Just as Outward Bound and other outdoor recreation programs expose urban teens to new environments where the rocks, trees and cliffs force them to lose a layer of cynicism, this date will get you and your sweetie out of the house and the rut of thinking nothing can change the status quo of your relationship.

All people—especially inner teenagers—in long-term, grown-up relationships need a periodic change of scenery in order to gain some perspective. Mountain climbing allows you to see yourself and your partner in a different light. In the narrow confines of your bedroom, your problems may seem enormous. When you see your partner struggling with the ropes or looking ashen as he or she faces a 500-foot sheer cliff face, you will recognize not only how small your problems are, but how much you need each other.

This date suggestion is probably the most involved of any in the guide. High-altitude climbing, involving a day of wearing crampons and learning how to use an ice ax, is a special treat for the soul. It’s one you deserve but have to plan carefully. Many people have an outdoor challenge they have always wanted to explore, and this date might be the time to make that dream real. As you talk to people in online groups or mountaineering shops, keep in mind that you might want to use this date to learn the skills you’ll need to set off on the kind of adventure that really excites you and your partner.

Glimpsing your mortality and relying on your partner for more than idle convenience will change the way you work together. Unlike the subtle experience of cooking school, climbing together can bring up dramatic emotions. Prepare for the person you scarcely knew at the trailhead to make you frustrated, angry, resentful, embarrassed, happy, grateful and dizzily in love. Try to welcome all those feelings. Wild places strip away people’s pretensions and demand an honesty unlike any other interaction. They also force you to put aside nagging reminders of the past and fantasies about the future.

As you think about your geography and your interests, climbing might appear deeply impractical. For residents of St. Louis, snowcapped peaks are a plane ride, not a day trip, away. Consider all your options before you give up and substitute an air-conditioned IMAX® movie for the icy crevasses Robin and Shawn loved. If you’re mountain-challenged, find a corner of nature large and scary enough to cause reverence and then find someone who knows their way around the place. Rivers and oceans will do the trick. Caves, ravines, swamps, and cliffs also work. Someplace untamed and unpaved lurks close to everyone’s home.