Joan and I have a successful relationship for many reasons. We respect each other’s differences, share many values, enjoy similar intellectual pursuits, and never fail to make each other laugh.
But at the core of it all, and how we first met, is our shared passion for the outdoors.
We’ve spent hundreds of nights together in the backcountry since we first met in 2017.
We’ve had “spirited discussions” while climbing out of canyons, brought in many winter nights with chocolate, cider, and rum, and found delight in seeing what lies around the next bend in the canyon wall.
The outdoors is not the only reason we are together, but it is a fundamental part of the life we’ve built and shared.
So when Joan started an alternate summer schedule and I began a new job, our schedules no longer quite lined up.
But when they finally did, we gratefully spent time together outdoors once again.
We headed above the desert floor to our local mountains and enjoyed peaks with a splash of snow still clinging to them, wildflowers in bloom, and cool air as Moab starts pushing toward 100F.
We spent a few days hiking and camping, with birdsong greeting us throughout the day.
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A relaxing and simple time together, with a mountain tarn near camp in the early evening, ending a memorable day and, hopefully, marking the renewal of more nights together in the backcountry this summer.
