Fortunately, the woman I know loves hiking and backpacking. Part of the reason I suspect is because we both work for an airline, and years ago, to maximize our trips away while being paid a slave wage, we learned that a tent over the head vs. a hotel cut costs dramatically.

But I really think I have her dad to thank. When she was a kid in the late '60s/early '70s, her dad would literally pull the car over and the family 'cowboy camped' on a blanket -- no tent. She remembers a herd of deer, maybe elk (buffalo?) literally running over them one night out west. Strange that she still loves it, 'cause her older brother wouldn't be caught dead camping now (or should I say would be found dead camping now.)

A few months ago she got diagnosed with an out-of-whack thyroid (hypo- it's hereditary) with all the symptoms, yet she insisted on going backpacking for our 20th anniversery a few weeks ago. We scaled back the plan but still went. She pretty much was asleep in her camp chair/sleep pad once we hiked to our spot and got the tent up, but she still loved the trip.

In twenty years here in Miami, we've only found one woman willing to go backpacking with us (more like she found us), and she was twenty years younger. It's definitely not part of the "culture" of women in Miami, although I'm sure there are a few who do backpack and hike. But once we get to a trail in CA or CO, the NW or Canada, she realizes she's far from being alone.