my SO into more and more hikes as time went on. Plus, we have some beautiful photos in our living space as keepsakes from our hikes together.

Maybe your SO loves cooking or maybe they're an avid runner; the point is to combine whatever your partner is passionate about with your outdoor activity in order to create a shared experience. My partner’s love of photography was a natural fit for hiking.

My love for cooking was a natural fit for my partner’s desire to start camping. We were fortunate that way, but be prepared if your passions don’t exactly mesh with each other. Just be creative and you will find a way.

10- Separate but Together

When we finally settled the hiking/camping debate, it was easy to combine the activities and do them together. But we knew to quit while we were ahead and embrace each other’s differences. We have times that we do separate activities, and then share them with each other afterward.

This enables us to experience different things and enjoy them, but still share the fun afterwards in talking about them. Neither of us really wants to accompany the other to their event nor do we want to ask them to give it up to be with us. So we compromise and go our separate ways occasionally.

11- Relationship First

It’s great to have a passion, and especially great if you can share it, but don’t let it overtake your relationship. The last thing you want to do is live separate lives, with separate hobbies and no connection between you.

I think that was why I really wanted my SO to love hiking, so we could have that connection. While it wasn’t meant to be immediately, my SO has compromised and so have I. Most importantly, I didn’t let my passion for hiking take over my passion for my partner and our relationship.

Your partner loves you and will be patient with your passion for outdoor activities, there’s no doubt about that. Just don’t abuse their patience by demanding that they take up your hobby as well.

When my outdoor activities start encroaching on our time together, my partner reminds me that we haven’t connected in a while. That’s my cue to listen, plan an activity together or show my partner in some way that I care about the relationship more than my outdoor plans.

12- Know When to Say When

You’ve tried bribery, bought the best gear and found an outdoor group to join but your SO still doesn’t share your enthusiasm for outdoor adventures. Some people just don’t warm up to outdoor activities, let’s face it. Know when to back off and let them off the hook, they tried and it just didn’t work for them. As hard as it was for me to realize that my SO didn’t love riding a bike as much as I do, I knew when to back off.

My SO never did warm to bike riding, so we sold the bike and I go with a cycling group on my own. No harm, no foul. My partner is happy I don’t beg for bike rides together and I’m happy that I still have the opportunity to cycle when I have time. We still enjoy other activities together and didn’t let the lack of mutual bike time come between us.

I’m a really happy person these days, with a partner I love and who loves the outdoors like I do, just in different ways. We have a great time together, sharing our outdoor experiences but, shhh; it was all my partner’s idea!

References

Smart Thinking: What to Do If You Get Lost Hiking

Last updated: April 19, 2022 by Canberk Koksal

Hey guys, what's up?! Hope everyone is doing great because my favorite hiking season is here (I know some of you guys are like me...), and we're hitting the trails!

John Lewis; the blogger, survivalist and outdoor enthusiast of Epic Wilderness is with us for a guest post today. He'll mention some of the most important things to remember when you get lost hiking. Don't forget to take notes AND to pray you won't ever need those notes.

Getting lost while hiking is one of the biggest fears most hikers have. To best prepare for such a situation, you must get the necessary skills, information and gears to navigate your way back to safety. In terms of necessary gears, check out my site for additional information.

Table of Contents

Basics

Time to bring out those topographical maps

Use nature to navigate

Get your GPS out and navigate back to safety

Conclusion

References

Since we are blessed with technology, we can try and learn up all how to effectively use modern technology and take advantage of them. This includes rangefinders and handheld GPS receiver. Now, there are around 30 satellites orbiting the earth, ensuring that the reading of your device is accurate.

Throughout this post, I will first introduce some things to do when you are lost, some traditional ways to find your way back and how you can use modern gadgets. Here are some tips on what you can do when you are lost in the mountain or forest!

Basics

No matter what tools you have, if you do not have your basics right, the probability of you getting back on a trail would be low. Here are some guidelines you can follow to improve your chances of surviving.

First, you should ‘stop’, which is basically keeping your cool and staying put. Instead of complaining about the situation you are in, it’d be better to put your attention towards solving the problem at hand rather wasting energy on blaming yourself.

Also, if you walk any further when you are lost, it would most probably make you harder to find by rescuers as compared to staying put. The only exception is that you have strong reasons to trudge further. However, it is usually the case that you will be clear on where you should go only after you stop awhile and reflect.

Next, you can start strategizing how to get back to your trail. You must take note of landmarks that are present along the way. Even if you start walking around, you need to find a way to recognize how you can get back to your initial position.

"Wait, I remember this trunk!"

Only when you are clear, observant and have a good plan, your rate of success of making it out alive would be much higher!

Time to bring out those topographical maps

Sometimes, going back to the most basic ways of navigating can save your life! It is not practical to solely rely on your GPS to navigate since we cannot know what will happen, especially when you are hiking outdoors. If you understand how to read a map and navigate effectively with it, you have an edge as compared to hikers who do not possess this skill.

Map reading requires you to be able to visualize a 3-Dimensional picture of the area in your mind. Only when you can do such visualizations and you have a good sense of direction (by using a compass for example), only then you can navigate with a map efficiently.

However, bear in mind that most topographical maps are outdated and what you see on your map may be a bit different from what you see in real life. Nevertheless, it is one of the most basic ways of navigating which every hiker should master!

Knowing your orientation would be tricky as well and most people usually require a compass to be capable of telling their orientation. The only thing to be cautious of is that the ‘magnetic’ north of the compass may be affected if you are near another magnetic field, rather than working with the magnetic pole. You can also buy a compass which has clinometer which allows you to measure the angle of a slope or luminescent markings which helps you read the compass at night.

Use nature to navigate

Didn’t bring anything to help you navigate? Don't worry because you still have an option. Navigating using nature would also mean navigating using your surroundings.

If you resort to this option, those basic rules would apply. Primarily, if you are on a trail, try to stay on the trail. However, if you are unable to find any other way, follow a stream or a drainage downhill because they usually lead to a road.

In the daytime, you can utilize the sun to navigate. As for night time, you can learn to rely on the stars and constellations for navigation. You can rely on the Polar Star, one of the brightest stars in the sky to find the true north. To find this Polar Star, you can first search for the Big Dipper. The two stars that form the right-side Big Dipper’s cup, when it’s lined up, would directly point to the Polar Star.

Celestial navigation is easier with a sextant.

You can also consider doing a makeshift compass. Basically, you will need a large leaf, a compass needle and a magnet to build this. The first step is to rub your magnet against the needle for nearly 30 times to ensure that it is magnetized. Later, put the needle on the leaf which is placed on top of a pool of water. Give it some time until the needle repositions itself to point from North to South.

Get your GPS out and navigate back to safety

There are two main parts I want to discuss about navigating using a handheld GPS receiver: (1) I'll talk about how ‘scouting’ can help you reduce your probability of getting lost (and increase the probability of getting back on track when you are lost) and; (2) I'll talk about how navigational aids can be your lifesaver.

Concerning ‘scouting’, it is a practice where you observe the surroundings of the route you are hiking before actually doing it. First, you need to use a computer and utilize internet resources such as Google Maps to explore your route. Mark those places which interests you and the route which you must take.

After marking down those locations, transfer those waypoints into your handheld unit. These waypoints are a convenient for you to navigate especially when you are hiking on foot. If you abide by this practice, the probability of you getting lost while hiking is lower.

Concerning ‘navigational aids’, they are an equipment which you can equip with your handheld GPS receiver or you can use it in isolation. Since GPS receivers are only made with radio signal receivers and a logic chip, it would not be capable of sending out your location. This is where the navigational aid would come into the picture to help send out your location.

There are two common transmitters which are used, namely the Personal Locator Beacons and the Satellite Messengers. Personal Locator Beacons (PLB) are only used in severe emergency situations. When your PLB is activated, it sends out an emergency signal which is picked up by the Worldwide Satellite System, which sends the message to the appropriate Rescue Control Center which has the task of dispatching a Search and Rescue Team to assist you.

As for Satellite Messengers, they allow you to communicate short text messages and your location to your family or friends. Casual hikers should bring along a Satellite messenger or equip it with your GPS. Satellite messengers rely on 2 commercial satellites rather than the military network utilized by the PLB.

Conclusion

Exploring different options you have while you are lost would be your best bet for survival. It would be wise to learn up survival skills too, such as being able to make a survival shelter or survival fire when you need one. When you are hiking up, the temperature will decrease which makes your body warmth a really important factor for survival.

If you have any thoughts you want to share, feel free to comment below!

Turn your phone sideways for a much better table display!

References

Topographic Maps. Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topographic_map
Celestial Navigation. Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_navigation