Finding love through Wilderness Inquiry

Pictured: Hank Bostic with Misty Vranish Bostic – Spring 2014 – Shenandoah Valley, VA

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, we’re sharing a great love story that adds meaning to our tagline, Bringing people together in the wilderness since 1978. Hank and Misty connected on a WI trip, stayed close friends, and married 13 years later. Hank was kind enough to share their wonderful love tale:

Misty and I met on a Wilderness Inquiry trip on the Moose River in Maine in 2000. She was there as an aid to a friend with a disability and I was there looking for an exciting outdoor adventure (and hopefully to see a moose) on a canoe trip. Misty had flown in from Michigan and I had driven up from West Virginia.

Misty and I shared the same beliefs and we just hit it off as friends. She invited me to come to MI in May of 2001 to volunteer at a camp for adults with traumatic brain injuries, Camp Barefoot, at The Fowler Center. I took her up on the offer and began what became a yearly trip to this camp for 15 years and counting. Misty and I were just friends, we had been to Haiti on a mission trip with a group in 2003, and she had stopped in WV and stayed with my mother so we could visit while she was traveling south to see family.

After camp in 2011 we went with some friends on a sailing trip on Lake Michigan. It was during this sunset cruise that we realized we had stronger feelings for each other. As time went on with 550 miles between us we decided to get married. In 2013, after finding a job I packed up my belongings, left my home and mountains where I have lived my entire life and moved to MI to be with my true love. We have fun telling how we met on the Moose River in Maine when people ask how we met (most think it was on the internet – not even close).

Thank you Wilderness Inquiry. Misty and I are sharing the greatest adventure yet.

Helping people create meaningful connections with each other in the outdoors is at the heart of what we do, with thousands of love stories over the decades. We hope you can spend part of this Valentine’s Day outside with your loved one!