Do People Hook Up on Hiking Trails?
While hiking can be a peaceful and rewarding activity, the combination of spending time in nature, the thrill of adventure, and the relative privacy can sometimes create opportunities for spontaneous romantic encounters. However, it's important to recognize that this behavior varies widely among individuals and locations. Some hikers seek out such experiences, while others enjoy the trail for exercise, relaxation, or simply to connect with nature.
One particularly unusual story involves a relationship that began on a hiking trail. The story details a 49-year partnership and marriage that started with a casual encounter during a trail rerouting project in the High Sierras.
Meeting on the Trail
The encounter began when the narrator, a US Forest Service employee, was rerouting a trail around Graveyard Meadows. During a work tour in this area, he discovered a refreshing water source near the meadow, which was previously known as Twin Meadows due to a pair of murdered shepherds. The water was heavily used by permitted cows, making it unclean for drinking. As part of his work, he decided to find a more reliable water source for the trail users.
On a second work tour, the narrator noticed a woman in the upper meadow and approached her to see if she was enjoying the wilderness. She was wearing hiking shorts and a bandanna top, and he offered to share a meal of tacos with fresh ingredients. The couple quickly accepted and even brought along her boyfriend, who had lived on oatmeal and macaroni and cheese packets for the last month. They continued to share meals, take hikes together, and further bonded by skinny dipping in a hidden lake.
The Evolution of a Relationship
After completing the trail rerouting project, the narrator and his crew still had time left on their tour. They decided to roll up an additional six miles of barbed wire and four-strand fence, and his future wife helped with the task. However, the boyfriend refused to help. She married him but after two years came back into the High Sierras and inquired if the narrator was still around at the USFS Ranger Station.
During this encounter, she was with a male friend, who explained that he was just a friend and she had married the previous boyfriend. She confided that her ex-husband's goals did not align with her desires, so she sought help from the narrator. As the season was coming to an end, she offered to volunteer as a trail crew on a rerouting project of the John Muir Trail. The narrator agreed, and she joined the crew.
The first night in the back-country, the narrator and she connected, and their relationship evolved from there. Several days into the tour, she overheard him telling other volunteers about his plans to marry the woman. His future wife challenged him, saying, "Don't you think you should ask me first?"
The relationship eventually led to her divorce and a marriage that began just a few days after her divorce was final. They met in Graveyard Meadows and got married at Split Rock on the coast, and their journey together continued.
This unique story highlights that while spontaneous romantic encounters on hiking trails can happen, it's important to respect the boundaries of others and ensure that both parties are comfortable with the situation.