Lessons I Learned Kayaking the Grand Canyon, and How They’ll Impact My Adventure Romance Novels by Stacy Gold

FEARLESS FRIDAY

Wow! Kayaking the Grand Canyon. Sounds like fun! Welcom Stacy to tell us about her fearless adventure.

Many years ago, I realized that ninety-nine percent of the time I should do the thing I fear the most. Do the hard thing, not despite it being hard, but because it’s hard.

Recently, I achieved one of my biggest, hairiest, most audacious goals…

I paddled the entire 226 miles of the Grand Canyon from Lee’s Ferry to Diamond Creek—in 12.5 days, while carrying all my gear in my extra-large expedition kayak. On top of all that, I did it at age 51, after having two rotator cuffs reattached to the bone and assorted other injuries and surgeries. It’s a goal that’s taken me thirty years to achieve.

My first invitation to paddle the Grand Canyon came way back in 1990, when I was a raft guide and college student. But it was a fall trip, and I was due back in school. A few other invites to kayak along with raft trips came my way over the years but the timing was never right. And seven years ago, I was supposed to do almost this exact same trip, but I blew out my shoulder mountain biking.

I’d started to think maybe it was never going to happen. Or, at least not under my own steam and I’d have to ride in a raft as a passenger. While there are worse fates, it’s not how I prefer to run rivers.

So, When I got invited on this trip, I jumped on it despite dealing with a host of injuries. I mean, my body isn’t likely to be any stronger or healthier next year. Or the year after. It might be, but at my age especially, there are no guarantees.

While I wasn’t 100 percent sure I could physically do it, I did everything possible to get in as a good a shape as I could. Then hoped it would be enough.

And it was. Just barely. But it was. That’s what matters most.

Here Are Four Life Lessons I Learned Kayaking the Grand Canyon

1. I am tiny. Miniscule. And the world keeps turning and people keep doing things and it all continues whether I’m there to witness or experience or not. It’s very freeing to remember that the modern world is something of our own creation, but there’s a whole other world out there that’s far older, and to me, more real. So why not take a risk and do something like write and publish romance novels. That’s way less scary than running remote rivers.
2. It’s gotten harder to find ways to step outside my comfort zone, but the Grand Canyon pushed me to new limits physically, mentally, and emotionally. I realized I’m still capable of so much more than I ever would’ve thought.
3. Journal—especially about the big, hairy goals and the process of achieving them. I hadn’t been in the habit in a while, but I bought a pretty new one, and on night three forced myself to sit down and catch up (despite the exhaustion and overwhelm). I wrote down the day’s events and emotions pretty much every evening from there on out. The first few days were such an overwhelming blur I’ve had to piece them together from my notes and photos. It’s amazing how much my brain scrambled and squished moments and places and experiences but this way I have somewhere to look to make sense of it all.
4. Push through the fear and do the hard thing anyway. Go for the big, hairy, audacious goal even if you aren’t 100 percent ready. When I first shoved off shore at the start of the Grand Canyon I worried I’d gotten in over my head. By night two, when my entire body was in excruciating pain, I thought I’d made a huge mistake—but it got better and easier every day from there. I learned all I have to be is ready enough. Strong enough. Good enough. Not perfect.

How will kayaking the Grand Canyon influence my future outdoor adventure romance novels?

You can trust that pieces of my Grand Canyon trip, and all I learned along the way, will make it into my book. Much the same way all my years as a backcountry ranger and guide went into my latest, steamy backpacking romance, Wild at Heart.

I’m already working on both a rafting romance and a whitewater kayaking romance. With a whole lot of forced proximity and tons of things that can go wrong—and really, really right—on a multi-day river trip in the middle of nowhere, it’s a no-brainer. 

Stacy Gold Bio

Award-winning adventure romance author Stacy Gold would rather be in the middle of nowhere than almost anywhere else. To that end, she’s run more than 50 rivers in three countries, been heli-dropped into remote ski huts multiple times (and made it into even more under her own steam), worked for the U.S.D.A. Forest Service as a backcountry ranger, river ranger, and naturalist, and spent fourteen years as a commercial river guide and kayak instructor. Her last “real job” was serving as Communications Director for a state-wide mountain biking non-profit.

When she’s not busy kayaking, skiing, mountain biking, or hiking, with her husband and happy dogs, Ms. Gold writes about independent, capable women finding love and adventure in the great outdoors. Her newest release, Wild at Heart, came out May 2^nd, 2022. https://www.stacygold.com 

Short Book Blurb

Overworked entrepreneur Jules Martinez can't be one more guy’s rebound girl. Evan Davenport lost his job, dumped his fiancé, and hates his life. Each hit the trail solo in search of themselves, but Mother Nature has other plans and keeps shoving them in each other’s paths. Usually naked.

When sparks fly, can they find what they’re looking for together instead of apart?

Buy Links

https://stacygold.com/wildatheart

https://www.amazon.com/Wild-at-Heart-Stacy-Gold-ebook/dp/B09R6P93GP/

Barnes & Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wild-at-heart-stacy-gold/1141114368 

Kobo

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wild-at-heart-51 

Apple Books

https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1612975812 

Google Play

https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=UdxiEAAAQBAJ

Embrace the Fear—Take the Risk By Author Stacy Gold

FEARLESS FRIDAY
Please welcome Stacy Gold as my guest today!

At the age of 19, I drove from Georgia to Colorado with my dog, $500 dollars in my pocket, and the promise of a job as a whitewater raft guide. That winter, I decide to ski-bum in Breckenridge—and I didn’t even know how to ski.

People often called me brave, but I never felt brave. They touted my fearlessness, but damn was I scared. Didn’t matter though.

I did what I believed I needed to do at the time, and the consequences of not taking the leap always seemed much worse than the alternative. Even when everything didn’t work out perfectly, in hindsight, I’ve always been glad I took the risk—fears be damned.

Since then I’ve made a habit of pushing my comfort zone. I’ve moved seventeen times and lived in nine states and two countries. Changed careers a few times. Traveled solo in Europe and Mexico. Kayaked class V rapids. Been helicopter dropped in to a hut in the middle-of-nowhere to backcountry ski for a week in total solitude with a handful of friends.

Probably the riskiest, scariest thing I’ve ever done—given my family history—was marrying the love of my life because it was important to him, even though I was against the institution of marriage. Almost seventeen years later, I don’t regret it one bit.

Every single time I’ve done something crazy or risky or out of my comfort zone, I’ve felt a mix of fear and excitement and joy and trepidation. The unknown is always scary, and there’s nothing more unknown than your own future.

The thing is, fear is healthy. Fear is human. Fear is, ideally, what keeps me from killing myself by doing something stupid. That doesn’t mean fear rules me.

Amazing things come to those who are willing to take calculated risks. Who push through the fear and move forward anyway.

Luckily, moving through fear gets easier with practice. I should know… I’m practically a pro nowadays.

I’ve learned to embrace the risks. I’ve come to relish doing the “crazy” thing (including becoming a romance author). Because life has proven to me time and again that it’s worth it.

Fear is not a giant stop sign in the road of my life. It’s a warning flag to carefully consider the risks and how I can mitigate them before proceeding. And the older I get, the more I delight in pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone.

Case in point—A year and a half ago, my hubby was offered a new job in Colorado. We sat in a restaurant in Boulder the weekend this company flew us out, discussing whether or not he should take the position. If he did, we’d be selling our house, leaving our friends, and uprooting our lives after fifteen wonderful years in Seattle for…The great unknown.

Hubby, with fear in his eyes: “Is this crazy?”

Me, with a lunatic grin: “Absolutely. But we should do it anyway.”

So, we did. It‘s been totally worth it, and we have zero regrets. Were we fearless? Hell, no. Did it matter? Not one bit.

I believe deeply in the words of the late, great, Hunter S Thompson:

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”

When fear threatens to paralyze me, I ask myself these simple questions…

1)      What is the best thing that can happen, and what are the chances?

2)      What is the worst thing that can happen, and what are the chances?

3)      Is the potential risk worth the potential reward?

4)      What happens if I do nothing?

5)      Am I okay with that?

That last question gets me moving pretty much every time.

Have you ever done something that made other people think you were fearless when you weren’t? What was it, and why did you do it despite the fear? How did it turn out? I’d love to read your stories in the comments below.

Enjoy this Excerpt from Just Friends

My eyes followed the curve of his lips. They weren’t thin, and they weren’t full either. But they had a kissable shape that begged me to trace their subtle contours with the tip of my tongue. To nip. To explore and taste.

Not that it would ever happen. Not again. I had proof of that.

We’d kissed once, on a drunken night years ago, right after he’d split with his long-term girlfriend. It started out toe-curling, but ended when he pulled away and made it clear he wasn’t attracted to me. At least, not in the way I was attracted to him. Mortified, I pretended it was the alcohol and vowed never to let him know how much I wanted him.

A good vow to remember. Especially now, when I needed a friend more than anything else. Definitely more than I needed a romantic distraction.

 “It’s great to see you.” His words, and his smile, flowed over me like liquid caramel.

“You too.” The connection between us buzzed in me like high-tension power lines. Same as always. So powerful I couldn’t understand how, or why, he didn’t feel it too.

Our noses were inches apart. I tasted his breath, minty and sweet, and licked my lips in anticipation of a kiss I knew would never come. Some habits die hard. I was determined to choke this one until it gave up the ghost.

About the Author

Stacy Gold is a compulsive tea drinker, outdoor sports junkie and lover of good (and bad) puns.

Two years ago she gave up her day job as Communications Director of a nonprofit mountain biking organization to write sassy, steamy, contemporary romance novels. Her stories are packed with strong, independent women, and the men who can’t resist them, finding love and adventure in the great outdoors. When Stacy’s not busy reading or writing, you can find her dancing, laughing or playing hard in the mountains with her wonderful hubby and happy dog.

Her short, steamy, contemporary ski romance “Just Friends” is available for pre-order now. Release date March 3^rd, 2017. http://stacygold.com/books

Enter to Win a $25 REI Gift Card and be the First to Know About Stacy’s Contests, Freebies & New Releases by Joining the Gold Club!

http://stacygold.com/goldclub 

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

http://www.amazon.com/author/stacygold