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"I WISH I WAS THAT GIRL... I WISH I COULD DO THAT."
"I WISH I WAS THAT GIRL... I WISH I COULD DO THAT."
I remember the first time I heard about a woman I knew who backpacked the Grand Canyon. I thought “I wish I was that girl... I wish I could do that.”
And then I put it in the back of my mind because it was easier to ignore than to face my self-imposed limitations.
Some of the limitations we place on ourselves feel, and often are quite real. Chronic illness, finances, family, career, and other responsibilities are just a few of the things that sometimes hold us back from doing the things we want to do.
Some limitations are from society; can women do this kind of stuff? Especially alone?!
BUT THE LONGER WE PUSH OUR DEEP DESIRES TO "SOMEDAY," THE LESS LIKELY WE ARE TO GO AFTER THEM.
BUT THE LONGER WE PUSH OUR DEEP DESIRES TO "SOMEDAY," THE LESS LIKELY WE ARE TO GO AFTER THEM.
The more we listen to outsiders, the more we believe they're right. It's too dangerous, it's too risky, it's not "LADYLIKE," and it's impractical.
For me, it was years later that I decided to try backpacking. I had to allow myself to actually consider what it would be like to step into BEING the girl I WISHED I was.
That was scary as shit.
What would people say?
What would my partner think?
Am I actually capable?
But my desire to LIVE outweighed it all.
Being fearless is bullshit. It doesn't exist.
It's being afraid and doing it anyway.
Being fearless is bullshit. It doesn't exist.
It's being afraid and doing it anyway.
I was tired of my chronic illness and depression running my life.
I was tired of my chronic illness and depression running my life.
I was done allowing anxiety to keep me stuck.
I was tired of working, running errands, and just trying to make it through the day.
Those fears were still there and very real.
And if you think it takes fearlessness, you’re wrong.
Being fearless is bullshit.
It doesn’t exist.
It’s being afraid and doing it anyway.
After my first backpacking trip, I was hooked.
After my first backpacking trip, I was hooked.
Holy shit.
I had done it.
I had made a lot of mistakes along the way.
But I did it.
I went off and hiked miles into the woods with nothing but the possessions on my back. Slept in a tent. And hiked out.
And I was forever changed.
I mean, I was still me. I still had to return to work. And responsibilities.
But I was different.
I had tasted what my life COULD be like if I not only backpacked, but if I faced my fears and let my “excuses” go.
Who could I be and what I could overcome?
From the mouths of Unladylike Women:
From the mouths of Unladylike Women:
"Going into the trip, I felt unsure of what my body could handle... After completing this trip, those uncertainties are gone. I now feel an incredible sense of pride in what we accomplished with our backpacking trip and know that I AM CAPABLE of tackling tasks that I once thought to be impossible." ~ Michelle B.
"I learned that I am capable of so much more than I ever allowed myself to think I could be. I made fast friends with strangers, helped set up a campsite, slept in a tent for three nights, peed basically on the edge of a mountain, and climbed a fucking cliff face multiple times. This retreat and the women I met have changed the course of my life forever!!" ~ Grace N.
"Backpacking the Grand Canyon was the most gratifying and difficult experience of my life. But I did it! I climbed all the way down and all the way out of the canyon in THIS body, my body, just as she is. I will never forget the surreal moment of turning and looking down into the canyon and seeing how far I had climbed up, how many switchbacks my legs conquered, and how much confidence I gained." ~ Angie S.
"Going into the trip, I felt unsure of what my body could handle... After completing this trip, those uncertainties are gone. I now feel an incredible sense of pride in what we accomplished with our backpacking trip and know that I AM CAPABLE of tackling tasks that I once thought to be impossible." ~ Michelle B.
"I learned that I am capable of so much more than I ever allowed myself to think I could be. I made fast friends with strangers, helped set up a campsite, slept in a tent for three nights, peed basically on the edge of a mountain, and climbed a fucking cliff face multiple times. This retreat and the women I met have changed the course of my life forever!!" ~ Grace N.
"Backpacking the Grand Canyon was the most gratifying and difficult experience of my life. But I did it! I climbed all the way down and all the way out of the canyon in THIS body, my body, just as she is. I will never forget the surreal moment of turning and looking down into the canyon and seeing how far I had climbed up, how many switchbacks my legs conquered, and how much confidence I gained." ~ Angie S.
I felt more capable. I felt physically strong. I wanted to see what ELSE I could do.
I felt more capable. I felt physically strong. I wanted to see what ELSE I could do.
I had seen a section of the world that many don’t.
Other backpackers.
Dirty feet, no cell phones, surrounded by snow capped mountains.
And all they were doing was filtering water and taking in the views.
What simplicity.
What freedom.
"Fear, to a great extent, is the story we tell ourselves. So I decided to tell myself a different story."
~Cheryl Strayed
Are you ready for a different story?
