Don’t date a girl who treks

 

By Marinel de Jesus

She’s the girl with the uneven tanned body

Scorched skin from the rays of the sun from trekking the high passes.

She’s the girl with the high cut boots

And a pair of trekking poles that she depends her life on

She’s the girl who catches the sunrise and sunset

For either of them will suit her just fine.

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

For this means you wake up at some ungodly hour

and race your feet to the tops of the mountains.

God forbid if she misses the sun’s spectacle

You’ll see her purse her lips in utter disappointment

__________________

But fear not

Because as soon as she sees the majestic peaks before her eyes

She will smile again in no time

She’s the girl who knows her summits’ names

And their heights from sea level

Her favorite numbers are those that begin at 3000 and above

In meters to be exact

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

She will ask you where you are from

And feels a bit torn

When you come from a place closer to sea level rather than a range

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

Because she will not want you to wine and dine her

But rather would desire more of your time

As she would have you hike with her in the middle of nowhere

All day and all night.

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

Her heart is already taken

By those named Himalayas, Andes, and Alps

Unless you are willing to join in her pursuits of them

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

She’s armed with gear you have not even heard of

Like her spot or go girl

And you must be curious to see how she uses them

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

She has her battle scars called blisters that she wouldn’t want you to notice

When strolling in flip flops on a beach

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

She will bask in the wilderness without a bed

Eating dehydrated food and trail bars

Find you appealing only when you can brave no shower for days

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

For her soul is already full

Of memories of peaks and summits

Really, you’re just there to take a photo of her on top of one

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

For her longing for mountains is constant

And you will hear an earful of it all the time

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

She loves to be present in the moment

Rushing is for the city life

While allowing time to pass by slowly reminds her of that freedom

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

For there will be no wild parties or hang overs

Just a meditative moment in the woods

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

She will eventually go off the beaten path

And you will have to be there to save her

In times when she needs a helping hand

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

For her sense of direction is via a trail map

Place her in a city and she’s lost

And you’ll be stranded in no time

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

For she lives life to the fullest

If you cannot catch up to her when she flies

Then don’t think she’d even shed a single tear

If you tell her goodbye

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

She will go exploring on her own when her heart so desires

And will only return to you when she finally misses you

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

She finds beauty in any situation

Even when the rain is pouring

Or the wind blowing too strong

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

For she finds purpose in hiking the tallest peaks

Even if it means risking her health

Or risking her life

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

For her creativity can take you to far off places that you never imagined wanting to go

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In taking risks she finds a sense of aliveness

Be prepared to match her fearlessness

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

For beyond the layer of toughness

There is a heart full of love and longing

For someone like you to cross her path

To share her adventures with

__________________

And if you’re lucky enough to date a girl who treks

She will have you join in her world of trekking

You will marry the mountains like she did

And in return

Her loving you is as honest as her passion for trekking

Your relationship will be treated as holy as a pilgrim’s kora

She embraces challenges like it’s another summit to overcome

And every single day you will savor the sunrises and sunsets like they were your last

She will challenge your limits only to become better each day.

__________________

Don’t date a girl who treks

For she will make you live and appreciate an irregular life

And fill it with so much magic that you will never ever want to walk off trail

without her by your side.

__________________

Click on the Brown Girl Trekker logo above to see so much more from Marinel de Jesus.

 

 

And now to announce a very exciting film project to promote women who love the great outdoors, Marinel shares this exciting development in her own words…

 

BACKGROUND

A few months ago, I attended an outdoor film festival in Washington, DC that focused on the adventure films that were produced by artists from all over the world. The work presented was certainly admirable. I was inspired. A few months later, I watched yet another outdoor film festival and found myself, yet again, inspired.

However, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of disconnect. The first time around I felt the same feeling but couldn’t understand what it was about. It was after the second film festival event that it became evident to me that the past two showings I watched were lacking in two things that mattered to me: (1) hiking or wilderness backpacking and (2) women. It was at that point that I vividly recall noting this concern to my male friends who shared their honest opinion that filming an activity that focuses only on hiking isn’t as exciting or “sexy enough” as climbing, mountain biking, skiing, and all these other adrenaline-filled sports.

“Okay, they have a point,” I begrudgingly said to myself.

Months later I was trekking with three guys in the Caucasus Mountains of the Republic of Georgia who were from Egypt, France and Sweden, respectively. I raised the same question as to why there’s a lack of hiking or backpacking film documentaries at such events. The answer was similar to the first.

I never asked my male friends about the women aspect. After all, I was already dismayed at the responses dismissing the idea that pure hiking or wilderness backpacking as the subject of a film fails to even meet the standards that would compel any filmmaker to produce such kind of film. So, I pushed the idea aside… but ONLY for a moment.

Hiking with women trail leaders on the Kilimanjaro trail, Tanzania.

Don’t Date a Girl Who Treks

I was in China’s remote trekking trails in yet to be discovered Tibetan Autonomous Region of the country when I met May. She was from Thailand who once trekked up the Everest Base Camp in Nepal. As money was an issue, trekking or traveling for her was a major expense. By fate, May and I met in some of the most remote trekking regions in Sichuan Province of China. We ventured out to do the 30 kilometer high altitude pilgrimage trek in Yading Nature Reserve. It was a trekking region that has yet to be fully explored by trekkers from the western world. You can read our adventure in full HERE.

The piece, Don’t Date a Girl Who Treks, was inspired by May and all the wonderful solo women trekkers I’ve met in over a decade of trekking in the U.S. and abroad. To be clear, the piece is not so much about dating, but rather it’s meant to be a way to celebrate women and their love for the mountain trails.  May was one of them. To not be able to pursue her passion as often as she would want given the location of her home in Thailand that is devoid of mountain trails is a disappointing reality, to which I can fully relate. In the small city she lives in, life is simple and money is difficult to come by. For someone like May, it’s a devastating notion to accept the fact that she is unable to pursue her passion as easily as she would like due to her responsibilities in taking care of family members and the lack of finances to afford traveling to hike up mountains. Personally, I would go crazy without regular access to mountains!

Our meeting was in 2014. Yet, even now, May still reminisces about our pilgrimage trek in China. In her correspondence, she often dreams about hiking up mountains, whether within her home country or outside of it. I figured if May cannot trek an actual mountain, then I can bring the mountains to her from all corners of the world – thru the film project that is now underway.

The FILM PROJECT

Just shortly after writing Don’t Date a Girl Who Treks, I decided in September of 2016 to open my Brown Gal Trekker blog to the public. I soon came to find out that the world seems to agree that women certainly must be celebrated for their passion and commitment to the outdoors. I was thrilled to learn that the world echoes the same sentiment that I’ve had all along, and as a result, Don’t Date a Girl Who Treks was published by Dave’s Travel Corner (a pioneer website for independent-minded backpackers), Huffington Post and WHOA Mag (a publication that promotes women in the outdoors). At the same time, the piece was promoted by various leading entities in the hiking world including BestHike.com and Hike Like a Woman.

You can find the publications via the following links:

Dave’s Travel Corner

Huffington Post

Whoa Mag

Women Who Explore

In late October 2016, Bernard Chen, an award-winning photographer who I met months ago as part of the Great Himalaya Project (which still is currently a project via Brown Gal Trekker), reached out to me regarding ideas for future projects. I then brought up to him the idea that has been brewing in my head, which is to create a short film based on Don’t Date a Girl Who Treks by showcasing women trekkers globally through a collage of photos and videos submitted by the trekkers themselves. Bernard was thrilled at the idea. We both agreed it’s a perfect means of promoting outdoor women from all walks of life and their presence in the media.

As the idea sank in my head that day, I recalled the earlier conversations about the boring nature of a film on hiking. Then, my mind redirected me back to the feeling of disconnectedness that I experienced from the lack of female hikers depicted in the media. But then, I felt a surge of excitement knowing that the landscape of the outdoor media world will change, soon enough. That change is right within our control. We just need to make it happen.

SUBMISSIONS

This FILM PROJECT is a collaborative endeavour that is made possible through the help and support of female trekkers worldwide and various leading female-led outdoors entities such as Hike Like a Woman, Animosa, Fat Girls Hiking, Women Who Explore, Adventure Some Women & Camping for Women.

Hence, if you’re a female trekker who has photos or videos that you wish to submit, please send them to [email protected]

In addition, please provide us with the following:

1. Your name
2. Short background story on your photo
3. Short answer to the question, “What does hiking or wilderness backpacking mean to you?”
4. Your blog site (if you’re a blogger)

You’ll be notified when your piece is selected via e-mail. Credit will be given to your submission. You can subscribe to BGT’s blog if you wish to get updates on the project.

Also, we are raising funds to create the film. Your donations are welcome!

Start by clicking here to check out some really cool T-Shirts that highlight the film project.

 

And also check out Marinel’s company that take adventurous women on some very impressive treks across the globe:

 

Camping for Women is a proud supporter of the Date Date A Girl Who Treks film project.

We see this as a significant project to showcase the many amazing, diverse and talented outdoor women all over the world.

We are encouraging as many of our subscribers and readers as possible to take a proactive role in supporting this wonderful initiative. Just can’t wait to see many of your images featured in the film!