Thanks for your replies!
Ms. Right is out there…
The women I work with …keep wishing me luck…saying the DC area is full of anything but “wilderness women”.
Anyway…the chesapeake bay is a big place…maybe …one day our ahhhhh…paddles will cross strokes…or something cheesy like that =)
Thanks for your replies!
Good advice
Nurture your own garden. If you love yourself, you will be in a better postition to give that love away. Instead of grasping, let go.
Sent your e-mail. BTW: There have been
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many matches made here and even a few marriages.
Good Luck in finding your Lady!!!
>:^)
Mick
Follow up: E-mail came back as "wasn't able to deliver...permanent error..." E-mail me if you want info.
nothing but old, fat fishermen
Hey! I no longer fish … 
Actually, on a more serious note, I’ve been mostly pleasantly surprised by the diversity of folks I’ve met on the water. Men, women, kids, (and those caught permanently inbetween), MDs, construction workers, retirees, divorcees, PhDs, high school kids, the dispossesed, the possesed, moonshiners, moontaners, rednecks, yuppies, & the list goes on. Live is a river. Live it.
As for dating, I kinda use interest in outdoor activities as a filter. I’m nowhere near the outdoorsman that some here are. But, if the idea of paddling, (or hiking, or camping, or birding) for a weekend turns off a potential date, then I figure that they wouldn’t make a good mate or good match for me, anyway. If, for your 1st, 2nd or 3rd date you suggest canoeing, hiking or camping, and she counters with shopping or watching TV, um BAIL! (No electric pump is gonna save your butt in that situation.)
KROUSMON!
We already HAD this discussion! Its NOT hopeless!
Keep on paddling, you’ll see. (But call me if the fat old fishermen start to look good to you, I’ll get you serious help!)
Thanks for the encouragement
The fat, old fishermen don’t do ANYTHING for me.
and remember, if you see an attractive
woman on the water, her husband or boyfriend (who she’s doing the paddling with to placate) is just around the bend…
Instant match!!! No?
Maybe this is a stupid #$% response. Someone who loves paddling will be most likely plucked from the much larger pool of people who love self-propelled outdoor activities in general.
In other words, the perfect paddling lady might be around, but you increase your odds of finding the right person if you don’t focus solely on the padding part.
You might even be the one to bring her into the paddling fold. A little effort could bring great results.
This also has the advantage of weeding out the pretenders such as Jack’s daughter-in-law. (I was an uncomfortable witness to the exact same process happening. The man was a stranger so I kept my mouth shut but, as JackL said, I could see right through her.) If the woman already embraces other nature-oriented activities and has been doing them ON HER OWN for a long time, you may be all set. Unless she dislikes water; that will reveal itself very quickly, though.
P.S.
I have no idea if this applies, but if you are like someone I know who expects his acquaintances to “bring the mountain” to him without any effort on his part, then that has to change first.
guess I must be ugly
If you see me on the water, it is safe to assume my husband is home watching tv.
ask about sisters
I married the sister of a friend (and frequent paddling partner). She has 3 outdoorsy brothers, but wasn’t outdoorsy herself. Since we started dating I have got her into Ultimate Frisbee, Indoor Soccer, and last summer she got her own solo canoe. I still paddle by myself sometimes, but its not hard to convince her when we can take the tandem out.
Lots of chicks hike…
so join an outdoorsy group and start trolling over there, too. Easy to convert a hiker. If they like to paddle have another date on a clinic (it shows you care).
Dogmaticus
The secret to meeting women paddlers…
…is to go shopping at the local grocery store in your pfd and you are bound to find one.
Hey, we all know the grocery store (fruits and veggies aisle) is the best place to meet ladies and it at least insinuates that they cook too! One thing better than paddling with a lady is paddling with a lady who brings great eats!!
S
Ever found love while paddling?
Yes! My wife was formerly the chairperson for the sea kayaking branch on the R.I. Canoe / Kayak Association (RICKA).
Tony
when you figure it out
let me know.
My eldest son (25) has plenty of female friends but when he finds that he and I have days off from work during the week that coincide he’s out here for a visit fast, to go hiking, biking or kayaking. He’s looking for someone that could imagine themself kayaking and biking around the USA with him
Have you thought of camping?
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We camp a lot and various campgrounds and state parks and there are usually a few girls that are together. I used to think they were lesbians, which some are, but I've met quite a few that aren't. They like the outdoors and still haven't found "Grissly Adams" yet, or "Mr. Right".
May want to check out a campground near a river you want to paddle and stay there over night.
hmm
You need to make your own! Start with a regular woman, preferably one that you are compatible with and slowly introduce her to the outdoors. Pick one that’s already into sports or fitness as they are easier to convert. I am still converting mine!!! She’s got the yacking thing down, still working on the dodging trees thing with the Mountain bike. She breezed through the camping thing even back when we just had a tent. the next step is a 4 or 5 day backpacking trip. Once she has accomplished that and figured out how to not hit things on the mountain bike, she will be well on her way to Wilderness womanhood. NOTE: dodging trees on a mountain bike is NOT a requirement. However bragging about the scars on your shins and arms from ridding a mountain bike is!!! You know you she is fully converted when she “Suggests” that you take a romantic backpacking trip over a Bed & Breakfast/spa day… However be careful women are evil and my be trying to convert you at the same time!!! I used to camp only in tents, as the was the manly thing to do, Now my wife bought me a big camper, its got everything, and guess what, after a long day of paddling, I LIKE IT, its nice sleeping on a real mattress in the AC!!! I have a second job now that allows me to be in the woods far more often then I used to, and after a long hot day of trail activities, a relaxing spa day doesn’t sound like such a bad deal, yeah I could sit back sipping on an Ice cold Beer, while some busty gal gives me a back rub add a pedicure! L Ah, so whos converting who? Of course the wife and i would be in the same room during the spa day/ mud bath etc. I am not THAT stupid.
co-ed kayaking
I use to think it would be great to have a girl friend who liked to
hike , kayak and that kind of thing . It just doesn’t seem to work for
me . Not that I date a lot , but the few I have tried to hike , bike or
kayak with , well , more nerve making than not .I grew up with
a good amount of awareness of feminism , yet have come to
believe that a good many females who are into such sports
are gay .John
Depends on the locaton
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up east you meet a lot of women in their early twenties who can handle. And there are many women sea kayakers in NSPN. on the other hand I just met them in the city and took them to the friendly woods nice and slow.
Take good food (+ booze and other refreshments if you've a mind to), take them to places you know are beautiful, pay attention to their enjoyment, and people will go a long way with you. Thermarests help a lot if you are overnighting.
Harder to do as my friends and I get older. Also peoples tolerances for the new tend to diminsh as they get old.
gay or married
You sound the same sigh some of us straight women do. Women paddling together or alone, men paddling together or alone seems to equal gay or married.
I was married but he didn’t like the idea of paddling but we sure had fun riding the subways and exploring Manhattan, but that was decades ago.
A couple of experiences later, I’ve discovered I’m attracted to men who are lets say, not good for me (or most anyone sane).
One of my friends keeps trying to find a perfect guy and I listen for awhile and then change the subject. There is no way I’m going to waste what’s left of my life looking about for another man or with someone verbally abusive.
My goals are to become a good paddler, camp sometimes, and to enjoy my life. If a male paddler shows up who wants more than a paddling partner that might be nice.
I’m just saying, enjoy life and keep your eyes open but don’t drive yourself nuts looking. If we only have one life, it is a short one, enjoy yourself.