Greetings from beautiful Chico Hot Springs. My husband and I traveled up here to kick off his 50th birthday weekend extravaganza. OK, maybe extravaganza is a bit of an exaggeration; it’s just the two of us adventuring for a few days to celebrate his half-century milestone.
As we drove yesterday afternoon, we started recalling a few of our fondest memories of outings together with various family members and friends. Our conversation quickly turned to some of the funnier things that have happened when we’ve been venturing outdoors both together and on our own.
A number of years ago, some friends asked if we could teach them to cross-country ski. It was something they had always wanted to learn but never had the opportunity to try.
Come to find out, originally being from a warmer climate, these folks had little to no experience with winter sports of any kind. To say we all shared a lot of laughs that day is an understatement. As we recall, it all started with one of them trying to put his skis on backwards.
Stu and I chuckled as we recollected the bear we were certain was running up behind us on a trail in North Carolina; turned out it was just a guy on a mountain bike. I was laughing so hard that I snorted as I reminded Stu of the story of one of one of my girlfriends bringing tags-still-on-new equipment on a backpacking trip and fighting with her tent for more than an hour before she managed to put it up.
As it is the outdoor activity we have enjoyed most with other people, the stories of fly-fishing blunders and mishaps went on and on. Then we snickered about our friend bringing her snowshoes to our house just the other day asking for some advice on how to use them. Turns out she had been wearing them incorrectly for two years.
Not so funny at the time, but comical to look back on now, is my very first experience taking a cross-country ski class on an outing that didn’t involve a looped trail. I wasn’t an overly experienced instructor and without recognizing the error of my ways, prior to that day I had relied on the loop to keep track of my students. Needless to say, there was a two-hour stretch where I became separated from all but two of the 11 students in the class.
As Stu and I reminisced and giggled away the Interstate 90 miles, our conversation changed direction when we recognized a theme that tied all of these funny stories together. In every instance there was someone taking a risk, putting themselves in a vulnerable situation so as to learn a new skill or have a fun adventure.
It was a wonderful concept for us to reflect on as Stu enters the second half of his century (fingers crossed) on this earth. No matter your age, time is of the essence. Don’t let the not knowing keep you from going, trying, learning and experiencing. If there is something you want to do or try and you don’t know where to start, just ask. There is always someone who would not only be willing, but enthusiastic, to guide you.
Julie Davidson-Greer is a member of the Wyoming State Parks & Cultural Resources Commission.
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