Why Feeling Capable Outdoors Has Nothing to Do With Being “Outdoorsy”
Dearest gentle reader,
I’m worried you’re thinking about going hiking, but fear you’re just “not that outdoorsy.”
It’s something I hear often. Sometimes it’s whispered apologetically. Sometimes it’s said louder, almost like a flex, as if being a girl who is outdoorsy might somehow be embarrassing.
But here’s what I’ve noticed over the past decade guiding women outdoors: the women who say they’re “not outdoorsy” are often capable, intelligent, high-functioning women in every other area of their lives. They run businesses, lead teams, raise families, manage complex schedules, and solve problems daily. And yet, when it comes to hiking, paddling, or planning an overnight trip, something shifts. Suddenly, they feel unsure.
The word “outdoorsy” has become shorthand for something mythical. Someone who grew up camping. Someone who knows knots instinctively. Someone who doesn’t have a fear of snakes. But capability outdoors isn’t a personality trait. It’s a skill set. And skill sets can be learned.
Kindred is the hiking antidote for People-pleasing women.
If you identify as a people-pleaser, and would rather identify as a self-governed capable woman who has got herself outdoors and in life, then kindred is for you.
hiking backwards on the South Coast Track, Tasmania.
I had heard about the track for years. My Dad and my brother joined a party of men to complete it in December a decade ago, returning with images of Dad submerged in waist-deep mud, and purporting that summiting the ironbound range with horizontal sleet had made them the coldest they’d ever been in their lives (cold enough to be unable to open a ziplock bag for food). Contrastingly, a Tasmanian ex-boyfriend of mine had done the track about 10 times and claimed it was “easy”. With no research, my only trail preparation was a digital map downloaded on my phone, hard copy maps and guidebook in a waterproof case, a borrowed long trench coat for the potentially-torrential rain, and a water filter packed in response to warnings of gastro. I was feeling pretty blind about what we were going to encounter.
5 ways to stay safe (and feel safe) when solo hiking as a woman.
Always wanted to do more hiking but do you feel anxious about going it alone? Many women have concerns for safety as a huge barrier that stops them from having solo adventures. I’ve just completed a 1000km bushwalk, with 650kms of it solo, and here are my 5 top tips for staying safe and feeling safe as a woman when hiking solo.