Tomorrow I have a first date with Bob, a nurse, hiker and mountain biker.
I suggested we hike Glacier View Trail in Wenatchee. Wildflowers will be glorious! It's an easy hike- only five miles- and busy on weekends.
We will meet at 9 a.m. at the trail head. Maintain a distance of six feet or more. No shaking hands or hugging. This may feel weird.
Threw myself into personal care after wearing a mask for six weeks. Teeth whitening, face wax, exfoliated face for a glowing look and self-manicure. Most importantly, washed my stinky, sweaty hair after hiking eight miles with a hat yesterday. Glad I have a day for self-care!
Bob was fun on the phone. We both love hiking and live in the same town. Fingers crossed.
Photos:
Enchantment Mountains (8,000 - 9,000 feet) from Glacier View Trail.
Glacier Peak (10,000 feet) from Glacier View Trail.
@bobwjr, @Julie808, @mtnhome, @BitFlipper, @Ohub, @tinkercreek, @twshield, @Wildgreens, @ToolGuy, @blzjz, @Seeker3CO, @ScienceBill72, @SanDiegoAirport, @Merseyman1, @Jolanta, @PadraicM, @Buddha, @Apunzelle, @Geoffrey51
Typical unprepared man. Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, Bob only carried a small water bottle in his hand. No day pack, food or jacket. I'm sick of men who don't carry their weight on hikes.
When I sat down to eat, I gave him half of my meat. He didn't want the fresh vegetables, fruit, crackers or cheese. Does he expect women to take care of him?
That said, I enjoyed his company. We laughed and exchanged adventure stories.
Bob remembers me from the YMCA. "There she is!" he said when I stood up and removed my long-sleeved shirt. He remembers watching me stretch on the mats.
"You need to reduce the weight of your pack by 10 pounds," he said three times. So after lunch, I pulled out everything in my pack:
Hiking Essentials
lightweight down jacket, raincoat, food, 1-1/2 liters of water, sunscreen, headlamp, first aid kit, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, head-and-shoulders bug net, pack rain cover, insect repellent, reflective survival blanket, extra headlamp batteries, water purifier, small folding knife, straps, inflatable sit-upon, and a fleece jacket. Also warm clothes, hat, gloves and sunglasses.
"Today I don't need the fleece jacket," I said.
Be Prepared
**Mountain weather can change in a snap," I told Bob.
"Two years ago, every time I stepped over 6,000 feet elevation: black clouds boiled in, temperature dropped 20-30 degrees, wind was howling and it started snowing and/or sleeting sideways. In July and August, this happened five times. Unprepared people fled. I calmly zipped on the bottoms of my pants, put on a long-sleeved shirt, down jacket, raincoat, hat and gloves, and I was good to go."
Bob wanted to go higher, adding 10 miles to our hike. "No," I replied. "You don't have enough water or food. You're not prepared."
Oops not what you wanted had hopes for you
Remember you are not there to baby anyone, especially a grown man who supposed to know about hiking. Just keep him as a friend and laugh together. I don't think you want to go hiking with him ever again. You won't enjoy it, you will all the time be worried that something will happen and he will be ill prepared. As I can tell you want him to be responsible and he is not. Yes you are not his mother.
Kathleen... I'm totally familiar with this. I sell mountain property in WV... mostly 2000-4000' elevation and often steep. I always tell my buyers from the city (Wash DC) to dress appropriately for the weather and topography, but without explaining the details. Helps me determine whether they're real buyers or just wannabees. Sure enough, a guy brings his lady-friend last weekend to see some mountain homes and land parcels at about 3,000' and I offered to hike the properties because the fog was thick and you couldn't see much. Despite the wet, 40-degree day, the gal wore flip-flops and shorts, so got to sit in the car every time her guy and I went for a 30-60 minute hike. I had no sympathy. She won't last long. Maybe it was a first date.
I'm sorry you keep running into these substandard guys. And you've got everything working for you. I'm still trying to find one woman who is willing to take a walk with me.
It seems like he was not expecting a long walk...just a bottle of water? The total opposite of you. But let's see if there's more friendship or attraction in the future, you don't want another boy to care or teach right?
@Merseyman1, @BitFlipper, @Jolanta, @mtnhome, @Seeker3CO, @bobwjr
Bob told a chilling story about his lack of preparedness while biking in the mountains.
"It got completely dark and I had no headlamp," he said. "There were no city lights. I couldn't see where I was going and had 10 miles to go."
I would have walked the bicycle instead of riding blindly. But no... he continued riding in pitch dark. "I kept running off the trail," he said.
He showed me scars on his legs from mountain biking.
@LiterateHiker Sounds like another upcoming posthumous Darwin Award recipient. Not cool. He had no idea who he was up against with you!
Thanks.
You're right. I don't want to worry about him. Karen doesn't like drinking water. On a hot day last July, we were hiking up a steep trail. Karen felt dizzy, fatigued and thought she would faint.
I made Karen sit down and drink water with an electrolyte powder mixed in. Insisted she eat some protein (she's vegan.) Fanned her face to cool her down. Wet a kerchief, placing it across the back of her neck.
Turns out Karen was seriously dehydrated, overheated, low blood sugar and electrolyte-deficient. She felt better in 15 minutes.
"Do you want a drink of water?" I ask Karen throughout the day. I worry about her, especially on hot days.
@LiterateHiker Wow, I would think Karen should know better. Well one can never tell, can one.
Look for the common thread
For a first meeting, I like taking men on a short day hike to test their mettle. "I love hiking!" men proclaim. Turns out they last hiked in their 20s or in the Army at 18.
Experience and fitness are needed to: know what equipment, food and clothing to pack, safely hike steep trails, pace yourself and prevent falls and injuries.
Hiking tests their fitness. It separates cheerful people from the complainers, and planners from the unprepared.
I've been social distanced from women for about 20ish years, so. Covid 19 or not. I don't see any real difference.
Why?
You made sure he wasn't a Trumper or a Born Again? First things first.
Yes, I made sure he is not a Trumper or right-wing Christian.
@LiterateHiker just having your back, sista. Have an awesome time.
I just had a semi-distanced first date from this site a few days ago. A 5-hour picnic at a grassy overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. A bit of a trek for me but it was a beautiful day and we both enjoyed a 5-hour picnic with my dogs. No close contact but for quick hugs at start and finish. Low risk... we both live in the country in very rural counties with almost zero new cases and no deaths. Went well... I think we were both needing to see a new face after 2-months of house-arrest. Hoping for more visits soon.
I’d settle for a FaceTime date right about now, I haven’t been on a date since August
NOPE! You don’t know what you don’t know and hormones make people do dumb shit.
Sounds good, it's a good occasion to meet as friends only. Less stress, sharing the thrill of the scenery, hiking, and you can see how the conversation goes, whether be it smart, entertaining, natural...
Just don't drink so all your inhibitions go out the window, I say. Good luck.
I don't like alcohol. It dehydrates me and gives me a headache.
My style of hiking involves negotiating lively creeks with slippery rocks and blow downs in the creek, and hiking steep trails that often gain 1,000 feet in elevation per mile.
Experience and fitness are needed to: know what equipment, food and clothing to pack, safely hike steep, hazardous trails, pace yourself and prevent falls and injuries.
@LiterateHiker Wow. All that already makes me tired.
You could wear your rain gear I guess if you want to get close.
"Take a hike.......... with me!"
(I imagine you could tell him that )
This is how I start my dating profile:
There must be fifty ways to meet your lover.
Hike a new trail, Dale
Climb a new hill, Bill
I’m full of joy, Roy
Come trekkin’ with me.
I’m lookin’ for smiles, Miles
Intellectually smart, Art
Love a man with wit, Mitt
Come set yourself free.
Late to this, haven't read any comments yet, but I'd avoid anyone who'd do a 1st date ATM. Put them in the same category of people who refuse to use condemns.
Probably just me, though.
You area is gorgeous. I always love your photos. A lady friend of mine, now living in Seattle after losing her husband to cancer, visited your Lake Wenatchee State Park last weekend with her new guy and posted spectacular photos on FB. Another friend of mine packed-up his life a year or so ago and moved to Bend OR. I'm always eager to see his FB postings. Wonderful places to live!
Agreed. Thank you.
I feel lucky to live here, to have eyes that see, a strong body to hike, and a heart that soars with the exquisite beauty of the mountains.
It's cute reading about how you prepared for this date. I think a date with social distancing would be fun. Actually any kind of date would be fun.
You are a grown adult I say have a fantastic time and
do what ever you want to do. If there’s chemistry there’s chemistry. On the other hand there might not be. You will find out for sure. Enjoy yourself.
I Say go for it, keep the social Distancing for and have fun see how it goes!! Hope you both have a blast