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Travel & Outdoors

The Kinds of Outdoorsy People You Meet in Seattle

Allison Williams
Author: Allison Williams
2 min.read

What do we mean when we say someone is “outdoorsy”? Well, it takes all kinds, some more closely related than others.

Sporty

Defining Characteristics: Uses the outdoors for athletic pursuits, to challenge and refine the body. The world is their playground.

Motto: “Strava or it didn’t happen.”

  • Open Water Swimmers
    Enjoy being called “nuts,” have conquered one of nature’s harshest conditions, and actually prefer the less crowded winter.
  • Triathletes
    Think one discipline is never enough. When you think about it, the outdoors is one big course without a finish line.
  • Rock Climbers
    Take the hard way up—it’s the whole point. There’s nothing in nature stronger than a single well-placed finger.
  • Trail Runners
    Can knock off a dozen miles before it’s time to stop for a snack made of protein goo.
  • Rollerbladers
    Believe one needs a lot of room to travel with wheeled feet. Making it look easy is harder than you’d think.

Earthy

Defining Characteristics: Finds connection with nature, and isn’t afraid to be quiet, still, and even spiritual in the open air.

Motto: “It’s the journey, not the destination.”

  • Ramblers
    Can turn any neighborhood stroll into a nature walk, and may make it only a quarter mile down a hiking trail due to stopping to inspect every plant.
  • Anglers
    Know that you can’t catch a fish until you truly understand it. Don’t understand the need to be dry all the time. 
  • Foragers
    Won’t tell you their secret spots for fungi or nettles, but will happily wander through brush with you to find new ones.
  • Tidepoolers
    Always wear the sturdy rubber shoes with good soles. They never touch anything with more than two fingers, just to be safe.
  • Standup Paddlers
    Move with the waves, not against them. When it feels too easy, they will try a yoga pose on a choppy day.

Adventurous

Defining Characteristics: Exploring the wilderness is about venturing into the unknown, knowing that there’s pure thrill in seeing what’s beyond the horizon.

Motto: “The mountains are calling and I must go.” 

  • Backpackers
    Have dehydrated dinner, will travel. Enjoy going to sleep knowing the closest neighbor is wildlife.
  • Orienteers
    Get lost on purpose just for the joy of figuring out where they are. Whizzes with GPS.
  • Mountaineers
    Have an indescribable need to be on top of any land mass in sight. Breathe better when the air is thinner.
  • Mountain Bikers
    Never know exactly what’s around the next bend but know they’re going to find out very soon.
  • Off-Roaders
    Know the map of jeep trails is probably inaccurate, and love that. Can winch their way out of any swamp, washout, or blowdown.

Published in the The Ultimate Outdoors Guide issue of Seattle Met.




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Allison Williams
Allison Williams
Since joining Seattle Met in 2011, Allison Williams has overseen the magazine’s travel and outdoor coverage, including deep dives into Olympic National Park, the Columbia River, and a Burger King drive-thru in Canada. She edits the travel-focused blog Tripster and contributes service, news, interview, and narrative pieces to the magazine, including long-form features about mountain mysteries and puppies in prison. She’s earned awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and been nominated for a City and Regional Magazine award.  Allison was raised here in Olympia and studied writing at Duke University, Oxford University, Columbia Journalism School, and University of Alaska. She began her career in New York City in the newsrooms of Metro newspaper and Time Out New York, then hightailed it back to her native habitat so she could write guidebooks and climb mountains.