I want to be one of those people who say “I totally love the outdoors!” but I’m not. Growing up in Florida, the only outdoors that I enjoyed was the sandy beaches with a cold beer. Even then, my experiences outdoor left me more fearful than anything else.

Florida has poisonous snakes, spiders, black bear, alligators, I could go on but my point is that there are way too many critters for me to be able to walk around outside and enjoy a trail or any park. I grew up thinking that it was gross to get dirty, play in the mud, and I was more worried about collecting beanie babies and learning all choreography to every backstreet boy’s song. Yea, I was a girly girl.

What switched my outdoor outlook?

During my high school and college years, I was a summer camp counselor which forced me to be outside, get messy, and teach kids how not to be afraid of the outdoors. Ironic right? I worked in the summer camp world for 7 years and in that time I was slowly introduced to enjoy the outdoors. When I was forced into these situations I realized how much I enjoyed it. I wanted more and more. 

Then, I came to Chile. I was invited to hikes up mountains, visit national parks, and even to go camping. It was totally different because now I was going up mountains and dealing with cold weather. I never thought camping would be fun, I loved it. I realized that I just didn’t know any better.

Hiking up a mountain, feeling out of breath and being able to reach the top was one of the most rewarding feelings I have ever felt. Waking up to Patagonian winds is now one of my favorite sounds. I still need to working toilet to enjoy the outdoors but I definitely don’t mind skipping a shower or two.

So, now what?

Little by little, I learned that being outdoors is more about mentally disconnecting and being with nature than being physically able to. Throughout my years in Chile, my fitness levels have been excellent and also non-existent. Right now, I’m somewhere in the middle with a new-found motivation to get back to excellent. It’s all about balance. The outdoors will help me get back to that balance that I’m always working for.

I’ve given myself this wonderful opportunity to explore Chile. Making the decision to work and travel at the same time will definitely change my habits and my outlook about the outdoors. I have a new challenge to get to know as many trails, try as many outdoor adventures as I can, and I’ll share them with you. Some will be horrible failures, some will be fantastic, and some might be just average. Either way, I want to share my first-hand experiences with these posts that will always be called “Gringa vs Nature”

Where do I get more?

If you want to read why I’m called gringa, just click on this story, but basically it’s a nickname that’s been given to me by my Chilean friends and I love it. You can also watch my instastories when I’m on these adventures so you can see my suffering and ridiculousness all mixed in together. Make sure you check the IGTV for past stories too.

So that’s it. I’m ready. If you have any tips that you think I’ll need (I know I will), please leave them in the comments below.

Remember when you give good, you get good.