Sarah Schachterle - HERLIFE Magazine

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fine things Women in the Great Outdoors By Candi Smith D o you consider camping as planned homelessness which has you scrambling for your sunscreen, insect spray and bear repellant? Or does hunting, fishing, ranching and boating bring out the best in you? Today it’s easier than ever to be a woman in the great outdoors. There are adventures specifically for females who want to experience a lifestyle under the big, blue sky. Many state conservation programs are recognizing the need for better education geared towards women, and are offering classes and opportunities to learn outdoor skills. The goal of one comprehensive program called BOW (Becoming an Outdoors Woman) is to “provide an atmosphere where women feel comfortable learning new skills associated with hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities, in a supportive and non-threatening environment.” Their core curriculum includes the shooting sports, camping, backpacking, outdoor 28 <strong>HERLIFE</strong>magazine.com cooking, archery, plant identification, bird watching, introduction to firearms and hunting, map and compass usage, outdoor survival, orienteering, fly-tying and outdoor first aid. They also offer additional classes in horseback riding, sailing, kayaking, boat handling, fishing and falconry. Visit the BOW website at http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/bow/ for a list of programs in your local area. Another popular outdoor sport that’s seeing women excel is whitewater rafting. Using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water, you can float along on a mild wave or work yourself into a sweat against wild water. The water levels are highest in late spring, making for a more adventurous (and perilous) ride. But since the water is still very cold at this time, most rafting enthusiasts choose to float during June, July and August. Since rafting is not dependent upon sheer muscle, women find that they can be at the top of their field in terms of competition and skill Many state conservation programs are recognizing the need for better education geared towards women, and are offering classes and opportunities to learn outdoor skills.
while rafting. If you’re looking for a starter trip, consider that most rivers are classed from I to V based upon the difficulty of navigating the water condition. Most whitewater rafting companies offer adventures that start you at class II or III (which offers easy rapids with mostly clear, predictable routes), but seldom take you above class IV (which are long rapids with high waves, irregular and powerful eddies, and require a lot of work on your part to help navigate). The U.S. offers quite a few well-known and beautiful rivers to float, and each venue has a selection of rafting companies to choose from to help plan your trip. For more information on choosing a whitewater rafting destination, visit http://www.targetwoman.com/articles/whitewater-rafting-holidays.html. Perhaps roping and wrangling puts a romp in your step, and you are most at home in a saddle. Consider visiting one of the dudette ranches offered with “women only” retreats. Besides your standard horse care classes (where you learn to saddle and bridle your horse, rope and lasso, and pack for a backcountry adventure), you also get to enjoy massages, yoga classes, campfire cooking classes, dancing and stargazing. They range from working ranches (where you get your hands dirty) to luxury ranches (where you learn the basics of cow poking without all the work).These ranches are scattered across the U.S. Visit ranchweb.com for a comprehensive list of options. Sometimes you just need “girl time” with your sister, daughter or best friend. Or maybe you need to get away by yourself. Adventure Women (adventurewomen.com) and Adventures in Good Company (goodadventure.com) are companies that offer “women only” travel for gals who are into adventure and a healthy lifestyle. Their trips are well-planned, safe and offer a variety of choices. Maybe your dream vacation is kayaking in the Caribbean, or hiking through Tuscany. Or if you want to give back while you vacation, consider one of their available humanitour packages. Their websites break down vacations into dates of travel, fitness levels, prices, amenities, etc. Adventure Women’s President, Susan Eckert, started her business almost 30 years ago exclusively for women because, “We have a unique sense of discovery, an unabashed curiosity, the easy ability to laugh at ourselves and the capacity to create a non-competitive environment of support and encouragement for each other. Under these circumstances, women feel free to challenge themselves with a trek up a mountain, learning to snorkel or scuba dive or immersion into an unfamiliar culture. On an all-women’s trip, women tell us that they can be totally and unequivocally themselves.” Adventures in Good Company contributes 25 percent of its pretax profits to sustainable organizations such as Sustainable Travel International, Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project, Oxfam America, Feeding America and Great Old Broads for Wilderness. They also participate in green initiatives on a smaller scale by limiting group sizes to 12 or fewer participants, buying organically grown or locally sourced food and serving shade grown fair trade coffee on our trips. So dust off your hiking boots, break out your windbreaker and head out into the great outdoors! <strong>HERLIFE</strong>magazine.com 29
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Sarah Schachterle - HERLIFE Magazine

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