I planned on this being a short, positive post – after all, I spent last Sunday skiing through five inches of fresh snow under a sunny sky. What’s not to love? And it was almost perfect, until at the end of the day the real world just had to butt back in.
Let’s start with the good. I headed up to Mt. Hood with Lauren – an amazing lady I met through my partner Andy last year. I caught up on some girl time away from the city, so necessary sometimes since I usually spend most of my time outside with Andy. We skied a few fun groomer runs, then Lauren told me that I could head off and ski more difficult terrain if I wanted. A shoutout here – Lauren has only been back on skis since being a kid for three seasons (but really two due to a terrible snow year), and she’s doing fantastic! I love it when women decide they want to do something outside and then do it, and do it well. It’s so inspiring.
So I took off for the sidecountry in Heather Canyon, and ended up running into and taking some runs with an instructor I had during a ski mountaineering course last year. We talked about ski touring and found some untracked, kinda fluffy powder (in April!) in John’s Woods. Skiing with men yet again, but c’est la vie. The skiing was amazing.
Lauren and I met up a few hours later for a beer and some vitamin D at the mid-mountain hut. We talked about necessary life things like overpriced yoga studios, the agony of maintaining core fitness, and our dislike of sweet cocktails. And Lauren’s upcoming wedding – congrats!
Life was great. We took a few more runs together, then headed for the car after what seemed like an incident-free day. We made a last stop at the porta-potty in the parking lot. People bring their campers up to stay the night, and a normal-looking guy was sitting nearby. He offered a free chair while we waited for each other. Sure, whatever.
While waiting for Lauren, the man and I made some small talk, and I mentioned that he had a nice spot there with a camper and the sun. He proceeded to say that we could “join him in his camper for a while” before leaving. Wait, what? I can’t even chat for two minutes without some creep making an advance on me? Ugh. Luckily, Lauren got back right then and we moved on and went home.
This type of behavior is not ok, and until there’s a shift in mentality towards women, we’re forced to put up with it, shrug it off, and stay smart. We need to educate men that those types of comments aren’t welcome, even if it’s “just a joke”. I failed on this one, nervously chuckling and awkwardly smiling while hastily saying goodbye and walking away. It’ll take some practice.
But the main thing is, we can’t let instances like that tarnish (or even ruin) our view of the experience or day as a whole. I’ve found myself remembering that guy every time I’ve daydreamed about powder while at my desk this week. To stay sane, I need to focus on the good parts of the day, and file him away with the ever-growing number of reasons to get riled up and involved in the women’s rights movement happening around the world.
Individual negative experiences shouldn’t discourage us from doing a certain activity or being around a certain demographic of people. Stereotypes can exist for a reason, and some men in the outdoors tend towards the macho, egotistical, or womanizer. There will always be rotten eggs – but I think that in reality most people, men included, are supportive and great to be around. After all, most of us are out there due to our love of being outside, and just want to have a good time together.
I enjoyed reading this. It is unfortunate that the male species has to lower itself to the level of a pig laying in it’s own feces. The Bill Reilly’s, the Donald Trumps and the Bill Cosby’s set a tone for a nation that can’t quite get the hint. Sexual harassment towards women is not ok and in fact should be something that is universally unacceptable and punishable to the fullest extent of the law. I wonder how the guy would have felt if you would have yelled “rapist pig” in front of a crowd. I am glad the actions of a few did not spoil your day.
Focus on the positive and prepare mentally for the next time. And unfortunately that will likely happen. But you are a smart, strong woman and will blaze trails not only in the mountains but for woman’s rights.