Girlfriend introduces her boyfriend to hiking, boyfriend pretends that he was the one who got her into outdoorsy activities: 'This his has been my passion for years.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Aug 8, 2026 7:45 AM EDT

It's the little things you do together, do together, do together, that make perfect relationships. 

It's healthy to share hobbies with your boyfriend or girlfriend. If you marry somebody who loves college football with all of their heart, you're going to have a tough autumn every year if you can't at least try to learn how to like it. A lot of couples meet each other through their hobbies! Heck, that's how I met my partner, and I wholeheartedly believe that hobbies make dating a lot easier than dating apps ever have or ever will. 

It can feel great to get your partner into your hobby, but it can feel weird when they get more into it than you do. After all, you've been rooting for Ohio State football since you were in diapers, so why would your boyfriend act as if he's the bigger Buckeyes fan when he's only been following them for two years? If you've been a pickleball superstar since before it was mainstream, you might feel uncomfortable if your girlfriend starts playing five times a week while you play only 3. There's a difference between someone genuinely getting into your hobby and trying to upstage you in your hobby, despite knowing less. 

That's the situation the girlfriend in this story found herself in. She got her boyfriend into outdoor activities, and he's taking all the credit. It's a combination of anti-female assumptions and her boyfriend refusing to correct those assumptions and playing into them. What would you do if you were in this situation with a boyfriend or girlfriend?

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  • A boyfriend goes on a hike with his girlfriend, who was the one who introduced him to outdoor hobbies.
    via Natalia Blauth (Unsplash+)

    A boyfriend goes on a hike with his girlfriend, who was the one who introduced him to outdoor hobbies. 

    Situation represented by models. 

  • Am I the bad guy for getting upset that my boyfriend is pretending that he was the one who got me into my hobby?

    For context, the hobby is hiking, budget travel, and wild camping. Basically, going on adventures.
    via u/Medussaa_art
  • I've been into this for years. My boyfriend had never really done any of it. He was overweight, so I introduced him to hiking, budget travel, road trips, thru hiking, wild camping, and all the tricks I'd learned over the years. He
    via u/Medussaa_art
  • got fit, fell in love with it, and honestly so far it's been great to see. He made it a big part of his personality.
    via u/Medussaa_art
  • The problem started on a bigger adventure trip we did with a group and a tour guide. I was really excited because I'd followed this guide on socials for years.
    via u/Medussaa_art
  • A tour guide leads a tour group through an adventure hike.
    via Josh Hild

    A tour guide leads a tour group through an adventure hike. 

    The man in this photo is not the real tour guide in the story. 

  • My boyfriend really clicked with him. As they talked about travel and the outdoors, he made it sound like he was the one who got us into all this, as if I just tagged along.
    via u/Medussaa_art
  • They praised him for being adventurous and knowledgeable, and for us being "that outdoorsy couple." I was sitting right there, feeling completely left out.
    via u/Medussaa_art
  • Then the guide invited my boyfriend on another adventure trip with a group of experienced people... without me. He gave a half-hearted "you could probably come too," but it didn't feel genuine.
    via u/Medussaa_art
  • Maybe I'm overreacting, but it s ks. This is the thing I'm most passionate about, and suddenly I felt like I'd been completely disregarded. It honestly made me want to start traveling solo again instead of sharing it with him.
    via u/Medussaa_art
  • The thing is that this isn't the first time this happened. He once took an idea I gave him for a work project, later talked about it with his friends as if he came up with it and got praised for it as I was sitting right next to him. When I said it
    via u/Medussaa_art
  • Boyfriend takes credit for his girlfriend's idea in front of her and his friends.
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Boyfriend takes credit for his girlfriend's idea in front of her and his friends. 

    The real people in the story are not pictured here. 

  • bothered me, he basically told me to "stay mad." During the same trip, people also kept telling me how lucky I was to have such an adventurous boyfriend, and when I mentioned that I'm usually the one planning
    via u/Medussaa_art
  • our trips, I got a, "Well, it's nice that he goes with you." I know this sounds petty, but this has been my passion for years. I am happy that he enjoys it too. I just wish he didn't make it sound like it was
    via u/Medussaa_art
  • all his idea while I sat right next to him.
    via u/Medussaa_art
  • Katrina-Davies The "stay mad" comment tells you everything you need to know about him tbh
    via u/Katrina-Davies
  • ResolveResident118 he basically told me to "stay mad." "Basically" could be doing a lot of work here.
    via u/ResolveResident118
  • Medussaa_art OP Sorry, should have worded it better. It was a "be mad until you're not mad anymore." We didn't solve the issue just ended the conversation with this wording.
    via u/Medussaa_art
  • Okay-Awesome-222 That's the same thing. "Get over it."
    via u/Okay-Awesome-222
  • IceSeeker Also "And so? What are you going to do about it?"
    via u/IceSeeker
  • axewieldinghen He knows he's doing this He is doing it on purpose It would cost him absolutely nothing to say, "yeah my girlfriend got me into the hobby". He doesn't because he wants the social status of being more experienced than he is. At your expense. If your best friend was dating someone who acted like this, what would you think of him? Would you respect him? It's not at all petty to consider breaking up over this. It's not about hiking. It's about how he's co- opted your knowledge, passio
    via u/axewieldinghen
  • maren lark81 NTA You aren't mad that he enjoys hiking, you're mad that he's erasing your identity to construct his own.
    via u/maren_lark81
  • thedaysadventure This 100 he is literally stealing your identity and minimizing you as a human being. So sorry but this man is toxic. In my relationship my wife has a hobby she loves and she shared it with me, I give her props and thank her for showing and sharing, and everyone knows it. He is what I call a vampire, hook up with a like minded person and leave the trash at home.
    via u/thedaysadventure
  • windyhaley I'm not saying this is the right thing to do. But when people would comment on how great it is to have a boyfriend like that I'd try beaming with pride and be like "YUP! Thought him everything he knows!"
    via u/windyhaley

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boyfriend outdoors activities Hiking stealing outdoor outdoorsy relationships hobbies outdoor activities girlfriend toxic relationship
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