Dear Mountain Mama,
I’ve tried online dating to find someone to share adventures with outdoors. The hitch — everyone claims to love nature. How do I find sift through all the online profiles and find a woman who doesn’t mind missing a shower and feels comfortable peeing in the woods? Finding a woman who truly loves the outdoors online seems like an oxymoron.
Yours,
Outdoor Guy
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Dear Outdoor Guy,
The best place to start is perhaps adjusting your expectations. That’s not to say you should settle for a woman who doesn’t share your passion for the outdoors. But perhaps you need to think of the process of finding her as an adventure, one where you’ll meet a lot of different, interesting people along the way. An adventure, by definition, means that the outcome is uncertain.
There’s a common school of thought that online dating should go something like this, two coffees and then a beer. A cup of coffee is enough time to see if you’re interested in a second. And after meeting for two coffees, a beer gives you a chance to see a different side of your date.
But that’s three whole dates, and you still haven’t even ventured outside. The only way to see whether you gel with someone in nature is spending time there. Start by asking what she likes to do on weekends. If her ideal date involves long walks along the beach or picnics in the park, you can decide if your ideas of interacting with Mother Nature very too greatly. Better to figure it out on the first date then on the first camping trip when you realize her idea of camping includes walls and a door, while you envision primitive camping in a national park.
Outdoor Guy, be bold with online dating and get outside. At the very least, you’ll have good stories to tell.
Yours,
Mountain Mama
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