One of the aspects I enjoy of formal trips I’ve guided is the feedback either directly at the end of the adventure or the survey responses that come back. It gives me a chance to hear what worked well and what didn’t and gives me perspective – sometimes wildly varying – on what people took away with them from their experience.
Our informal adventures through the Adirondacks were no different. At dinner on Thursday night, I learned what the girls’ favorite memories from our long weekend were.
Kellie: the view from the top
Anna: the canoe ‘interlude’
Liz: the beautiful sunsets on the water
Sadie: the canoe rescue
Maura: the wish boats
For me, there was the very tangible thank you gift that these wonderful friends left me:
For those of you not familiar with Central New York – it’s the Finger Lakes. A beautifully warm, wooden cutting board made locally in my home region. I teared up when I opened the box.
And then there’s the intangible. The connecting with old friends in person and feeling like a loved part of their lives. The spark in a girl trying something for the first time and enjoying it. Trying something almost new and liking it myself (i.e. planning and executing my second adventure weekend of the year and/or consciously and deliberately sharing my love of the outdoors with friends). Relearning how to explore like a seven-, eight-, or nine-year old.
While they may have thanked me for a lifetime of memories, I thank them too for getting me to stretch a little out of my comfort zone. As the saying goes, the magic happens outside of your comfort zone.
For the rest of the trip report, click here.
Kate Monahan Outdoors 