Judy Wolf - Adventure's Path Takes Her Around the World (printer-friendly version)

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Adventure's Path Leads Her Around the World

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Judy Wolf of Clinton has jumped out of airplanes, traveled around the world and started her own business as a writer and personal coach. And that's just for starters.

Name: Judy Wolf
Age: 33
Home address: 24 College Hill Road, Clinton, NY 13323
Web site: www.judywolf.com
How long have you lived in Clinton? Since the middle of 1999

JUDY WOLF of Clinton has traveled the world.

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She lists Chile, Cambodia and Turkey as places she would like to return to. Last year, she traveled to Ecuador, Nepal, Borneo and Thailand, among other places.

What do you like best about the area? I've got the Adirondacks right in my backyard, with some of the best whitewater kayaking and ice climbing in the country within a 2-3 hour drive.
If you could pick one place to live, it would be: In the U.S., I'd have to say the Pacific Northwest. The natural beauty of that region combines, for me, with a socially conscious and ecologically aware population to create the sort of place I prefer to live.
Education: B.A. (Cum Laude) from Bryn Mawr College, major in neuropsychology; writers' certification program at University of Washington; I'm an active and inexhaustible learner, so am also a licensed massage therapist in Washington and New York states, an ACA-certified whitewater kayak instructor and Wilderness First Responder, and have taken classes in everything from macroeconomics and cultural anthropology to pottery and African drumming.
Occupation: I work for myself as a freelance writer, speaker, workshop facilitator & personal coach.
Family: Husband, Andrew Jillings, runs the Outdoor Adventure program at Hamilton College. No kids.
Excuse me if I brag about: I'm really good at helping people see what's possible in their own lives, and providing a real-life, flawed-but-fun model for what's possible. I have a talent for seeing the connections and relationships between experiences and giving them context in a thoughtful and provoking way. My favorite compliments reflect on my infectious curiosity and compassionate spirit.
What really bugs you about your favorite grocery store?: Not enough organic food - especially produce.
The best advice you ever heard: "Don't loaf and invite inspiration. Light out after it with a club." -Jack London
Hobbies: Playing outside! International travel, whitewater kayaking, ice climbing, horseback riding, mountaineering, rock climbing, swimming, yoga, drawing & painting, pottery, reading, watching movies, learning to cook
When did the travel bug first bite you?: Early. My first international trips were in high school: the first to France for a month-long summer homestay with a wonderful family that I still stay in touch with, and the second to the former Soviet Union for a two-week tour with the Russian Club - that was four years before the Wall came down, so was a fascinating glimpse of a country that has since changed dramatically.

JUDY WOLF at Tilicho Lake, Nepal, with a mountain view

What do you like best about traveling?: Not knowing what will happen next, and the excuse to meet captivating new people who spontaneously open their lives and stories to me in a way that doesn't happen so often when I'm home wrapped in my comfort zone.
What are some of your favorite destinations?: Of the places I've been, I list Chile as a must-return destination for the physical beauty, ease of travel, and friendliness of the people. I would like to return to Cambodia and work for a while, maybe teaching English, since the people I met there impressed me as having a resilience and spirit that I would like to learn from. I would also go to Turkey again in the blink of an eye. Excellent food, graceful architecture, an intriguing sense of history and culture, and a cast of characters that one can only imagine finding at the "crossroads of western civilization."
Any advice for people who would like to start traveling more than do?: My first piece of advice is start small and remember there's a lot to discover right around here: try long weekends in the Adirondacks or Finger Lakes; trips to Montreal, Toronto, or Boston, raft trips in Watertown; sea kayaking or hiking in Nova Scotia. My second piece of advice is stop waiting. If you hear yourself saying "I'll do it when…the kids are older/I get that promotion/we retire," stop! Ask yourself what you can do right now, and make it happen -- I guarantee your life will be richer for it.
You're involved in many physically demanding outdoor sports. What are some of your favorites?: Whitewater kayaking tops the list. It grabbed my imagination the first time I tried it, and has had a hold on me ever since. Whitewater is so powerful and chaotic. For me, it's like finding balance within chaos - it reminds me of aikido, in that you have to flow with what's going on around you and respond in synch with it - if your timing is right, it's effortless; if you miss a stroke, you've got to work your butt off to make up for it. I also enjoy rock and ice climbing for similar reasons - I find the problem solving, body awareness, and concentration involved in these sports very meditative.
How did you get started in those sports?: Kayaking: Friends took me to a winter pool session and then down a couple of rivers that summer. As happens to many avid kayakers, I was instantly obsessed. Ice climbing: This was a sport my husband had started before I met him. He was pleasantly surprised to discover that I both enjoyed it (it's a sport that requires a fair bit of standing around in the cold!) and had a talent for it.
Tell us about some of your recent outdoor adventures?: Last year, I climbed mountains in Ecuador ranging from 14,000 to over 19,000 feet, including Cotopaxi, the world's highest active snow-covered volcano at 19,347 ft, and trekked the Himalayas in Nepal, specifically the Annapurna circuit, which included a side trip to Tilicho Lake, one of the highest lakes in the world at 16,140 ft, and crossing the Thorung La pass (17,700 ft). I scuba dived in Borneo (western Malaysia), Bali, southern Thailand, and the Red Sea. My husband and I recently returned from a mountaineering and ice climbing expedition to Katahdin in Maine's Baxter State Park.

SOME LLAMAS in front of Huayna Picchu. The photo was taken during Judy Wolf's travels in Peru.

As a female outdoor enthusiast, do you face any obstacles that men don't have deal with?: It's harder to pee in the winter - no one makes suits (and bottom layers) with a zip crotch built for women! And it can be more difficult to keep warm. There's a common misconception out there about some of the sports I do - kayaking, climbing - that they require lots of upper body strength and testosterone. What's actually much more important in these sports is balance, flexibility and technique. Yes, strength can be important for some moves, but in many ways women actually have an advantage over men because they don't rely on muscling their way through. They end up being more skilled and thoughtful about what they're doing.
Favorite food: My step-grandmother's apple pie. It's the most melt-in-your-mouth thing you've ever tasted!
Food you despise: Raw tomatoes. Can't stand 'em.
Name a book you highly recommend: White Privilege: Essential Readings on the Other Side of Racism by Paula S. Rothenberg. Why? Personally, I think it's my responsibility as a white, middle-class American to recognize the privileges my skin color, economic status, and citizenship lend me, here in the US and around the world. This book is a great collection of essays that lay a foundation for the dialogue and critical thinking I believe are fundamental to creating a more aware and compassionate American culture.
You never-in-my-wildest-dreams thought you would: Jump out of an airplane. I used to be so afraid of heights, I couldn't walk across the low bridge on a children's jungle gym. In a systematic approach to exploring this fear, I've jumped from bungee platforms and out of airplanes and thrown myself off waterfalls in my kayak. Today, my fear of heights is greatly diminished, and I loved the views from suspension bridges in Nepal.
The person you most admire: My mother. She's a constant inspiration to me, and proves that women just keep getting better as they get older!
What question did I forget to ask: You've taken lots of risks in your life. Aren't you afraid?
Answer it: Yes! And I do it anyway. That's part of what makes life interesting to me. I find there's lots of potential energy bound up in the intensity of fear and anger…but there's not much room in our society for expressing or discussing these feelings. I think making room to explore our fears is essential to living a more inspired and passionate life.

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