Love Blooms While Venturing Outdoors

Karen Bondi and Bill Hicks got more than they bargained for when they signed up for a Venture Outdoors hike at Raccoon Creek State Park back in the fall of 2013. The couple recently returned to the site where they first met to create a new memory – getting engaged.

Bill has been a long time member of Venture Outdoors, having first joined when he retired from Westinghouse. He wanted to spend his retirement staying active and enjoying the outdoors. He first met Karen as they waited for the outing to begin and came over to speak with her. “By the end of the day, he had invited me go on another hike to McConnells Mills,” said Karen.

In response to Venture Outdoors helping them meet Bill said, “VO isn’t Match.com! Neither of us joined VO with romance in mind but the more time we spent together the more we found we had in common including a shared interest in a lot of the same outdoor interests, and our relationship seemed to naturally progress further from that foundation.”

Since their courtship began the couple have been on many other outdoor adventures both with Venture Outdoors and on their own. Karen has even been expanding her outdoor interests by venturing out with Bill into snowshoeing during the winter months and is looking at getting into kayaking this summer.

For their engagement, Bill took Karen back to the place they first met near the park office at Raccoon Creek State Park. “Getting engaged there was a complete surprise!” said Karen. The happy couple plan to marry on June 20th this year in San Francisco.

Congratulations to Karen and Bill! Which leaves the Venture Outdoors staff wondering there are other Venture Outdoors couples out there. Share your story with us here!