“The lost art of being outdoorsy”

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BY JEMIMA ARANAS
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(n.) One who loves the outdoors; one who gets a natural high that comes with summiting a peak, rafting a Class V rapid, off-road bicycling or catching a 40-pound fish. (Elite Daily)

“Outdoorsy sounds kind of cutesy by itself. But a lot of times, it’s imbued with a bit of awe or disbelief like when we express admiration for someone we think is adventurous or risky. We use it to describe people as part of the outdoor recreation culture or lifestyle. But the term can also easily create an illusion of experience, and even exclude those who are new to outdoor recreation, or have limited access to it. Unfortunately, outdoorsy has been seized by recreation consumer culture, crafted into a curated lifestyle that makes those of us who don’t own a Mountain Hardwear puffy, don’t live out of a van, and didn’t take a gap year in Patagonia, feel kind of left out,” said Mandi Casolo, author of the Treelines blog.
An outdoorsy has a handful of outdoors stereotypes – backpacker, hipster, bonfire king, craft-beer snob, trekker, Skoda Yeti driver, organic eater, adrenaline junkie, and the like. The only certain thing about an outdoorsy is that he has a big heart and enthusiasm for life that others are drawn to. One adventure down and an outdoorsy’s likely talking about or planning the next one already.
Accordingly, Lindsay Wallace of Elite Daily cited ten, fine facts about being an outdoorsy.
1. Has a greater appreciation for the things we often take for granted.
When you spend months without a hot shower, sleeping on rocky surfaces or sweating through your last pair of clean clothes on the trail, the moment you get them all back is the closest to paradise you’ll ever come across. Without access to the niceties of being in the real world, you’ll find yourself having a greater appreciation for them.2. More interesting.
When you’ve done a thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail, rafted the Gauley River in West Virginia, kayaked the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin or jumped out of an airplane for the first time, you end up with a slew of stories to tell. People are drawn to that sort of excitement, and they make great conversation starters. You’ll often find yourself connecting with more people because of those experiences.3. Has a greater sense of self.
Being in nature provides a lot of opportunity for self-reflection and introspection. You dissect your life, you push your limits and you come to find that you’re capable of a lot more than you thought. Mix that all together, and your confidence about who you are, what you want and what you expect out of life will be pretty spot on.
4. Puts more emphasis on collecting experiences over materialistic things.
You know that at the end of your life, it won’t matter what car you drove, what kind of house you lived in or whether or not you had the latest version of technology equipment.
Your hunger for adventure means you value creating lasting memories that no one can take away from you. Whether it’s roasting marshmallows over lava on top of a volcano in Guatemala, seeing bioluminescence in Puerto Rico or sharing a meal and laughs with friends over a campfire, you’ll know what it feels like to truly live, not just exist.
5. More flexible.
If you love the great outdoors, you know not everything goes as planned. Road conditions, weather, trail closings, injuries — your plans can pretty much change on a whim.
Still, you rarely complain when things don’t go well because you know how to make the best of any situation.
6. Healthier, physically and mentally.
If you’re an outdoors enthusiast, your body is constantly moving. From walking to hiking to kayaking, the energy your body expends being physically active is much higher than those who find themselves glued to the couch. Science has proven that such activity helps fight certain conditions, like cancer, obesity, depression and heart disease.
Thus, your quality of life and sense of well-being is probably higher than those toughing it out in the indoors.
7. Fun-loving, free-spirited person.
Your enthusiasm for life is unparalleled and your free spirit means you are always up for last-minute adventures. More importantly, you have a “say yes to mostly anything” attitude, and you generally just like to have a good time, no matter what you are doing.
When you find peace in nature, you carry fewer burdens on your shoulder. People love being around you because of that.
8. Environment lover.
No one appreciates nature more than an outdoors enthusiast. You know “the earth does not belong to man” and that you have a responsibility to leave behind a healthy environment for future generations. You know natural resources are precious, and you cause the least amount of harm possible. You recycle, leave no trace behind and respect wildlife. Getting back to the basics is your forte.
9. Better partner.
You’re pretty low maintenance and have no problem scrapping the expensive, fancy dinners for a simple hike through the woods or going to the Saturday farmers’ market.
More importantly, you’re fairly independent and don’t feel like it’s a requirement to spend every waking moment with your significant other. You find that being in a relationship doesn’t mean two people becoming one. Instead, you realize you’re an individual, independent of your relationship, so you’re more likely to nurture your wants, needs and desires, as well as those of your partner.
10. Finds value in solitude.
In everyday society, doing things alone (e.g. going to a movie, eating at a restaurant) is often met with judgment from others. Though being immersed in the outdoors and doing activities with other like-minded people is fun, you also find that doing all those things alone provides many benefits. You have ample opportunities to process the events of your life; you might be inspired to write sitting next to a lake; you are better able to connect with others and you aren’t afraid to be alone with yourself because you know solidarity does not equal loneliness.
The Wilderness Society’s Mandi Casolo also said: “To be outdoorsy doesn’t mean that a person is fearless, or that she has the latest and greatest gear – or any “gear” at all. Outdoorsy definitely doesn’t substitute for actual skills like wilderness first response, ethical conduct like Leave No Trace, or years of training or experience. And finally, being outdoorsy doesn’t mean that any one person is inherently more likely to walk longer, try harder, or be open to new experiences –anyone can do these things. Too many times, I’ve heard someone turn down an outdoor experience, and say, “I’m not sure I’m outdoorsy enough.” This makes my heart hurt because I’d like to believe that being outdoorsy, at it’s most basic level, simply means that you enjoy being outside. We are all strong and capable, afraid and nervous, cautious and adventurous, and we can all be outdoorsy if we want to be.”/PN
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