Joetta tells me a story of a crying guest. It’s orientation, when Zoller’s tells the guests what to expect and there’s a woman at the back, not quite hysterical but certainly weepy. She thinks she can’t do it. She’s afraid. She doesn’t know how to paddle, doesn’t think she can handle it. Her husband isn’t exactly encouraging her. Joetta steps in. “Don’t worry,” she tells the overwrought guest. “Can you work a camera? You’ll sit at the back with me and take the pictures. It’s important work and someone has to do it.” --Postcards from Hood River on Nerd's Eye View

That's a story a river guide told me last weekend when I made a trip to the White Salmon river area in south central Washington. We bonded over the idea that yes, yes, yes, you can do this. You can raft the river, go back country hiking, do a ropes course, you can do all that stuff, sister, and it doesn't have to be a macho endurance test. You have the power, first of all, and secondly, there are tour operators and infrastructure in place to get you out there without making you go out of your mind. You go, girl.

Go Nomad runs a great post of Useful advice for your first soft adventure trip. Here are a few:

If you are afraid of something, ask for the alternative. If it is to stay behind, ask if you will be accompanied especially in remote areas. Similarly, ask what happens if you are the slowest walker!

Soft adventure does mean you have to trust your tour operator who presumably knows the trip is safe. If you are a second guesser, this mode of travel is not for you.

Keep in mind that this is your trip, you're paying for it, so do not second guess yourself about asking questions. If you need to know something, ask.

On About, there's an article that asks "Is a women's adventure travel club for you?" There are some useful links that dig deeper and provide operator recommendations.

This is a popular route for single women hesitant to travel solo, and groups of women who want to travel together but prefer to buy a package instead of planning the details themselves. No surprise: the dynamics of an all-female group are significantly different than when men are part of the trip. As Stoller explains: "If you lose your money, feel ill or just need to share, women will be out there for women."

The Ex-Files recommends a company called Adventure Women.

....The oldest adventure travel company for active women over 30, our adventure vacations are for women traveling solo, or with sisters, mothers, daughters, and friends. They offer small, congenial, non-smoking groups for all ability levels.

And if you're looking for inspiration, try Adventure Divas. You might remember the PBS show. (Can I just say this: HOW many times have I watched that show and though, Oh. My. God. I wish I were THOSE women! I want to be in THEIR club!) Check out the dispatches to find out what they're up to right now.

The image was both disconcerting and, oddly enough, hopeful. It compelled me to see for myself what conditions are like today in a place where a lot of kids are still working in factories. I headed to Asia and Southeast Asia to document what I found.

All this stuff, the exotic places, the physical challenges, the adventure, call it soft or not, is totally doable. Don't think you can't run the rapids or swing in the rain forest canopy. You can. You absolutely can. Pick an operator and ask them all your crazy questions - Can you accommodate a diabetic? I have a bad knee, what are the distances like? Do I have to carry a heavy pack? Can I bring my kids? My gramma? Anything! - and when you find one that gives you the answers you want to hear, adventure is yours!

G'wan, what are you waiting for?

Pam blogs about travel and other adventures at Nerd's Eye View. She just got back from spending time with rafting guides and mountaineers and is all hopped up on can-do spirit.