St. George Canyoneering Trip
Last weekend was filled with high adventure, doing hard things, making new friendships, strengthening old friendships, and having discussions about self-compassion. A typical Get Out There Girl Adventure.
“Here’s to strong women. May we know them, May we be them, May we raise them.” I loved being surrounded by strong women all weekend. It was an honor.
There were 13 of us total, including our two guides. We ranged in age from 28–44 years old. Some of us knew each other before the trip, some knew one or two people, and some came not knowing anyone. Regardless of our age, life style, or prior friendships we all connected, were authentic with each other, and created a memory that will tie us together forever.
We hiked a lesser known canyon called Padre Heights which is behind the famous Tuacahn Amphitheater up Snow Canyon in southern, Utah. It’s a hard climb up to the top and the views are worth every step. Plus coming down is a lot of fun when you are rappelling. We were in the canyon for a total of 10.5 hours and had perfect weather.
After the hike to the top we took a break for lunch at a little pool and then set up the ropes for our first rappel.
The first four rappels were short and perfect for getting everyone ready for the large rappels at the end. Most of the women were a little nervous but brave. That is one of the things I love about rappelling. You get to prove to yourself that you can do hard things. You have the opportunity to put faith above fear and move forward. Such a good life lesson!
The theme of the trip was Self-Compassion. The book Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff has changed my life. My goal is to share the message of being kind to yourself with everyone I meet. Before the trip I had sent out an email to all the women with links to several videos where Kristin Neff speaks about the power of self-compassion. I also sent a link to to her book if any of them wanted to read it, which I recommended. Throughout the trip we had great discussions and even reminded each other to be gentle when one of us wasn’t being very compassionate towards ourselves. I loved it!
All of the women who came are phenomenal women. It was said by several people how amazing this group was. We opened up to each other in a judgement free zone and connected. Most of the women who came didn’t know each other before the trip but went home friends and will stay connected.
I love adventure. I love being outside. I love the beautiful earth that God created. I believe that we only have one life and we need to take the opportunity to live it and live it fully. I am putting forth effort to live my best life. I hope you will join me by living yours.
Love, Brittany
