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Adventure: the best pre-marriage counseling

What our love for the outdoors taught us about our love for each other, and how it prepped us for this incredible journey called "marriage!"

By: Samantha Weald + Save to a List


When Ryan and I met in May of 2014 we had no idea what the future held. Ryan was looking for someone to go to more live music with; I was looking for the same. What we found in each other is so much more.

At the time, he was playing tennis everyday at 6am AND 6pm, was focusing his fandom on music, and hadn’t been climbing regularly in months.

I was gym-ing regularly after work, had just really developed a taste for music festivals, but hadn’t climbed since leaving Berkeley after grad school almost 12 months before. I think the last hike I had been on was the Muir Woods trail to the Pelican Inn… Not a daunting outdoor adventure by any means.

I think we both knew our lives were missing something.

Those first 6–12 months, we saw a lot of amazing music and went on some incredible trips. We made it to EDC (as just friends), Coachella, Beyond Wonderland (x2, see above for our 2014 favorite pic), Hard Day of the Dead, countless shows in SF, a trip to LA to see our favorite band, day trips to the beach, park play dates with friends, and more.

Even more exciting than all the music, we started climbing regularly together. Primarily at Dogpatch in San Francisco, but slowly adding Ironworks in Berkeley, Great Western Power Co in Oakland, and Mission Cliffs in SF into our routine.

We told our parents about each other. Moved in together. Got engaged. Bought a condo.

Then... we started climbing outdoors.

In the past 18 months we’ve climbed in Sonora, Bishop, Mammoth, St. Helena, Tahoe, Yosemite, Berkeley, and the list keeps growing. 


We’ve snowshoed.


And mountaineered.


We’ve camped.


And yes… we’ve hiked.


When Ryan proposed in March of 2015 we were stood on the Tennessee Valley Trail overlooking the ocean and at the time hadn’t completed ANY of those above mentioned outdoor trips. To say that our engagement served as an introduction for us into our life of outdoor adventure is an understatement. To say it was all easy would just be a lie.


But the months between our engagement and our wedding were so important as they served as our very own brand of pre-marital counseling. And we learned so much: skills not just for surviving, but for thriving; knowledge about being successful in our adventures outdoors as well as how to be successful within our relationship.

We learned simple, practical tasks like how to tie a fisherman’s knot, how to work a compass, & how to set up a four-seasons tent… in the dark, in the snow, with a shovel.

We also learned what it meant to wake up angry from a bad nights sleep, what hangry looked like at 9,000 feet, and the therapeutic value of a 10 hour hike (among many, many other things).

And most importantly, we learned how much we love doing all these things together.

We are such different people. I’m your typical extrovert. Ryan, your typical introvert. (Bordering on misanthrope.) I’m obsessed with taking photos. Ryan hates being in them.

And two months ago... we got married. 

Our medium blog, which we started just before the wedding, has been a way of recording our memories & milestones in marriage. I'm excited to join the Outbound Collective as well to share our stories, our favorite spots, and our photos. Join us as we start this next amazing adventure!

-s&r

*adapted from my original post on medium.com/@samanthaweald 

We want to acknowledge and thank the past, present, and future generations of all Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples whose ancestral lands we travel, explore, and play on. Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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