How To Marry An Adventurous Girl

Remind her that she's pretty when she wears a pony tail.Let's say you're meeting her for the first time; a girl at the coffee shop or at a party. Something about her draws you in.  Good.

Notice her shoes.  That's notice.  Not stare at.

What ever she's wearing on her feet, no matter what, look at her, smile kindly and tell her, "I like your shoes."  Word for word.  Not "Nice shoes."  Remember that.

Now, there's a caveat here.  If she's wearing running shoes, you've got a problem. Because who the hell compliments something like that? So tread lightly, enter at your own risk.

And what if she's wearing flip-flops?  Say, "I like that toenail polish color."  Easy-like, lay it on real thin; otherwise she'll think you're a foot fettish freak.  Do what ever you can to not be weird about it.

Notice if she has a tan line on her foot from the flip-flops.  That means something good.

Otherwise, notice her ear rings.  Tell her you like them.

Mean what you say.

Pay attention to her when she talks about trail running.  Or skiing.  Or swimming. Or hiking. Or anything at all.

Ask her if she wants to go rock climbing.  Be nice about it. Put a top rope on two routes: a moderate one that she'll dance right up, and one just a little bit harder.  Don't talk about the difficulty grades and ratings.  She doesn't give a shit about all the technical stuff you know.  She wants to have fun.

If you have to ask yourself, "Is she having fun?" You screwed up already.

Go running with her at the park.

Circle around the lake three times, then pause on the grass to stretch your muscles.

As you're both stretching, look at her and then wink at her once.

Keep a cooler in the car when you two go out for a hike. Store a selection of cold drinks and a ripe mango waiting for when you're all done. Sit on the bumper and share the mango.

After a day out on a trail, take her to an interesting mom-n-pop Italian restaurant.  Always be kind to the wait staff.

Go backpacking with her, just the two of you.

Find a river with a rope swing and . . . you know.  Use it.

Then go backpacking with a group of friends.

Try not to spill the stove as it's cooking the only meal you brought.

Remind her that she's pretty when she wears a pony tail.

Mean what you say.