Encountering heidi: Audiences for a wilderness adventurer identity

In recent times, the wilderness is seen by many as a place for the individual to escape the routines of everyday life and regain contact with one's true self. Ingrained in that escape to the wilderness is the concept of challenging dangerous situations that, if voluntarily faced, can lead to adventure and the attribution of character. The river is one such wilderness place where individuals go to escape civilization and embrace their river-runner selves, which involves the imputation of wilderness adventurer identities. In the escape to a river wilderness, river runners encounter other groups. While it has been widely assumed that encounters in wilderness areas adversely affect the wilderness experience, the authors explore how encounters with others on the river provide audiences that are central in the construction and affirmation of the wilderness adventurer identity.