Some people dream about vacations where they can sip margaritas from a cruise liner’s deck chair or bask in St. Tropez sunshine. But not Missoula’s Steve Sheriff and Christine Brick. While they also enjoy spending vacation time outdoors, these adventurous souls prefer to get involved with Mother Nature actively rather than passively. Just give this husband and wife some backcountry to explore, a mountain to climb, or a remote sea to kayak and their gear will be packed before you can say Mount Kilimanjaro.

“We’ve had tremendous adventures. They’ve all been good, though my favorite trips are big wilderness trips in Canada to places with glaciated peaks rising from cedars and deep dark forests,” says Chris. “We’ll spend five to six weeks bushwhacking through dense forest breaking our own trail to reach alpine meadows, glaciers, and moraines. You don’t find places like that anymore in South America or Europe.”

“It takes lots of planning to do one of these vacations but I don’t want to follow a guidebook or trail,” adds Steve. “We have to gauge the rock types and figure out the hazards. We have to pack all our food and estimate how many calories per day we’ll need. When you’re out there you’re constantly thinking and I enjoy the intellectual engagement.”

Considering Steve and Chris’ pursuits have led them to climb granite walls rising out of Arctic seas and kayak through mazes of ice, some people might think they could find safer recreation. But neither one believes exploring the natural world is harmful to their health, provided they are adequately prepared.

“Everything you do is dangerous. It’s just a question of what level of risk you’re willing to accept. At some level there’s always some risk but that’s not what we’re looking for,” explains Steve. “We do it for the physical and mental challenge. You look at the weather situation and constantly assess to keep the risk acceptable. Problem solving away from civilization is rewarding. Without that, engagement in life things would get stale. It’s a risk to get in a car. Life is risky. If you shy away from every little what-if scenario you don’t get much out of life.”

Ever since Steve was a kid growing up in Seattle, he enjoyed roaming outdoors. Although no one in his family shared his enthusiasm for roving the countryside that never deterred him.

“I’m a child of the 50s. I grew up playing outside. I wasn’t into organized sports but I liked to take long walks and go beachcombing,” says Steve. “Later in high school, I realized I liked climbing, hiking, and being out in the mountains, too.”

Chris also considers herself a childhood explorer. Whether wandering solo or with her brothers, she always felt at home outdoors.

“I was a curious kid and loved drawing maps of the woods. I was interested in the animals we saw and tried to identify them. When I found a new plant, I’d try to figure out if it was edible. The book, Stalking The Wild Asparagus, fascinated me for a long time.”

Not surprisingly, both ended up becoming geologists. A professor in the University of Montana’s Geosciences Department, Steve specializes in geophysics, which he teaches part-time. Researching relics and ruins buried under the surface of the earth, which melds his interest in geophysics with archaeology, takes up the rest of his week.

Chris works for the Clark Fork Coalition, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Clark Fork River Basin. As its science director, she has focused on Superfund related issues such as permanent cleanup of mining impacted areas within the watershed.

The couple met in 1984 when Steve was a new professor at the university, Chris was a graduate student, and both were training for a marathon. One of their first dates was a 35-mile run around Glacier National Park’s Apgar Range to prepare for the race. The outing also gave them an opportunity to watch for eagles, which at one time flocked by the hundreds to the park’s McDonald Creek to feed on spawning salmon.

“Everybody was jawboning about the eagles back then. We saw dozens of them,” recalls Steve. “It was cool.” Afterwards, when the couple wanted less strenuous dates, they mountain biked trails and dirt roads for six-to-eight hour stretches.

“I think I was more tired after the bike rides on our ‘rest dates’ than I was on our running dates,” laughs Steve.

Although they often vacation together, Steve and Chris also have taken separate trips accompanied by friends who share their passion for the outdoors. In 2003, Chris flew overseas to participate in an annual weeklong event popular with Europeans - cross-country skiing from the Russian border to the Swedish border.

“It wasn’t a race and sounded like fun. Four friends came with me and we slept in everything from old schoolhouses heated with wood to nice hotels with furnaces. Wherever we went there was a sauna,” recollects Chris, who appreciated the relaxing dry heat after covering 60-70 kilometers (about 37–43 miles) daily. “At 46, I was one of the younger ones and I couldn’t keep up with the rest, who were much older. It was exhausting but fun.”

Another time, Steve and Chris headed to Baffin Island for separate vacations. Steve climbed rock walls with colleagues in spectacular fjord country. Chris kayaked with friends on a wildlife tour eventually spotting polar bears, three species of whales, and Arctic foxes.

“From one Eskimo village to the next we never saw anyone and there were 200 miles between villages,” says Chris. “I like northern places and that certainly was northern.”

Closer to home, they both make time to cross-country ski up the Rattlesnake Recreational Corridor. Tackling that 16-mile loop on weekdays, they typically see more wildlife than people. Bicycling remains another favorite activity, whether they are pedaling around nearby hills and valleys or on extended routes for charity drives.

“A couple of summers ago we did a 130-mile bike ride around the Pioneers in one day to support Camp Mak-A-Dream. Between us, we raised $1,000. Finding these kinds of events keeps me going,” says Chris. “They’re for good causes and give me something to look forward to. And since they aren’t competitive, they’re fun. There’s lots of camaraderie.”

Although they have toned down their outdoor pursuits since that early Glacier Park running date, Steve and Chris are by no means ready to stop pushing their limits and encourage others to stay active.

“As you get older, the level of things you do changes. Now I get to do easier things. Even though we’re adapting, it’s still rewarding. Whatever stage of life you’re at, remember to do more. If you don’t, you’re hosed,” says Steve. “Stand up and put your socks on. My mom always said, ‘It’s better now than it’s going to be.’ I’ll wait to go fishing when I get old.”