The Summer Olympics in Paris kick off in mere hours, so how appropriate that today I’m going deep with the first Guides Gone Wild former Olympian, Nicole Freedman, now the Executive Director of NEMBA, the New England Mountain Bike Association.

As you'll hear, Nicole’s Team USA experience is impressive, but even more amazing to me are the decades of devotion she’s applied to making bikes, and bike transportation, a bigger part of our everyday lives.

Nicole was the city of Boston’s first-ever 'Bike Czar'; during her tenure, she helped transform Boston from the three-times designated 'worst cycling city in the country' (according Bicycling Magazine), into a national leader in cycling accessibility and safety.

After some additional stints leading both urban and rural active transportation initiatives, in 2022, Nicole took the helm of NEMBA - only the third Executive Director in that organization’s 35 year history. NEMBA is a community of mountain bikers committed to creating epic riding experiences, preserving open space, and guiding the future of mountain biking in New England through its 35 chapters across all six New England states.

It’s almost like we’re e-biking our way through this conversation, we cover so much ground! From metro-west to Stanford to Sydney to Seattle, with multiple boomerangs back to the Boston area, all with the goal of making bikes the new normal for commuters, conservationists, and casual riders alike (no hot dog costume required!!)

Links from our conversation (not chain, the other kind!):

New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA): https://nemba.org/
Elevate: https://elevatemtb.com/
Guides Gone Wild talks with Sabra Davison, Little Bellas
Vermont Mountain Bike Association: https://vmba.org/
Kingdom Trails Association (VT): https://www.kingdomtrails.org/
Hub on Wheels (not happening any more, likely a victim of COVID, sigh - but here's link to a Hub on Wheels FB page showing info and images from 2019): https://www.facebook.com/HubOnWheels/
Toole Design Group
Co2 Inflator Kits
Bear Brook State Park (NH)

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Today I’m welcoming one of my wild new Western Maine friends, Julie Sloan, an owner and the lead instructor at Maine River Runners (https://www.maineriverrunners.com/) in Bethel, Maine.

Maine River Runners came to town the summer of 2023, and jumped right in to the local business community with their fleet of kayaks, canoes, stand up paddleboards, and accessories for rent, as well as a lesson program and shuttle service that brings paddlers up and down the Androscoggin from their riverfront home base in Bethel.

But this is no ‘Julie-come-lately’ story - even though her business just celebrated its first birthday, Julie Sloan has more than 20 years of experience teaching (both in classrooms and on the water), and holds certifications in swift water, coastal kayaking, SUP yoga teaching, and as an ACA Paddle Sports Safety Facilitator.

Julie’s story is one that fills me with joy because she has managed to meld her many interests and curiosities into a life she loves, that’s also creating so much good in the world and in her community as a result.

So get that river adventure on your calendar ASAP!:

Maine River Runners : https://www.maineriverrunners.com/
Evans Notch Lodge

Are you a registered Maine Guide itching to get your community and clients on the water this summer?

Let’s talk paddle retreats!: https://www.evansnotchlodge.com/retreats

Or are you a land-lubber looking for some fun (and fabulous fundraising!) hiking opportunities this summer? :

Join or Support the Guides Gone Wildcats hike for Alzheimer’s - July 27th
Join or Donate to a Summits in Solidarity hike: https://givebutter.com/SummitsInSolidarity

Or has Julie inspired you to start your own outdoor business? Check out my Guide for Guides on Liability Insurance and Social Media Marketing!

A few more links from our conversation (come on over to GuidesGoneWild.com for the complete list):

Ari Leach - Blackbird Guide Services
Androscoggin River Watershed Council
HALA inflatable paddle boards (CO)
Zapstix Surf Shop (NH)

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Today we celebrate the decade anniversary of one of the most storied and epic bike races in the east, the Rasputitsa, with race co-founder and co-director Heidi Myers.

So what exactly is Rasputitsa, you might be asking? Short answer is, it depends.

This year it was a whole weekend of events built around a 50-ish mile gravel bike ride/race that based itself at Jay Peak in Vermont, and included 4,500 feet of climbing.

For the long answer, PLEASE go back and listen to my earlier episode with Heidi, and follow @rasputitsadirt on Instagram to let the energy and ethos of this amazing person (and the event she helped to create) wash over you.

Content warning - audio is admittedly not great. Heidi lives in a rural spot in northern Vermont, and her service left a lot to be desired... so I ask you to bring the same level of intentionality to listening to this podcast that Heidi and the Rasputitsa team bring to every little, tiny detail of their race planning. Find a quiet place where you can focus on her words, you won’t regret it.

And one final note - spoiler for those who haven’t yet listened to Heidi’s first appearance on this podcast - she’s been battling early onset Parkinson’s for years. She is the last person to expect (or desire) any kind of sympathy or extra attention for what she’s going through, but I do think it’s important to consider when you look at how intentional she is, particularly regarding this race and community. She really does blow me away.

Prepare to be inspired.

And some links before we go:

Rasputitsa - https://rasputitsadirt.com/
@rasputitsadirt - https://www.instagram.com/rasputitsadirt
Heidi Myers on Guides Gone Wild (debut!)
Trish & Jen talk about Vertical
Specialized
WHOOP
Bourne's Energy
Zero Gravity
Jay Peak
MidSouth Gravel - @midsouthgravel
GroundedNE - @groundedne
Big Red Gravel Run - @bigredgravelrun
For the Love of Food Catering
Bivo
Trash Gear Co (bike fenders and mud guards made in VT from recycled plastic!)
Julbo Eyewear
Castelli
Plink!
Columbia Forest Products

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In honor of it being National Volunteers Week, today we're talking to Cindy Hession - scientist by day, hiker and volunteer chair for the 48 Peaks Hike to End Alzheimer's every other waking moment she can manage!

Cindy and I talk about her love affair with the White Mountains and hiking, her personal connection with Alzheimer's, and how the 48 Peaks fundraiser grew out of one man’s devotion to his wife. Her enthusiasm and dedication to this event will pour through your earbuds and make it obvious why Cindy was recognized with a national award earlier this year for her volunteerism.

To lend my support to Cindy AND the 48 Peaks initiative, I have started a fundraising team called Guides Gone Wildcats, and we are going to hike Wildcat A (and D on the way there, for all you peak-baggers!) If you want to join me on this epic hike, or support our team’s fundraising efforts with a donation of literally any amount, you can do both over on our Guides Gone Wildcats Team Page: http://act.alz.org/goto/guidesgonewildcats. Let’s DO THIS!

I hope you’ll hang with us until the end on this episode, because I’ve got a special offer for the Longest Day 48 Peakers out there, too!

But first, a few key links:

Alzheimers Association - alz.org - 24/7 Helpline: 1-800-272-3900
48 Peaks - A Longest Day Event
Longest Day Fundraiser
NewsCenter Maine feature on 48 Peaks
Guides Gone Wildcats Team Page
RekLis Brewing Celebration (Bethlehem, NH) - June 8th, 2024

AND - what would a podcast about hiking be without TONS of great hiking links (and even more over on our episode page at GuidesGoneWild.com!):

Mt. Sugarloaf (South Deerfield, MA)
NH48 (list of the 48-4,000 foot mountains in NH)
Pioneer Valley - a hidden gem? (MA)
Seven Sisters (MA)
52 with a View
Pemi Loop vs. Mt. Pemi (there’s a difference!)
The Belknaps
Mt. Moriah (NH)
Mt. Watatic (MA)
Wapack Range (MA/NH)
Kula Cloth
Hike Safe Card (NH)

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Sliding in better late than never this week (DAMN POWER OUTAGE!!) with my fabulous new friend, Tarin O’Donnell of the Tarin It Up Podcast.

Tarin and I met through a women’s podcasting group, and even before I listened to her podcast, I realized I had to have her on because she’s been living a life that a lot of us glamorize and feel a little bit envious of…. Picture snowy woodlands, gorgeous mountains and lakes, skiing, snowmobiles, yoga, avy training at a craft brewery... It’s Lake Tahoe for crying out loud. You know the jam.

But - the reason I wanted to invite her on was NOT to give us an even worse case of FOMO - it’s because Tarin also keeps it totally real when it comes to talking about the hard and challenging things that can be part and parcel of “living the dream”.

There’s so much good stuff here - Tarin has spent almost her entire life tearing up the list of traditional expectations that society tries to guardrail girls and women with (spoiler alert: yes, she's a wrestler!!). She’s also been super creative in the way she’s crafted a life she can live on her own terms - up to and including recognizing and problem-solving for the burnout and financial challenges that pop up like annoying whack-a-moles as a result of her seasonal, outdoor-oriented lifestyle.

So listen up! And if you agree that Tarin would be the coolest online fitness coach and trainer ever, you can check out her offerings on her business site, TKOYogaFit.com, or connect directly with her on Instagram @tarin.k.o , she’s TKOYogaFit on Facebook, or TarinODonnell on LinkedIn.

And you most definitely should click on over to the Tarin It Up Podcast right now and subscribe or follow, maybe even queue a few up for this weekend’s drive up to whatever adventure you’ll be getting at once this stupid weather blows through. You’re welcome for introducing you to a new adventure bestie in your earbuds!

Lots-o-Links:

TKO Yoga & Fitness: https://www.tkoyogafit.com/
Tarin It Up Podcast
Work out with Tarin on YouTube
Wild Women Podcast Society
Emily Holland on Guides Gone Wild
Angie Marie’s 'For The Love Of' Podcast
Swell by Outspring : https://www.theoutspring.com/
Crystal Mountain (WA)
What is a ‘tender’?
Wild Rye
Dovetail Workwear : https://dovetailworkwear.com/
Black Diamond Rechargeable Headlamp

Hope to see you at Guides Gone Wild's Tuesday Meetup - April 23, 2024 @ 6:30pm - True North Ale Company, 116 County Rd, Ipswich, MA - head over to GuidesGoneWild.com/meet for more details!

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Today we take a scenic ride through the intricacies of trail development, where the rubber meets the road in terms of community building, advocacy, grant writing, marketing... and bike riding!

Marianne Borowski is the absolute force of nature behind the Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail.

For those of you who haven’t yet heard of it, the Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail is an 83 mile long multi-purpose trail that spans northern New Hampshire, from Woodsville on the Vermont border to Bethel, Maine.

The Adventure Trail patches together pre-existing rail trails, bike paths, dirt roads and a few short pavement segments to create a fluid tour of the north country great for biking, hiking, cross country skiing, horseback riding, you name it - if it’s non-motorized, you’re probably good to go on this fantastic trail. AND you can get amazing support along the way, thanks to the countless resources available on the xNHAT.org website.

Such well-documented, well-thought-out trail networks don’t just magically appear out of the ether - there is always at least one extremely passionate advocate working behind the curtains to make their vision a reality for the rest of us to enjoy.

Marianne is just such a passionate, action-oriented visionary, and she was kind enough to invite me up to her hill-top perch in Bartlett to talk all things trail. I loved every minute of our conversation, so I’m sharing them all!

Head on over to xNHAT.org to get all the details about the Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail, including links to the Story Map, the GPS links, even how to get your very own copy of the OG waterproof paper map, so you can start planning your own Cross New Hampshire Adventure! And if anyone is interested in joining Trish and me on the ride later this summer/fall, shoot me an email - guidesgonewildpodcast@gmail.com - who knows, maybe we can do a whole group thing! That would be SO FUN!

In the meantime, more great links from our conversation:

Katy Trail (MO): https://bikekatytrail.com/
Erie Canal Bike Trail (NY): https://bikeeriecanal.com/
C&O and GAP (Great Allegheny Passage) Trails (PA, WV, MD, DC): https://bikecando.com/
Cross Vermont Trail: https://www.crossvermont.org/
Ride with GPS: https://ridewithgps.com/
Read more about bicycling in Québec, and the ‘Bienvenue cyclistes!’ program: https://www.bonjourquebec.com/en-us/to-see-and-do/outdoor-activities/cycling
Bike Friendly New York: https://www.ptny.org/cycle-the-erie-canal/bikefriendly
Dero Fixit: https://www.dero.com/product/fixit-plus/
Spencer Hawkes: https://www.spencerhawkes.com/
Israel River Campground: https://israelrivercampground.com/
Lamoille Valley Rail Trail: https://railtrails.vermont.gov/trails/lamoille-valley-rail-trail/
Great American Bike Tours: https://www.cycletheusa.com/

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Today I bring you another dose of practical, relatable, do-able inspiration with my special guest Val Hopkins from 365 Mile Challenge.

Val’s business is all about meeting people wherever they are, bringing them into a supportive community, and providing them with tools, resources and motivation to build a movement habit that works within the limitations of their life, time and physicality - whatever those look like.

That would be inspiring enough, but wait until you hear about how Val, the tech-challenged nurse forced to retire early because of an injury, decided that she and her biologist daughter-in-law were JUST the people who should swoop in and save an internet-based movement community on the brink of shutdown… literally weeks before COVID locked us all inside, by ourselves.

The same drive that gets Val and her community moving "a mile a day, their way", served the 365 Mile Challenge business well, and Val and Kayla recently started their fifth year as stewards of the company and its app, offshoot communities, ambassadorships, and virtual races.

I hope you’ll check out Val’s website, 365milechallenge.org, as well as #365MileChallenge and @365MileChallenge on Instagram - and maybe even get involved in the challenge, or a virtual race, or just take advantage of all the useful resources and tips she’s curated on her fabulous website!

When you’re stuck in a rut, or life is going sideways for whatever reason, sometimes it only takes a teeny little prod to get a teeny little dose of movement to get you redirected to a brighter place. So why wait for the rut?? You can start building a movement habit now, in community with Val, Kayla and 365MileChallenge.org!

Links to the good stuff:

365 Mile Challenge: https://365milechallenge.org/
@365 Mile Challenge on Instagram, @Official365MileChallenge on Facebook
Outspring: https://www.theoutspring.com/
Swell: https://www.theoutspring.com/events/ - watch the 2023 highlights here
Amy Hopkins, Saltwater Mountain Co. on Guides Gone Wild (Sept 2023)

Join us for our next Last Tuesday Virtual Meetup on 2/27!: https://www.guidesgonewild.com/meet

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Today we head OUTside with another fabulous wild guide, Rae-a Moughty, Founder and Director of Campfire Institute, an amazing organization that offers wilderness enrichment adventures for girls and LGBTQIA+ youth.

I connected with Rae-a right after she’d wrapped up the Institute’s OUT on the Snow program held at Evans Notch Lodge over MLK weekend. We were both so fired up by the great time had by the teens, and we wanted to harness that energy to try to spread the word about Campfire Institute and all of its programs still on tap for 2024.

Rae-a is an educator, registered Maine Guide, and all around ray of sunshine, as you’ll hear. Her passion for her work literally pours out of her, and she can’t grow her programs fast enough to keep up with the demand from all corners of Maine.

After you're done tuning in today, make sure to click on the link below to watch the beautiful video Jenny Woodward created with Rae-a (aka "Cricket"), featuring some of the teens that have found their voice and powerful connections through Campfire Institute programs. These kids are amazing and totally, authentically themselves, right down to the classic teen eyerolls!

It is NOT too late to sign up for Campfire Institute’s fabulous 2024 programming, so head over to CampfireInstitute.org - and even if you aren’t actively looking to register YOUR child or young adult for a program, you might just think of smashing that DONATE button and helping to sponsor another.

Please also follow @campfireinstitute on Facebook and Instagram - and there’s even a @campfireinstitute TikTok for the youth in your life to get their stoke on without having to stoop to joining you on the old folks’ socials!

And finally - if you are a retreat leader or guide looking for a low-key, affordable and comfy place to basecamp YOUR next group adventure, I hope you’ll check out Evans Notch Lodge - it's a sweet spot for groups like Campfire Institute, and we will work with you to achieve your vision for your event, retreat, bootcamp, whatever. Contact @evansnotchlodge on Instagram or Facebook, or come on over to EvansNotchLodge.com for more info.

Make sure to check OUT these links from our conversation!:

Campfire Institute: https://www.campfireinstitute.org/
@campfireinstitute on Instagram
The OUT Retreat Weekend 2024
Check out the amazing work Campfire Institute does in this video: http://vimeo.com/jennywoodward/campfire
OUTdoor Leadership Training with Maine Tourism & Campfire Institute
Equality Maine
Give the gift of Equitable Wilderness!
Ari Leach of Blackbird Guide Services on Guides Gone Wild

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What you need to know RIGHT THIS SECOND is that we are kicking off the Last Tuesday of the Month Virtual Meetup - for any and all Guides Gone Wild peeps - starting NEXT TUESDAY, January 30th, at 7pm.

How can you join the virtual meetup, you ask?

CLICK HERE or head on over to GuidesGoneWild.com/meet and sign up for the calendar invite and Zoom link!

At this first meetup, we will be talking about visions and goals and hopes for 2024 - and the rest of the year, we’ll be inviting in the guides and conversations and accountability we need to actually get all the fun stuff done!

So where did this idea come from, you might ask?

Well, grab a cup of hot tea, close your eyes, and picture yourself cozied up by a lovely woodstove in the Maine woods.... That’s where I was a few weeks back with my trusty sidekick Trish and Guides Gone Wild all star listener and guest Bethany Cass, on a spontaneous adventure at the Flagstaff Hut (Maine Huts & Trails).

I just happened to bring my little recorder with me so I could pick their brains about what they find valuable about these little adventures.

Apologies for the janky audio, but I hope you enjoy a little eavesdropping into why little spontaneous spurts of nature are so AMAZINGLY amazing!

And in case you want to hear more of us talking all the feels!:

Bethany's inspiring episode on Guides Gone Wild: https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/bethany-cass-ggw146
Trish and I talk about Vertical: https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/ggw068-vertical-weekend-recap-with-trish-and-jen
Trish and I talk about Rooted: https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/rooted-mtb-festival-recap-ep111

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Read more about Emily's decision about GearME:
https://www.gearmeoutdoors.com/sale-of-business

If you or someone you know wants to learn more about the GearME business sale, please contact Michael Hall, Commercial Real Estate Broker with The Jordie Lee Company: 207-773-1111 (office) or email mhall@jordielee.com

Way back in March 2021, I talked to Emily Kirkton, the owner of GearME, a fabulous outdoor consignment gear and apparel store in Freeport, Maine.

As of this month, after 5+ years of running this awesome business, Emily has made the difficult decision to move on to new challenges (and honestly, more family time), so she is looking for a buyer and starting to plan for a transition toward the end of February.

I would love to help Emily in any way I can - so I’m replaying this conversation in the hopes that I can make one of the following options manifest:

Someone listening will know someone who would be STOKED to take over this amazing business;
Someone listening will be STOKED to take over this amazing business themselves; and/or
EVERYONE listening makes a point of getting to GearME in the next month to stock up on their outdoor needs, support the circular economy, and give Emily the most financially rewarding send-off possible!

Plus, this conversation is tons of fun to listen to - whether you’re a newbie adventurer, a small business owner, or a grown-up trying to get a kid outdoors, Emily shares great tips and tricks that are as applicable today as they were back in March 2021.

**
Timestamps for the impatient :-)

0:02 -- GearMe Outdoor Consignment Store Transition
10:15 -- Overcoming Challenges in Becoming a Guide
14:32 -- Starting an Outdoor Retail Store
27:29 -- Outdoor Adventure With Kids
33:30 -- Changing Perspectives and Parenting Outdoors
38:09 -- Gear Recommendations for Outdoor Activities
42:01 -- Consignment and Gear Buying Tips

Enjoy!

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Hopping into the Wild One Wayback Wagon this week to take a quick look back at 2023 - and while we're at it, grab some last minute gift ideas, giving thoughts and gritty inspiration to take us through this darkest day and into the light of the new year!

GIFT IDEAS:
https://backcountryfoodie.com/ - use code WILD at checkout to save 20% on memberships
https://navitour.com/ - support local Maine Guides and trip leaders
https://www.cedargrovesauna.com/ - sweat and soak up and down mid-coast Maine
https://saltwatermountainco.com/ - treat your bestie to a luxurious DryRobe
https://www.arcticlynxmaternity.com/ - help those moms-to-be stay active and warm
https://www.carolinesdream.com/ for all the natural skincare (chamois cream is a fave!)

CAN'T MISS EVENTS:
https://www.summitsinsolidarity.org/ Me & White Supremacy Challenge kicks off January 30; watch for Solidarity Hike Day in June
https://camdensnowbowl.com/toboggan-championships/ Cheer on A Flying Flock - February 2-4
https://somersetsnowfest.org/ and Skijor Skowhegan- February 16-24
https://www.northernforestcanoetrail.org/adirondack90miler/ September 6-8

INSPIRATION TO SHARE:
Anne Parmenter - https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/anne-parmenter-ems-climbing-everest-mountaineer-ggw122
Bethany Cass - https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/bethany-cass-ggw146
Anyssa Lucena - https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/climb-for-a-cause-anyssa-lucena-ggw147
Tori Gray - https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/tori-gray-the-wilderness-guru-ggw137
Lindsay Currier - https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/lindsay-currier-bikepack-maine-ggw149
Kat Ripley - https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/kat-ripley-juniper-moss-guide-services-ggw150

CAUSES TO CONSIDER:
https://diversifywhitewater.org/
https://latinooutdoors.org/
https://protectourwinters.org/
https://www.mainegearshare.org/

What did I miss? Who do I need to interview? What are you looking forward to in 2024? Let me know - guidesgonewildpodcast@gmail.com!

Happy Solstice, happy holidays, peace and love to you all :-) ~Jen

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Today we get back to my wild fan-girling business with Renaissance woman and Registered Maine Guide, Kat Ripley.

Kat and I recently worked together on an amazing event hosted by Anna Heath and We Built This, where eight wanna-be carpenters were brought together for a weekend of learning, building, mending, yoga and outdoor mindfulness - that last part was where Kat came in for this event.

One of Kat’s most potent talents involves bringing people into nature in a meaningful way, which she’s now doing through her Juniper Moss Guide Services. Kat walked us all through an amazing exercise at the end of our weekend, which she is generous enough to share again today.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg of value and inspiration this exceptional woman brings - Kat’s many interests and multiple resets and restarts might just get you fired up to try something new yourself in the new year, or at the very least, start putting yourself first in ways that truly matter!

As a gift for yourself this holiday season, make for darn sure that you follow Kat Ripley everywhere: check out her website, JuniperMossGuideServices.com, where she’s already got some very fun-sounding stuff brewing for 2024; then head over to Instagram and give her a follow @junipermossguideservices and @kat_rip so you can bask in her thoughtful longer-form captions and the fun pix of her adventures and yurt life!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Content warning for this episode - we don’t get into a ton of detail, but we do discuss domestic abuse and child abuse. If those topics will be hard for you, maybe take this week off - but let me also say that your home should be a safe place, and if you ever feel even remotely like that is not the case, please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233**. Help is available, please keep yourself and your family safe this holiday season and always.

You can also find help locally:

In Maine - https://www.mcedv.org/get-help/

In New Hampshire - https://www.nhcadsv.org/

In Massachusetts - https://www.mass.gov/info-details/list-of-domestic-violence-services-by-massachusetts-county

In Vermont - https://www.vtnetwork.org/

In Connecticut - https://www.ctcadv.org/

In Rhode Island - https://ricadv.org/

In New York - https://www.nyscadv.org/find-help/program-directory.html

A few more links from our conversation (many more on the episode page over on GuidesGoneWild.com!):

Bikepack Maine
Flagstaff Lake Hut
Lindsay Currier on Guides Gone Wild
We Built This
Thunder Ridge Ski Area (NY)
Maine Huts & Trails
Merino Wool Neck Gaiters by Buff
Evans Notch Lodge

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Today I’ve got an awesome conversation with just the kind of everywoman superhero I love to talk to on the pod - Lindsay Currier, a registered Maine guide, mountain bike coach, enduro racer, trail builder, ski patroller, total mom goals and the force behind Bikepack Maine.

Lindsay’s lived on both coasts and a few places in between, and has spent a bunch of years doing a bunch of stuff to lift up women in biking, whether as her full-time gig or as a side-hustle-on-steroids.

We don’t talk a ton about how Lindsay got into biking in the first place, or what brought her into racing and coaching initially, but I’ve linked up a fantastic blog post here (https://www.josiebikelife.com/2015/11/women-involved-series-lindsay-currier.html) that will give you a window into her life and back story as of 2015, when it was written.

There’s still lots of ground to be covered today, though, and while a lot of things have changed for Lindsay in the past decade (mostly driven by the fact she now has a daughter, Saffron, and lives in Maine instead of out West), there are still a few golden threads that are woven all the way through - among them her commitment to promoting women on and around bikes; her innate drive to foster community; and her desire to help others avoid all the costly and borderline critical mistakes and slipups she made as she learned how to ride big.

And as an added bonus for any of you who dream of riding big with your little rippers, Lindsay shares some mindset tricks and gear tips that will help set you up for success!

Follow Lindsay's (and Saffron's!) adventures:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaybethc/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindsay.currier.50
Bikepack Maine: http://www.bikepackmaine.com/

A hint of the single track miles we cover can be found in our extensive link list (come on over to the episode page on GuidesGoneWild.com for even more)!:

Packraft Maine
Rolling Fatties (Kingfield, ME)
How to become a Registered Maine Guide
Chariot Bike Trailer
Carver Bikes
Maine Huts and Trails
Burley Piccolo
Stowe Leaf Blower - Stowe Trails Partnership (VT)
Kingdom Trails (VT)
Kids Ride Shotgun Bike Seat
Shotgun Pogies
EDT - Eastern Divide Trail
Katie Holden - Red Bull ‘Formation’
Devinci Mountain/Enduro Bikes
Eastern States Cup Enduro
Trans New England Enduro
Steep & Cheap

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Today we're embarking on a culinary thru-hike with registered dietitian and logistical powerhouse Aaron Owens Mayhew, the founder of Backcountry Foodieand the trail mom we all wish we had!

I’m not even a long distance hiker (yet?!?), and can count on one hand the number of times I’ve backpacked for consecutive days sleeping outside, honestly - but I’ve been OBSESSED by the Backcountry Foodie business for years, since Aaron was doing Facebook Lives sitting outside in her vanlife days... and as COVID was lingering on, I listened to countless podcasts featuring Aaron telling her hiking back story, and the origin story of Backcountry Foodie. (Link below to one of the many good ones from friend of the pod, Meg Carney of The Outdoor Minimalist Podcast!)

So we’re not going to talk much Backcountry Foodie history today - I’m much more stoked about the brilliant power move Aaron started leaning into this year, when she began experimenting with ways to more directly support backpackers in their thru-hiking attempts.

We'll also hear about the trials and triumphs Aaron experienced on her recent Tour du Mont Blanc - SOOOO MANY good takeaways for traveling backpackers, so make sure you listen to the end!

AND THEN - head on over to BackcountryFoodie.com to check out all of the amazing free resources and recipes available to get you fired up and fueled up.

OR BETTER YET - level up into one of the Backcountry Foodie membership programs, which will get you access to the entire library of recipes and nutrition guidance, as well as a discount in the Backcountry Foodie online shop!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S EVEN MORE! Take advantage of a special discount Aaron is extending to all friends of Guides Gone Wild - use code WILD at checkout to get 20% off any Backcountry Foodie membership - woot!!

Get a little WILD, use code WILD, and start eating right on the trail, river, campground, wherever and whenever you find yourself fueling up far from your kitchen home base!

LoveMaineAdventures

DD + Co
Danielle Dorrie on Guides Gone Wild

Shorty short for you today, I caught up with Danielle Dorrie and her partner Chris Francis when they were out of town sipping bloody marys before heading out on a hike - girl knows how to live!

Danielle's was one of our first ten episodes way back in 2020, and at the time, she was hiking and posting like crazy to YouTube and the ‘gram, but hadn’t yet passed her Maine guide test.

As of today, Danielle is rocking the registered guide patch, is still the queen of social, and is putting the finishing touches on her and Chris’ new venture - or should I say, Adventure. Specifically, Skyline Maine Adventures - renting kayaks and canoes, and offering guided paddling and hiking excursions along the Penobscot and in the greater Bangor/Acadia area (although they’ll happily head to Baxter, Moosehead, or basically anywhere else there’s fun to be had in the outdoors).

Keep tabs on Skyline Maine Adventures on Instagram and Facebook, so you can jump on one of their great offerings as soon as the site goes up!

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Spirals of Wellbeing
Women’s School for Spiritual Warriors - starting in January, one spot left!
Swan’s Island Vision Quest
Canoe Coaching in a gorgeous wooden canoe (treat that bum right!)
Jen Deraspe's first visit with Guides Gone Wild

It’s the Jen Team - Guides Gone Wild Jen and Jen Deraspe of Spirals of Wellbeing, née Nurture Through Nature - dropping into your ear buds at the end of a long work week to give you something to smile and dream about: your very own vision quest.

(And don’t worry, no danger of a Madonna cameo in this one. Except I might be the only one old enough to get that reference…)

Since our last podcast meetup, Jen has been a busy, bicoastal woman - selling a business, taking care of business, and now getting back to business again here in Maine with Spirals of Wellbeing.

If 2023 is going to be the year you connect with your whole self, figure out what’s really important and bring new perspective to your life’s next chapter, you’re going to want to head to SpiralsOfWellbeing.com and connect with Jen D. for more info - but let’s have her fill you in right now!

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Mahoosuc Guide Service (Newry, ME)
@mahoosucguideservice - on Facebook too
Polly receives the 2022 Legendary Maine Guide Award!

Today we’re bringing back the legend, that’s right, the 2022 Legendary Maine Guide Award Winner Polly Mahoney of Mahoosuc Guide Service in Newry, Maine.

Polly and her partner Kevin guide single and multi-day dog sledding trips in the winter, and canoe trips in the summer. Many of their paddling adventures are co-led by Penobscot guides, they make their own wood canvas canoes and paddles, they practice and teach canoe poling, they are really second to none when it comes to crafting memorable outdoor experiences.

And they haven’t even built a guided adventure around their motorless ATV pre-season dog training (you’ll know what I’m talking about soon enough), just imagine how bonkers THAT would be!

Not only has Polly come back to fill us in on her upcoming offerings, she’s also on the lookout for an additional intern for the winter season - if you love the outdoors and love dogs, this is THE most amazing opportunity you will ever have to get some incredible hands-on experience with the best in the Maine guide business. So get over to Mahoosuc.com and hit Polly up for more information about a tour, or a tour of duty!

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Two Maine Mermaids - Winter Solstice Double Dip on December 21st!
@twomainemermaids
Ebb and Flow on Guides Gone Wild (May, 2021)

Help Ebb and Flow fill Willard Beach with 381 cold water bathing beauties in honor of International Women’s Day - Saturday, March 4th!

We are exactly one week away from the shortest, darkest day of the year, also known as Winter Solstice, so what better time to check in with our favorite double dippers, Kelsy Hartley and Caitlin Hopkins of Two Maine Mermaids.... because don’t you know it, they’ll be hosting TWO dips in honor of the Solstice on December 21st, at 7am and again at 4pm, sunrise and sunset - who will be brave enough to join them?!?

Like a lot of other Stoke Squadders we’ve talked to so far this month, the Two Maine Mermaids have seen a lot of changes in the year or so since we last spoke - their cold water community continues to grow like crazy, and both Kelsy and Caitlin have dipped their toes into exciting new endeavors in and around the water as well.

Check out some amazing drone footage of last year’s International Women’s Day dip on the Two Maine Mermaids website, where you can sign up for their newsletter updates, and stay abreast (stroke) of @twomainemermaids goings-on to jump the gun on any of the new, fun events they post in the new year.

Oh, the places they go (and ebb and flow!):

Willard Beach (South Portland, ME)
Kettle Cove (Cape Elizabeth, ME)
Kingdom Games Swim in February at Lake Memphremagog

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Leadership Rising 2023 Retreat
Northstar Adventures
Adriana Bellerose & Associates
Mystica Costa Rica

Nancy Zane on Guides Gone Wild (first time)
Nancy Zane talks Leave No Trace on Guides Gone WildOG listeners will probably remember NancyZane from Northstar Adventures, she first graced our airwaves way back around episode 3, and then we invited her back for a deeper dive on Leave No Trace principles in early 2021.

As we’ll hear today, just before Covid struck and messed up everyone’s everything, Nancy was working with her friend Adriana Bellerose to develop a week-long retreat program in Costa Rica of all places, to combine outdoor movement and adventure with the internal focus and nurturing of their authentic selves that many women crave.

Today they take us behind the scenes of what it was like to try to build up a retreat business during the uncertainty and chaos of a global pandemic, and fill us in on all the good stuff they have on tap for 2023!

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Great Mountain Guide Service
Check out fun photos from 2022 trips with Great Mountain Guide Service on Instagram or Facebook
Great Mountain Guide Service on Guides Gone Wild

Today we’re getting our great mountain stoke on with Jes Lucarelli, the founder of Great Mountain Guide Service in Millinocket.

If a Katahdin ascent is on your 2023 to do list, Great Mountain Guide Service might be the partner you need to ensure a safe and successful day, whether you manage to summit or not!

Jes also fills us in on the epic double-dip Guides Gone Wild experience coming up in February, when Great Mountain Guide Service hosts their annual women’s weekend at Carters XC Ski Center in Bethel, Maine.

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DoryWoman Rowing
Nicolle’s Jingle Rows start today!
Solstice Row on December 21st
DoryWoman Rowing calendar or note cards are the perfect stocking stuffers for that friend who’s always daydreaming about being out on the water!
Join Nicolle for her next rowing live stream on Instagram or Facebook

Today we’re catching up with Nicolle Littrell of DoryWoman Rowing, who has had an absolutely action packed first year in business for herself, which I was so so thrilled to hear about!

Listen in and check out all the links for the special offerings she has on deck - get it, on deck?!? - for the holiday season and new year!

A few more fun links:

Nicolle Littrell on Guides Gone Wild - three times fast!
Passagassawakeag River (yup, that’s how you spell it)
Cross for LifeFlight
Nicolle in DownEast Magazine - Editor’s pick as best boat excursion in Maine!
DoryWoman Rowing on 207

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Peaks and Poses - @PeaksandPoses on Instagram
Living in Rhythm
Sētu Retreat Center (VT)
Nancy Wind on Guides Gone Wild (February, 2021)

Another pandemic rebound stoke story today, hooray!!

Nancy Wind is the owner of Peaks and Poses based in Massachusetts. Nancy originally founded Peaks and Poses to combine her loves of yoga and hiking into something she could share with the world, and over time, even more of her curiosity and love of travel have been folded into the company, to the point that it’s now hosting retreats and getaways all over the country!

Whether adventure to you means backpacking in Glacier National Park, car camping locally or simply sampling from a huge plate of delicious vegetarian Middle-Eastern food, Nancy and Peaks and Poses has something to scratch that itch.

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Axe Women Loggers of Maine - 2023 Show Schedule
Axe-Kickin’ Sauces and Merch for the holidays!
Alissa Wetherbee on Guides Gone Wild (August, 2021)

I love myself a good post-pandemic redemption story, and Alissa Wetherbee of Axe Women Loggers of Maine is delivering an epic one today!

(And yes, in case you’re left wondering, I DID order my shirt, along with some axe-kickin’ surprise gifts for my adventure homies - I'll be spreading some spicy cheer AND looking good this holiday season!)

All joking aside, but still on the axe-throwing vein, Alissa and I are cooking up something SUPER DUPER fun for this June, so all aspiring Lumber Jills are encouraged to head on over to GuidesGoneWild.com right this second to sign up for our VERY sporadic newsletter, so you will be in the know when the dates and deets are released in the new year!

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ConfluenceCollective.org
Community Building for Guides - Join Bri & Serene on Zoom December 7th to share ideas around inclusive practices for experience facilitation
Storytelling with Confluence Collective - join other fishy folks on December 14th!

Today we get a double dose of stoke from dynamic duo Bri Dostie and Serene Cusack of Confluence Collective. If you’ve been toying with the idea of picking up fly-fishing next spring, these ladies have got you covered. And if you just can’t wait, and want to find your new fishy people over the winter, they can help you with that, too!

Bri and Serene have created a couple of online community-building events coming up this December. If you’re a guide looking to connect with other like-minded fishing guides, you should join Bri and Serene Wednesday Dec 7th for a Zoom meet-up to talk about ways to create safe, supportive and inclusive spaces on the water. Confluence Collective is also hosting a storytelling-focused event for the entire fishing community on Wednesday, December 14th. Sign-up links above!

Bri and Serene coming together for this one makes my Guides Gone Wild self very happy - Bri is a member of the Guides Gone Wild OG club, she was interview #7 I published WAAAY back in the summer of 2020, when she mentioned working with Serene on her Fatty on the Fly initiative. From that point, Serene had been squarely in my internet stalking crosshairs, but I didn’t manage to interview her until just a few months ago, after I met her in person at the Outcast Campout that Confluence Collective hosted in Maine.

Lucky you, you all don’t have to wait any longer - tune in now to hear about all the cool things Confluence Collective has cooking in 2023!

@confluence.collective on Instagram
@fattyonthefly on Instagram - Facebook
BriDostie.com
Bri Dostie’s first visit with Guides Gone Wild (July, 2020)
Serene Cusack on Guides Gone Wild (September, 2022)

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Notch Hostel
Summits in Solidarity
Fireside Chats - don’t miss the first one with Lyla Harrod, this Saturday, December 10th at 7:30pm!! (Can’t be there in person? You can sign up to sit by the virtual fire via Zoom!)
Me and White Supremacy 28-Day Challenge

Hey, it’s Jen coming back at you with another week filled with stoke!

Today we catch up with Serena Ryan, owner extraordinaire of the Notch Hostel in North Woodstock, NH, as well as the founder of Summits in Solidarity. Serena has been a frequent flyer on the Guides Gone Wild pod, because I love supporting her racial justice hiking initiative each summer - and this year I’m looking forward to kicking my involvement up a notch or two (no pun intended) by joining the Me and White Supremacy 28 Day Challenge in February!

Lots of awesome stuff on the calendar over at NotchHostel.com, including the phenomenal Fireside Chat series kicking off this weekend, so let’s hear all about it from Serena!

A few more links for fun:

White Mountain Direttissima - Lyla Harrod
Hayduke Trail
@findingphilip (Philip Carcia)
Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad
Serena Ryan on Guides Gone Wild (round 1)
Serena Ryan on Guides Gone Wild (round 2)

Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor

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HikingMyFeelings.org
Sydney Williams on Guides Gone Wild - a two-parter!! You can listen to me try to counsel Sydney about the dump dumps to come… ;-)
Wellness in the Wilderness on the Voice America Empowerment Channel - tune in every Tuesday at 1pm Pacific, 4pm Eastern

OK, this one is more a mini-sode than a STOKE SHORT, because Sydney is my squirrel-brained-fast-talking match, and I just love to get into it all with her.

For those who missed our episodes last winter, a quick intro is in order - Sydney Williams is the author of Hiking My Feelings and the creator of the Blaze Your Own Trail to Self-Love programs, Hike to Heal Wilderness Wellness Retreats, podcaster, YouTuber, now an internet radio sensation. I definitely recommend you head back and listen to her origin story, so I’ve linked those episodes in the show notes - today, we’re previewing 2023 events and talking meadow metaphors, boundary building, and what all inquiring minds want to know - why we think Brené swims and AOC went hiking.

I did my girl wrong by not getting this episode up before her debut on Voice America, but you’ve got plenty of time to make a date with yourself to listen in from here on out - catch her show on Tuesdays at 1pm Pacific, 4pm Eastern. And be on the lookout over at HikingMyFeelings.org, big things are coming, as you’ll hear today!

Sydney is hilarious, and a fireball who delivers her wisdom and truth bombs at, like, 200 words per minute, so take your pod player off 1.5 speed, take a deep, cleansing breath, and hold on tight.

Virtual Campfire
The Book of Boundaries - Melissa Urban
KBong Music

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We're back with a full-on convo with one of my new favorite people, Meg Pierce!

Meg was one of the leaders of the Inclusive Ski Touring Women’s Program I did with some friends last March, and we all came away from that morning feeling so fortunate that we’d had Meg, and her co-leader Torey Brooks, on our team for the session.

Meg and Torey were tireless cheerleaders - and more importantly, tech support for our equipment challenges! - and Meg got so fired up from helping groups like ours that she signed on to the Board of Directors for Inclusive Ski Touring this fall.

But even more meaningful to me is the fact that Meg champions what she calls ‘micro-adventures’, and embraces sucking at things with both arms. Never mind 'go big or go home'; Meg's enthusiasm for beginners (and beginning!) is apparent in everything she does and gets involved in.

This conversation is just the tonic we need to fuel us through the dark days of December.

Follow Meg @megpierce65 on Instagram, check out Meg’s contributions to the Norrøna blog, and make sure to keep tabs on the Inclusive Ski Touring site to find out more about their programming as they release their 2022/2023 schedule. Who knows, I might just see you at one of their Women's Programs, since I'm HOOKED!

SO. MANY. LINKS!:

Mt. Abram (ME)
Steve the Bike Guy (MA) - Women’s Rides
Telemarkdown (New Durham, NH shop owned by the Fey Brothers)
Maine Outdoor Film Festival - Tumbledown Program (limited time access, watch soon!)
Gunstock (NH)
Pin Binding (vs. Frame Binding)
Last Skier Standing
Meg’s article on micro-adventures
Blue Hills Reservation (MA)
Ashland Town Forest & Cowassock Woods (MA)
Ashland State Park (MA)
Callahan State Park (MA)
Lincoln Woods (MA)
Whitehall Pond/Rutland State Park (MA)
Patagonia Capilene T-Shirt
Crocs

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NaviTour.com
NaviTour on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
Become a NaviTour guide!

Today Shay Bellas of NaviTour crushes the concept of the STOKE SHORT! with the shortest stoke we’ve brought you so far!

I caught up with Shay as she was on the run (literally hours before Thanksgiving) to hear about all the fun stuff NaviTour is rolling out for 2023, as well as a few of the many VERY cool adventures and experiences people are booking through NaviTour for the upcoming winter season.

If you’re a New Englander looking for a fun and unique way to experience our area, you need to check out NaviTour.com. And if you’re a guide offering tours or experiences, let Navitour help you get the word out and do some of the heavy-lifting for you!

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TeensToTrails.org
Life Happens Outside Challenge® - check out the 2022 winning schools!
Alicia Heyburn - the OG Guide Gone Wild!

Hey there Wild Ones, today is Giving Tuesday - what better day to take it way, WAY back to the literal first interview I ever did for this podcast - yes, that’s right, today we are checking in with Alicia Heyburn, the Executive Director of Teens to Trails.

If you haven’t listened to episode 2, you should definitely go back and do so, although it’s a little rough listening to my barely coherent self trying to interview the ever eloquent and interesting Alicia.

Fast forward two and a half years, and Alicia and the team at Teens to Trails are still doing fantastic work getting more Maine teens - and now pre-teens - not only outside through school or community based outdoor clubs, but as you’ll hear, up at the crack of crack dawn to see the sunrise once in a while - go figure!

Whether you’re listening to this on Giving Tuesday or some random Friday, I’m going to hope a few of you will resonate with the mission of Teens to Trails and head on over to Teens to Trails.org to make a donation or sign your school up for outdoor club support - or both!

And remember, there’s ALWAYS an upside, to down time, outside!

A few more fun links:

Maine GearShare
Camden Hills State Park
Mt. Battie

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East Mountain Designs website
@east_mountain_designs on Instagram
Mischa’s original Guides Gone Wild episode

Hope you all managed to get out there and support a few small businesses over this past weekend, like East Mountain Designs, the micro-business my friend Mischa Ostberg has created, selling beautiful pieces of art that she crafts from recycled climbing rope and gear.

Mischa’s first time on the pod was back in August of 2021, when she was a fairly new transplant to Maine and just getting her art business off the ground. It was so awesome to catch back up with her and see her so settled and successful. Mischa is still cranking out unbelievably beautiful and creative pieces, and letting her talent be the conduit for learning more about the Indigenous peoples whose homelands we occupy, with the goal of supporting these cultures with her work.

A few more links you might want to check out:

N’dakinna Story Map
Wabanaki Modern
Native Land Digital

And make sure to check out Mischa’s piece once it’s hung at the North Conway REI Store!

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Step away from that cash register, Wild Ones!
Just kidding (kind of)....

It’s Black Friday, which means Cyber Monday is right around the corner, so I’m back with another Stoke Short, this one from my recent guest Meg Carney, The Outdoor Minimalist.

Tune in for a quick update on her book, her newly nomadic life plan, and a few tips to help us keep our heads on straight even as we dive head-first into this season of crazy commercialism!

To help yourself stay focused on the goal (and not all that fun-looking-but-unnecessary gear candy on the way to the checkout), listen to Meg's podcast while on the go, and be sure to check her Instagram for more tips and tricks to embracing a 'less-is-OK' philosophy in the new year!

And don't miss Meg's full episode: Meg Carney on Guides Gone Wild (Oct 2022)

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Carter's XC Ski Center

Wooden Ski Day

Jes Carter on Guides Gone Wild - October 2020

WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?!?!?!!
You’ve probably noticed something different - different day, short little pod, weird title, yada yada yada.

Long time listeners might remember the Guide's Gift Guide lists I’ve done in the past around the holidays... well, as is my usual approach, I’ve waited until the last minute, so that ain't happening - but I think the solution I’ve come up with is more fun than ever!

Watch this space - or should I say listen in - I’ll be spending the next few weeks virtually visiting lots of my previous guests - the Guides Gone Wild OGs!! - and letting THEM tell YOU about all of the cool things they’ve been up to this year, and what they’re planning for 2023 that YOU are definitely going to want to know about now!

Don’t let yourself fall entirely down the dark rabbit hole of conspicuous consumption this holiday season - let these ladies feed your stoke instead!

Get your calendar out and start planning some wild and wonderful things for yourself and your adventure besties! End the year with a bang, or start 2023 with amazing new things to do on the horizon!

Today we’re kicking off with Jes Carter from Carter’s XC Ski Center in Bethel, Maine. Jes was one of my first 20 episodes, way back in October 2020! She and Carter’s XC Ski Center have been going strong all through the pandemic nuttiness, and today she’s got some great deals to share for Black Friday and the month of December - and don't forget to join her for Wooden Ski Day on Sunday, January 22nd!

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Today we turn our focus to everyone’s favorite four-legged adventure partners! My guest is Traci Bisson, the founder of Golden Dog Adventure Companybased in Barrington, New Hampshire.

I think we all know someone (or LOTS of someones!) who got a new puppy during lockdown….. Traci Bisson noticed that trend as well, even while the pet care business she ran was wilting on the vine while everyone was forced to stay home and take care of their own sh*t (literally, in the case of dog owners), far away from other people.

So as the world started opening back up, and all these pandemic puppy owners started trying to take their pooches out into the big, scary 'social' world again, Traci saw a unique opportunity. She started a dog walking meet-up, which quickly morphed into Golden Dog Adventure Company, a multi-faceted, fast-growing startup that provides all the information and incentives dog owners need to get out and have safe and social fun with other dogs AND their people, in nature!

Traci and Golden Dog have some fun and fur-tastic events on tap for the holiday season, so I hope you’ll head on over to Golden Dog Adventure Company to check out their adventure schedule, or hook up with the Golden Dog Community on Facebook for tips, tricks and suggestions for new places to explore.

When you're done looking at all the fun pooch pix, we've got some more links for you!:

Golden Dog Adventure Company on Instagram
Dog Skijoring at Gunstock
SUP YO Adventures - (and that time SUP YO Adventures founder Jana Olenio was on Guides Gone Wild!)
Wellness Pet Company
Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park (NH)
Bark Ranger Program
Yellow Dog Project
Stash n’Dash Harness (from my hometown adventure doggo product company, Kurgo)
Lots of identification options for ‘dogs in need of space’

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Today we are both getting the benefit of some amazing connections I made at the recent Maine Outdoor Economy Summit hosted by the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation and Maine Outdoor Brands. It was a fantastic event, and I finally got the opportunity to meet (in person!) several of the women I’ve talked to for this pod in the past, which was so, so awesome! I also got connected to some new friends, thanks to the event, including today’s guest, Jaimie Crawford.

Jaimie has her own freelance marketing agency called PRESSED, through which she is doing a ton of great branding and promotional work for the Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce. One of her pet projects this year has been the Hire a Guide initiative, which profiles local outdoor guides on the chamber website and encourages visitors to maximize their engagement with the local expertise and economy.

We’re going to dive into all of this today, and along the way, Jaimie drops a ton of great tips that anyone who’s building a business or brand, or trying to engage with new people or a new audience, will find extremely valuable.

Talking with people like Jaimie gets me all fired up and excited for the future of the outdoor economy in northern New England! I hope you’ll head over to the Visit the Mt. Washington Valley website to check out the Hire a Guide profiles and tons of insider tips and recommendations on the Learn from a Local, Live like a Local pages.

Lots-o-links!:

MWV Pledge
Shay Bellas of Navitour on Guides Gone Wild
Jenny Kordick of Maine Outdoor Brands on Guides Gone Wild
Maine Outdoor Economy Summit
King Pine - Purity Springs Resort
Cranmore - Hannes Schneider
Skiing Hut-to-Hut in the Maine Wilderness(NY Times 11/16/21)
The Icelandic Pledge
The Valley Originals
The White Mountain Independents
Wander the Whites
Hike Safe
Front Side Coffee Roasters
The Met
Debony Salon
EMS guides - Keith Moon, Anne Parmenter
Petzl light
Polly Mahoney on Guides Gone Wild
Mahoosuc Guide Service

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Today we’re checking back in with Jackie Lastinger from The Girls Trip Adventure Co.

If you’ve been dropping in on this pod from time to time, you might remember my first conversation with this through hiker turned shuttle driver turned snowmaker, back in March. At the time, Jackie had just launched her dream company, which she aptly named The Girls Trip Adventure Co. (because she’s a girl, she wanted to go on more adventure trips, and she wanted to bring more girls with her... so she figured she’d start a company to do it all!)

And did she send it? Hell yeah she did!

So today we're hearing all about her inaugural trips to Catalina and the Channel Islands and Big Bend, and we'll get a preview of all the cool spots she’s got on the itinerary for 2023.

We also talk about the challenges - the ones she expected, as well as the ones that came out of left field and could’ve kicked her butt.

This is an inspiring check in with a young woman who made up her mind to meet her challenges head on and create a life for herself that meets no one's expectations but her own.

So if you're finally ready to start emptying out that bucket list, head on over to The Girls Trip Adventure Co. website or Instagram page and sign up for a trip of a lifetime!

Other cool links and places from our conversation:

Chisos Basin Campground (TX)
Chisos Mountains (TX)
Terlingua (TX)
Sotol Vista (TX)
Emory Peak (TX)
Alyeska Resort (AK)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (TN/NC)
LeConte Lodge (TN)
Clingmans Dome (TN)
Acadia National Park (ME)
Katahdin (ME)
South Sister (OR)
Catalina Island (CA)
Channel Islands National Park (CA)
Fern Canyon (TX)

P.S. - It’s not too late to join host Jen, Ari Leach of Blackbird Guide Service, and our Guides Gone Wild community friends at Evans Notch Lodge for our (Cast) Iron Chef Weekend, November 4-6, 2022. Don’t worry, this is not a competition at all, just a great excuse to make fires and stir up some deliciousness that we can all enjoy at the end of a day spent outside. Come on over to the Guides Gone Wild site for all the details, we hope to see you in a few weeks by the fire!

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Be part of the next Guides Gone Wild experience - register for the (Cast) Iron Chef Weekend here!

Back at the end of September, we hosted the very first Guides Gone Wild live event at Evans Notch Lodge in Gilead, Maine.

Despite crazy weather and unexpectedly chilly temperatures, we had a fantastic time! Thanks to our unflappable guide 'Tall' Ashley Leedberg of Two Loons Guide Service, we managed to get some stand-up paddleboarding in, did a gorgeous hike up Albany Mountain, and did a bunch of arts and crafts while we enjoyed the cozy wood stove back at the lodge.

Before the ladies left on Sunday, I asked a few to chat with me on mic about their experience of the weekend and what it meant to them, so today you’re going to hear a little bit from Lisa (one of our New York-based campers), and her friend Meg (from Maine). Lisa and Meg were friends from high school who were having a mini-reunion week hanging out, so it was fun to listen in on their exchange.

Quick apologies before you dive in, the three of us were basically sharing one mic we had to tweak the audio in a few places so you could hear what was being said, but I don’t think it takes away from the awesomely positive messages and encouragement these two share, so we ran with it…it’s a fun conversation, so I hope you’ll hang out until the end to hear about the next Guides Gone Wild experience coming up!

A few more links:

Sign up for the (Cast) Iron Chef Weekend!
Two Loons Guide Service
Follow @TallAshley on Instagram, and keep an eye on her Etsy page for new additions of her handmade jewelry and art
What is DHEA?
Albany Mountain
“Tall” Ashley Leedberg on Guides Gone Wild
Ari Leach on Guides Gone Wild

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Today I am fan-girling hard on an emerging rock star of the outdoor industry sustainability movement, Meg Carney, the author of Outdoor Minimalist (the book), and the host of The Outdoor Minimalist Podcast.

You’ve probably heard of Leave No Trace, and the words Reduce-Reuse-Recycle have probably crossed your lips more than once, but how often do you stop to really consider the meaning of those phrases, how they might apply to the situation you find yourself in in the moment, or how they might not be the full picture of what it would mean to live in a sustainable partnership with the environment?

Meg’s been thinking like this since she was a kid playing outside on her family’s farm in Minnesota. While she’s the first to admit her minimalism might have grown roots because money was a little tight, she also observed her family’s commitment to living off the land and getting the most use out of anything they bought or owned.

Meg eventually went off to college with kids who were more accustomed to buying new than reusing or repurposing, but all the consumption never quite made sense to her, and staying the minimalist course served her well when she later spent some time living a nomadic life out of her car.

Today we’re talking about creativity, supply chain, pets, vanlife, perfection - or lack thereof…. I know it sounds like we’re all over the place, but stay with us - there’s a framework for thinking about all of this stuff, and spoiler alert, there are a lot of Rs involved.

Get your hands on a copy of the Outdoor Minimalist book, it's such a great primer and process manual for anyone striving to lessen their detrimental impact on the outdoors and their environment.

And even if you get the book, I strongly encourage you to check out The Outdoor Minimalist Podcast - Meg definitely expands on her content through some interesting interviews with thought leaders and people doing very cool things in the sustainability space.

Finally, I’d also recommend you follow Meg on Instagram for all the useful snippets of inspiration and information she shares to enhance our knowledge and provoke our thinking about the impact we are having on the spaces we move through.

Fun and useful links from our chat:

Meg’s not kidding, there are a ton of fun things to do in Duluth!
What is bushcraft?
Field & Stream (Commerce Team posts)
Falcon Guides
Greenwashing
Icebreaker (you can check out their Sustainability Transparency Report here)
DIY Waste Audit worksheet
Lava Linens Mini Towel

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Serene Cusack is the huge smile, infectious laugh and indomitable spirit behind Fatty on the Fly and Outcast Anglers.

Serene’s hero’s journey kind of started like many others we talk about on the pod - she started looking around while she was doing her favorite outdoor activities, and realized that no one looked like her, and decided she could do something about it, or at least try to show up more visibly as a self-defined fat person who loved to fly fish.

Cue the pandemic, and Serene was stuck at home on furlough thinking all the things on repeat. But instead of getting bummed out and discouraged, she let her mind wander (wade?!?) into all kinds of new ideas about building community around the water. And for trying to hold a very exclusive-not-in-a-good-way industry accountable for its lack of efforts to welcome more and different anglers into the ‘club’.

Please note, I felt like I had to mark this one as explicit because we get a little bit salty when we start talking about internet trolls, but in all honesty, Serene’s message can and should be heard by all but the youngest kids. So I hope you’ll let this one keep on playing, even if you and the tweeners are listening in traffic on the way to the 97th soccer game of the week...

I also hope you’ll go feed off Serene's boundless energy by following her @Fattyonthefly on Instagram and Facebook, and if you have any interest whatsoever in learning to fly fish - actually ON the water, not just a big lawn - keep an eye on ConfluenceCollective.org for more information about the 2023 Outcast Campout dates. Or better yet, connect with Serene and Bri directly if you want to help plan your own campout at your own awesome, local, 100% fish-guaranteed river! Let’s all take a page out of Serene’s book and make a point of building the communities we want to be part of!

Speaking of community, I hope you'll join Guides Gone Wild for our next live event - Iron Chef Weekend - November 4th through 6th! Sign up here for more information, and to be notified when registration is live.

And finally, some links from my chat with Serene:

Bri Dostie guests on Guides Gone Wild
Sign up for Confluence Collective’s newsletter and weekly virtual office hours
Panther Martin lures
Gallatin River (MT)
Spider Man rod
Confluence Collective coloring pages
Outdoors for All (NC)
Ranger Outdoors (TN)
Miss Mayfly waders
Madison River (MT/WY) - watch out for those waders!
Flex Tape
Plus Snow
Plus Outdoor
XTM
Oros strike indicators (aka bobbers)

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Hey, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but there are SO MANY awesome outdoor resources available to us here in New England. Have you ever stopped to wonder how those amazingly mapped and maintained trail networks or hut systems or water access points come to be?

Probably no surprise, there are a LOT of people and organizations hustling in the background, because big projects like those usually require a LOT of cooperation and alignment on a lot of fronts. For every great trail system you enjoy, there are probably 100 that never left the drafting table.

It’s not too difficult to recognize the beauty and potential when you’re looking out from a mountain top or over a pristine lake or dramatic oceanfront cliff. But what about the turn of the century mill towns scattered across the state that used to harness Maine’s countless rivers for manufacturing power?

When buildings and dams and ugly fences and parking lots are crowding your urban center’s waterfront, do you have any options?

Today’s guest says Heck YES! I’m stoked to welcome Kristina Cannon, Executive Director of Main Street Skowheganto the pod today.

I found Main Street Skowhegan after I saw some kind of social media post about a whitewater park that was going to be built on the Kennebec River in Maine and went down a Google rabbit hole (as one does). I had a mental picture of kayak racks and PFDs piled up in a dirt parking lot in some rural location along the river, but heck no - it’s going to be right smack dab in the middle of downtown Skowhegan!

The Skowhegan Riverpark Project is just one of about a zillion cool things that Main Street Skowhegan is working on, with Kristina at the helm, so I’m going to let her tell you all about it and get you stoked for your own Skowhegan Staycation.

We just missed the craft brew fest, but there are plenty more reasons to visit Skowhegan coming up, head over to VisitSkowhegan.com or check out @visitskowhegan on Instagram and Facebook for all the details on upcoming festivals and events.

Better yet, when you decide that Skowhegan sounds like a pretty cool place to take your remote work - where you can run some rapids in the morning, run your financials an hour later and be running out for locally sourced wood-fired pizza at lunch - go to Main Street Skowhegan or Skowhegan Entrepreneurship to find out how easy it will be to make those dreams your reality!

More links from our conversation:

Abby Bennett, Mahoosuc Land Trust
Jen Klein, Trustees of Reservations
What is a 'design charette'? (this link will tell you AND give you all the info you need to host your own!)
Mill City Park (Franklin, NH)
Main Street America program
BikeMaine
Outdoor Sport Institute
Maine Wood Heat
Maine Grains
Spork

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Welcome to the second installment of our special Rooted Mountain Bike Festival recap!

I hope you’ll check this one out even if you’re not really into biking, because these conversations I had with other attendees of Rooted are more about what it means to be part of a women-centered event than anything else.

Sure, we talk bikes, but we also celebrate how awesome it is when you get together with people who have a lot of the same struggles and concerns and body types that you do.

Huge thanks to Jess D. for being part of planning this spectacular event, and to Rae F. as well for being so open and vulnerable - I honestly didn’t expect to get so deep in these recap conversations, but I think it’s really awesome to hear perspectives like this, to realize how much we all struggle sometimes, and how important being active, whatever that looks like, is to reconnecting with yourself and your value.

And of course, the hugest thanks of all go to Heather Kinal, who continues to hone her next- level connection skills and set the highest bar ever for festival rest-roomery! She's created a fantastic weekend that was well worth 20 hours of driving! (Maybe even better than Niagara Falls......) Save the dates for the next Rooted MTB Festival - July 21-23, 2023!

More fun stuff to check out:

Rooted MTB Festival
@Sistersinsingletrack
Jess Devine
Rae Faba
Team Mandalore
The Crusher
Ray’s Women’s Weekend
Copper Harbor
Ride Inspired Coaching - Catherine Neff
Stacy Simms - Roar
Kona Bikes

If you’re drinking my koolaid on this and can’t wait to hang with multiple generations of awesome, I hope you’ll consider joining us for our first-ever Guides Gone Wild End-of-Summer Camp Weekend that we’re hosting September 23-25 at Evans Notch Lodge in Gilead Maine. We’ll be doing a lot of paddling and crafting, but we’ll ALSO have a very cool add-on option for any of my TryAthlete team out there who might want to kick up their adrenaline a few notches and do some downhill mountain biking at nearby Mt. Abram on that Sunday the 25th - I’m totally stoked to go, mostly because I hate climbing and guess what, they put your bike on the ski lift for you, even the inappropriate 26” hard tails of doom!

But seriously, it’s wicked wicked WICKED fun, so come on over and get all the details on the weekend, and make sure you opt-in to our Sunday downhill adventure too!

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I've got another two-parter for you this week, because every time I go to a women's outdoor event I get SO STOKED.

In today's first installment, Trish and Jen are back together on the road, and you know what that means - we did something awesome and we feel the need to tell everyone about it!

Back in July, we trekked all the way across Mass and New York to the lovely hamlet of Bemus Point to attend the Rooted Mountain Bike Festival, put on by friend of the pod Heather Kinal. Back when I’d interviewed Heather, I got all in a fan girl lather and committed to going to the Festival before I even looked at a map. But then I did, and instead of bailing I decided to take the 9+ hour ride as an extra challenge, and try to get Trishy to come with me. Ta da!!

Anyway, there are many, many takeaways from this conversation - Trish was ON HER GAME! So I hope you’ll get all the way to the end (despite the sometimes crappy audio), but in case you don’t, here are my top 3:

Even when you have the best intentions, it’s normal to not live up to them - Trish and I thought we’d bike a ton after our awesome Vertical experience last fall, and we didn’t, so we went into this weekend basically cold. And you know what, it didn’t freaking matter.
Life is always, and will always be, busy. You can’t always put yourself a distant second (or worse) to everyone and everything else in your life. If you need it, you need to make time for it.
Do the thing, and go overthink something else. You’ll have to listen in to see where that precious nugget came from.

Come back tomorrow for part two - you’ll actually get to hear from some other fabulous women from Rooted, who brought completely different perspectives to the event (and in one case, even brought her 60 something year old mom to the event! Yes, you read that right!)

And if you’re already convinced that a women-centered outdoor event is something you (and maybe your mom) have to be part of RIGHT.THIS.SECOND, come on over to Guidesgonewild.com/Camp to learn more about our first ever End of Summer Camp Weekend we will be hosting September 23-25, at Evans Notch Lodge in Gilead, Maine.

I'll be joined by yet another fabulous friend of the pod, 'Tall' Ashley Leedberg of Two Loons Guide Service, who will school us on all things paddle, take us on an excursion at a nearby lake so we can peep on the critters and colors, and later on, even lead us in some arts and crafts - because by the way, she’s an amazingly talented artist and crafter. Why should the kids have all the fun, amiright?!? Hope to see you there!

A few links (more tomorrow - and of course on the GGW site!):

Loud Performance Bike Shop
Tubolito (the cool orange tube they showed us)
Long Point State Park
Who is this Heidi person we keep talking about?

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Today we are traveling to the White Mountains of New Hampshire to chat with another one of my new favorite people, Alexandra Roberts of Alexandra Roberts Photography.

If you love the outdoors and participate in basically any visual digital media, the Big Brother algorithms have no doubt fed you tons of gorgeous images of well-dressed couples posed in dramatic backdrops - in the middle of giant boulder fields, by a waterfall, on a cliff overlooking peak foliage, or in some kind of magical hobbit-land of moss and lichen.

You might stop to wonder how the heck they got to that place without getting all sweaty and gross. Or maybe your mind goes immediately to the giant packing list that couple must’ve had. But I’m guessing in all cases, if you think at all about who is behind the camera, you’re assuming she or he is like a Jimmy-Chin type - a hardcore outdoorsperson who hikes and climbs 24/7, is wearing Patagonia head-to-toe, and has an ice ax next to the zoom lens on their utility belt, ready to self arrest and save everyone’s day.

And if that’s where your mind went, you are going to love this conversation as much as I did.

Alexandra's photos started popping up all over my feed many moons ago, and I loved to see all the beautiful and rugged places she went with her couples. So imagine my surprise when I find out that Alex was mostly a prosecco-sipping, urban patio sitter until a few years ago.

If elopement or marriage is in your future, or if just feeling like a glamorous, paparazzi-stalked superstar in the White Mountains is your jam, you absolutely must check out Alex’s website, @alexandraroberts on Instagram , or her Facebook page.

And please be the person who gets photographed at Table Rock, I am very impatiently waiting for someone to take her up on that!

TONS of links in this one, here's a few but come on over to the Guides Gone Wild website for the full list!:

Mt. Madison - Madison Spring Hut (NH)
What is rime ice?
Carter Notch Hut (NH)
What are the ‘10 essentials’?
Carter Dome (NH)
Rumney (NH)
Crow Hill (MA)
What is an ‘AIARE’ course?
What is AT gear?
What does it mean to be ‘spruce trapped’?
John Sherburne Ski Trail (NH)
Skida Sun Tours Buff

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Ari Leach is THE guide you’re going to want to call to help you survive the zombie apocalypse, let’s just start with that.

Today we are getting back to the roots of this very podcast by talking to brand spankin' new Registered Maine Guide, Ari Leach of Blackbird Guide Services.

I discovered Ari when lovely friend of the pod, Nancy Zane, posted a congratulatory note on her North Star Adventures Instagram page, because Ari had taken a guide course through North Star and had just passed her exam.

I always love seeing new women guides, so I was already excited about her, but then in pretty short order I realized Ari was blasting out of the start gate and setting up her own company and guide service, too - Blackbird Guide Services - which doubled my excitement.

And then the kicker came when Ari posted about her grandmother, but I’m going to let Ari tell you all about that.

I feel so privileged to have met Ari and heard her story, and I know you’ll enjoy this one too.

Make sure you’ve got Ari on the digital equivalent of speed dial before the next zombie apocalypse, follow her @blackbirdguideservices on Instagram, find her on Facebook, or head over to her website, and get psyched for a little forest bathing or stick carving or whatever else tickles your fancy!

A few fun links from our conversation:

Nancy Zane talks ‘Leave No Trace’ on Guides Gone Wild
Unity College
Where the Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls
Maine Department of Marine Resources
Umbagog Lake
Lincoln County Search and Rescue
Baxter State Park
Tiny Homes of Maine
Kula Cloth
She Pee
Maine Small Business Development Center

This episode definitely has a call to action, people - if you want to be one of the first to know when I'm going to bring Ari’s Iron Chef skills and her mom’s 'witchie-poo cabinet' up to Evans Notch Lodge for a weekend of fun and learning, make sure you subscribe to our email list - it’s right there at the bottom of the home page, super easy, just do it!

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This week I’m back to in-real-life interviewing (woohoo!), and taking you with me to the ultra cool and vintage headquarters of the Mahoosuc Land Trust at Valentine Farm in Bethel, Maine, where we'll be chatting with Abby Bennett - aspiring ultra runner and conservationist in training.

As you’ll hear, I first started trying to get Abby on the pod because she had a little online business selling fun-looking compression socks for hiking and trail running, and I thought that was cool. I got some socks, but never did manage to connect with her enough to chat at the time. So while we both languished through most of COVID, I followed her Instagram account and got even more interested in her progress as an van-life-ing ultra runner, and her professional transformation, all of which we’ll dig into here.

Abby is as big a fan of western Maine as I am, so of course we have some fun.

I hope you'll follow my new friend Abby (@abby.j.bennett), where you can watch her grit it out through all kinds of vertical, and take on her new schwanky van conversion!

Because I know next to nothing about land trusts and trail/ultra running, I had to look a LOT of stuff up from this episode - I've dropped a few of these links below, but you'll also want to head on over to Guides Gone Wild, because there's a lot more where these came from!:

Mahoosuc Land Trust
YouTube video of Abby living out of van at school
‘ProMaster’ van
Billy Yang
Courtney Dewaulter
Madison Gulf Trail (NH)
Baldpate Mountain (ME)
Ultimate Direction running pack
Western Foothills Land Trust
NSF program at UMaine
Maine Coast Heritage Trust
Buck’s Ledge Community Forest (Woodstock, ME)
Spandits - and my episode with the Spandits ladies!
OnX app
Speed Goat 50K (Utah)
Loon Mountain Race (NH)
Acadia Gantz on Guides Gone Wild

And finally, thanks to Evans Notch Lodge for giving me a reason to be close enough to meet Abby at Mahoosuc Land Trust's headquarters in Bethel!

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This week has been a mentally tough one for many of us who saw the anticipated roll-back of Roe v. Wade become the new reality. We’re pissed off that this handful of people can make decisions that strip us of civil liberties. We can’t believe that the government can turn on us this way, that one group of people can be singled out and systematically denied agency and autonomy and the ability to make decisions and take actions that are in their own self-interest...

Oh, right, this is basically the way every Black person, Indigenous person, and other person of color feels. Every. damn. day.

And this is the way our country has worked, or should I say worked against them, for generations.

Fighting for justice and equity is not an either-or exercise. The same systems that knee-capped reproductive rights this week are the ones responsible for the history of oppression our country was built on.

We can sit back and be silently depressed and hopeless about the direction our country seems to be going in. Or we can decide to take action.

I want to keep reminding myself about this action part, so today I’ve brought back Serena Ryan, owner of the Notch Hostel in New Hampshire, but more importantly for today’s discussion, one of the founders of Summits in Solidarity, which is a non-profit founded back in 2020 to foster justice and equity for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

This year, Summits in Solidarity has an aggressive goal to raise $30,000 by today, June 30, 2022 - but don’t worry if you’re tuning in and it’s July or next winter or whenever. The need for this work, and this organization’s amazing efforts, aren’t going away. And if you are so inclined, maybe take a pause and make a pledge before you dive in!:

Summits in Solidarity - Donate Now
Summits in Solidarity - Amazing Resources
Summits in Solidarity - Me and White Supremacy Challenge

A few other links (you'll have to head over to the episode page on the Guides Gone Wild website for more good stuff!):

Serena Ryan on GGW - Summits in Solidarity 2021 episode
Serena Ryan on GGW - first episode
Notch Hostel (NH)

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Today I’m joined by one of the most fun and inspiring mother/daughter teams around, Charlotte and Georgia Clews.

Charlotte is a Registered Maine Guide, Wilderness First Responder, ultrarunner, twin, grad student, thru hiker, business owner, all.the.things. Oh, and the mom of two teen girls, so at least we have one thing in common….

Charlotte has done a lot of adventuring with her daughters, but raised the bar particularly high with her last thru-hike. When she and her younger daughter Georgia got bored with the isolation of quarantine, instead of just finding something new on Hulu to binge, they opted for Plan B and decided to attempt the Arizona Trail, which had never been thru hiked by someone as young as Georgia before.

It’s not often I get FOMO from a middle-schooler, I’ve been quite happy watching that part of my life disappear in the rear view mirror, but Georgia Clews has got me wanting to vlog from the desert. Until I see my first tarantula, then who am I kidding, I’d be out.

I thought this conversation would be a great follow on from my last episode with Lindsey Lapointe of Seacoast Hikes - because we know Lindsey and her kids will be doing something like this in another decade.

Must see TV!:

Charlotte and Georgia’s amazing Arizona Trail recap video (Must See TV!)
Many more adventures documented on the Clews family YouTube channel

And a small portion of the megazillion links you can find over on the newly re-designed Guides Gone Wild website (check it out!!)

Arizona Trail
What is a ‘zero day’?
What is a javelina? Ocelot?
Wait, there is such a thing as a pack rat?
Mt. Lemmon (AZ)
Mica Mountain (AZ)
Marden’s

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Today I’m thrilled to be talking to Lindsey Lapointe, aka The Freelance Adventurer, and the brilliance behind the Seacoast Hikes Instagram page.

The struggle can be oh-so-real when you’re trying to get little kids outside with you (and simultaneously trying to salvage some sliver of fun for yourself). Even the most experienced outdoorswoman can find herself struggling on a new-to-her trail when it’s buggier or harder or wetter or longer than expected, and her little wing-people start coming off the rails.

Despite years of experience leading older kids on outdoor trips, Lindsey hit this wall of frustration herself when she had her second child and tried to keep up her hiking habit with two kids < 3. Not only did Lindsey manage to bust through that wall, but she’s taking us all with her with Seacoast Hikes and Nature Walks, Volume 1 (and hopefully soon Volume 2!) which I’m excited to be talking about with her today.

Make sure to grab yourself a copy of Seacoast Hikes and Nature Walks (and start working on your patch now!)

You'll also want to checkout Lindsey's blog and follow her on the socials, @SeacoastHikes and @FreelanceAdventurer, for helpful videos of recommended hikes and tons of tips and inspiration. Whether you’re hitting the woods with your kids, your friends, or just your dog, you’ll find something to learn or love.

Copious links from our convo (head on over to GuidesGoneWild.com for even more!):

Appalachian Mountain Club
Hike It Baby
SELT
Great Works Regional Land Trust
Crank the Kanc
Mt. Washington Bicycle Hill Climb
Whale Camp (Grand Manan, NB)
Urban Forestry Center (Portsmouth, NH)
Kim Bennett and Sandy Moore, authors of Paddling Southern Maine, on Guides Gone Wild
Black Diamond aluminum trekking poles
Steep and Cheap
Lindsey’s Field and Stream article on trekking poles
Kahtoola Microspikes
Hillsound Microspikes

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Today I have the distinct pleasure to bring you my new friend Ashley Waters of Ashley Waters Yoga.

I was introduced to Ashley through another new friend, Shay Bellas of Navitour -- which is awesome enough for someone who loves the whole women-supporting-women thing. And then when I started talking to Ashley and she copped to failing out of Jazzercise, I knew she was my people!

Ashley’s based in South Portland, but she was doing fully-remote yoga long before COVID made that everyone’s business model. Ashley Flowers Yoga fuses Ashley’s passions for nature and movement, taking her practice onto the water, as well as out into parks and fields (once in a while even sharing space with some four-legged friends!)

Ashley’s training and experience as an educator shines through in this conversation, as she gives me a much needed primer on yoga styles, and provides a somewhat plausible explanation for the charms of goat yoga.

If you’re like me and are in desperate need of some flexibility, but get intimidated by all the Sanskrit and woo-infused class descriptions and just decide to stay on the couch, this conversation is definitely for you. And who knows, somewhere in her explanation of Vinyasa vs. Shivananda, maybe you’ll pick up some tips to help you cure your awkwardly placed poison ivy...

You can check out all of Ashley’s goodness through her website, or 'Om Demand' on her YouTube channel (yup, she did that!), or if you really just want to see lots of pictures of cute goat frolic, find her on Facebook, or @youcancallmeflowers on Instagram.

And of course, she’s one of the guides profiled over at Navitour.com - Shay’s startup travel company has hit the ground running this spring, and has lots of fantastic trip and tour leaders featuring their fun offerings on the Navitour platform, so I hope you’ll check it out as you’re making your summer-in-Maine plans!

A few more links from this hilarious conversation:

Ashley Flowers Yoga on Navitour
Habitat for Humanity
Portland Paddle
Madeline L’Engle
What is the Sun Salutation?
Smiling Hill Farm
Nubian goats
Shay Bellas of Navitour on Guides Gone Wild

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As someone who prides herself on being a try-er of all things (and mistress of none), I’m fired up to bring you today’s guest, Alice Bean Andrenyak of Alice’s Awesome Adventures. Because Alice not only tries it all, she masters it all, and then finds 10 people to teach it to!

There’s really not much that falls outside the guardrails of Alice’s power alley. She’s a Maine Master Guide, which means she is a registered guide in all areas that Inland Fish and Wildlife oversees (sea kayaking, hunting, fishing, and general recreation). She served on the board of examiners for Maine Guide licensing. She’s a firearms instructor. She’s got some serious chef skills.

Basically, if it’s possible to do it in Maine, Alice can teach you how, bring you to a great place to do it, and give you a history lesson on the drive over.

Alice and I talk about the challenges of solopreneurship, how Maine tourism continues to evolve, what makes turkey vultures cool, and why she just can’t say NO when faced with a new opportunity or new activity to master.

Check out all of Alice’s tour and guiding offerings and all the wonderful links and resources she’s curated for curious travelers at AMaineGuide.com, and follow her awesome adventures on Facebook and Instagram.

And if you want to check out Malaga Island this summer with Alice, let me know on Instagram or Facebook, or come over to the Guides Gone Wild website and drop me a line - I'd love to pull together a trip with whoever is interested!

More links from our conversation:

What is a bowline knot?
Heck yeah, sturgeons jump!
Alissa Wetherbee on Guides Gone Wild
International Dory Races
Ida Lewis
Front Street Shipyard (Belfast, ME)
Boat hook
Mermaid fender by Taylor Made

Final reminder - if you're a Maine Guide or tour/experience provider, create your free Navitour profile now!

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I’ve got a fun little series coming to your earbuds to end this week with my new friend Nicolle Littrell of DoryWoman Rowing.

If you’ve listened to this podcast before, it probably won’t take you too long to realize why Nicolle’s story resonated with me - I’m not entirely unfamiliar with what happens when a woman collides with midlife and realizes she wants something entirely different than what she’s been up to the last few decades…

This one covers a lot of ground, so I’ve broken it up for you. Today we're mostly talking about how Nicolle got into rowing dories in the first place (since that’s not exactly an obvious outdoor activity choice for most people), and also how she basically manifested her way into her first boat….. was it pure will, or witchcraft? I’ll let you be the judge.

In Part 2, we'll be getting into the nitty gritty of Nicolle starting her business, and becoming a registered Maine Guide along the way. Some interesting insights in that one, if you've contemplated taking the Guide test.

Come back tomorrow to see what happened after Nicolle set her mind (and her oars) to starting her own business!

Or if you can’t wait that long, you can book a rowing session with Nicolle right now on her website, and also check her out on the socials, she’s @dorywomanrowing on Instagram and Facebook.

A few links from this part of the conversation:

Emily MacCabe on Guides Gone Wild
Come Boating (Belfast, ME)
What is a pilot gig?
What is an Annapolis wherry?
Swampscott Dory
The Compass Project
Warren Island State Park

A parting thought!:
If you haven’t created the free profile for your guiding or trip business on Navitour yet, now is the time to get in touch with them, they are cranking up their consumer marketing efforts at the end of March, just in time for warm weather bookings!

Shay Bellas of Navitour on Guides Gone Wild
Set up your free guide profile on Navitour

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Jackie Lastinger of The Girls Trip Adventure Co. is my guest today - representing one of the very few so far that I’ve had the good fortune to meet in real life BEFORE I actually interviewed her.

Jackie organized a super-fun Shred Rebels gals snowboarding event at Sugarloaf this winter that my daughter and I signed up for, and it turns out that amazing day she pulled together for close to 30 women was the first step in her full-fledged return to the adventure leader world.

Listen in to find out how this barely car camping Georgia gal turned her back on the familiar, so-called ‘normal’ life plan, and started patching together the people, places and experiences that she intuitively knew would bring her joy. Next thing you know, she’s making snow and driving a groomer at Sugarloaf, among other things.

In addition to being my newest lifestyle design idol and a badass snowboarder, Jackie has launched The Girls Trip Adventure Co. and is hosting her first trip this summer. Since we recorded this, Jackie has actually sold out Catalina and the Channel Islands - woo hoo! -but I know what that means.... She's got her maps and calendar out in the snowmaker’s warming hut getting her next trip offering nailed down before mud season!

So follow Jackie and The Girls Trip Adventure Co. on Instagram, and head over to her fancy new website, and subscribe to be notified as soon as new adventures are posted so you don’t miss out on more fun!

More links from our conversation:

Take a Hike Diabetes
Victoria Amico of Plus Sized Outdoors on Guides Gone Wild
Penelope Trunk
SXSW (South by Southwest)
Peter Shankman
Trans-Catalina Trail
Stonewall Peak

And don't forget to tune back in tomorrow for the rest of the story!

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I'm coming in HOT today with my guest, Tiffany Soukup.

Tiff is a fireball of energy and positivity, and will probably be #lifegoals to any of you who aspire to a life filled with travel and the outdoors.

Tiff and her husband are Park Rangers (aka Park Managers) within the Vermont State Park system, and have also served as the managers of the AMC’s Little Lyford Lodge & Cabins in Greenville, Maine for several winters. Although not this winter - and we’ll get into why in our conversation.

But if that wasn’t interesting enough, Tiff is also an inveterate world traveler during the stick and mud seasons, a photographer, a writer, and the #1 evangelist over at VagabondWay.net, as she terms it, a site about "a deliberate way of living, allowing the freedom to travel".

And because we covered some ground, links for everyone!!:

@VagabondWayTiffany on Instagram
VagabondWay on YouTube
Tiff’s shrew article
National Student Exchange
Chef Christopher Bates
AmeriCorps
New Zealand Working Holiday Visa
Great Walks of New Zealand
Vermont Youth Conservation Corps
Elmore State Park (VT)
Ranger Emma (National Park Service) on Guides Gone Wild
Sayon Lodge State Park (VT)
Spruce Mountain (VT)
Camp Plymouth (VT)
Dark Sky Initiative
Gourmia Travel Kettle

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Ignore that pile of snow by the driveway, today we are talking SUMMERTIME…… and summer camp! Like, unbelievably awesome summer camp that makes me FOMO even as an adult!

Amanda Hatley of She Summits Co. was on the pod waaaay back in September of 2020. At the time, as you’ll hear, Amanda was reeling from the impact that COVID was having on her new business -- but she was walking her talk, being brave, and figuring out her next pivot(s).

Fast forward to February, 2022 - She Summits is no fly by night startup.

Despite, or maybe I should say in spite of, all that is going on in the world -- ever-changing COVID restrictions, the Great Resignation, the uncertainty that’s been overwhelming pretty much every area of our lives -- Amanda and her She Summits team executed on a 2021 season of life changing, next level camp experiences.

Backpacking through and exploring all the hidden corners of Acadia.
Hiking the AT, summiting Katahdin, white water rafting.
Even kayaking with day campers in the Bangor area.

And She Summits Co. will be firing on all cylinders again in 2022, with day and overnight camps for girls in 1st through 12th grade. They even have a Junior Maine Guide program for 4th to 12th graders, how cool is that? Get out there, girls, we need more Guides Gone Wild in Maine!

She Summits Co. is so buttoned up. Their camp programs and trips are amazing, and they take great care to hire exceptional people and give them tons of training and support. I hope you will join me in spreading the word about this amazing organization, right now - because as anyone with kids knows, if you want to secure some safely supervised, electronics-free summer outdoor activity for your kid, you have to have it planned out by February break these days... #kidding not kidding.

Get over to SheSummitsCo.com and check it out, share it with your friends and family - let’s make this the best summer ever for Amanda, her company, AND the budding wild guides in your lives!

And in case you needed more convincing - She Summits Co. has been nominated for The Most Exciting Start Up of 2021 by UpStart Maine! Big deal, people!!

Vote for She Summits Co. in the comments HERE
and by clicking HERE to select She Summits Co. from the list of nominees in the pop-up poll.

Let's make summer 2022 the best yet!

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Today we’re going to try to break this arctic freeze streak we've been stuck in lately with a blast of FIRE from my guest, Christsonthy Drellos of Blue Sky MTB.

Christsonthy is the powerhouse mountain biking coach and instructor that Trish and I went on and on about back in the September 16th episode, when we recapped our amazing Vertical experience. If you are even vaguely interested in mountain biking OR fly fishing, I recommend you go back and listen to that one, so that I can make sure you come with us and amplify the fun for next year’s Vertical event!

And if you are slightly MORE than vaguely interested in mountain biking, you will love this conversation with Christsonthy. She is a certified mountain bike instructor and coach, and a positive force of nature.

Like, every sentence on her website ends in an exclamation point, and she’s smiling ear to ear in every picture you’ll see.

But that is entirely her persona - she and Blue Sky MTB bring the fun, whether to her base in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, or her winter home trails in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Christsonthy drops some great technique tips and gear recommendations, and her laugh is infectious, so drop on into this episode and get airborne with Christsonthy Drellos of Blue Sky MTB! And of course, make sure to follow Christsonthy @blueskymtb.

A sampling of the things we talk about (come on over to the Guides Gone Wild website to see the rest!):

Vertical
Kingdom Trails - Sidewinder Trail (side note, we all need to tell Christsonthy to do some POV videos on her favorite Kingdom Trails for YouTube next summer so I can replace this bruh video with her!)
What is enduro racing?
Transition Women’s Weekend East - Angi Weston
Highland Women’s Weekend
Village Sport Shop (Lyndonville, VT)
Appalachian Mountain Bike Club (Knoxville, TN)
Ergon Grips
Swiftwick Socks

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Today I’m joined by Victoria Amico, the brilliance behind Plus Sized Outdoors - a curated online resource and blog for hikers, an instructional YouTube Channel, and now, an inspiring PCT Thru Hike you can follow along with starting this spring!

Victoria and I met cute during a Zoom class hosted by our mutual friend Emily Holland, the host of the Nature Untold podcast, and a former guest of this very pod. When Victoria talked a little bit about what she was working on, I started private messaging her, just to find out that she’s also currently living 30ish miles from me here in Mass. Next thing you know, we are on a socially distanced library date to chat all things outdoor inspiration, and I knew right then she was THE ONE…. for an upcoming episode! (OK, yes, I know, overkill on the rom-com metaphors).

Anyway, Victoria’s story is one of repeated disappointment and rejection while following "the path" that most of us have grown up thinking we needed to be on.

That kind of beat down takes its toll, as we discuss, but Victoria has lived up to her name and come out the other side victorious, ready to take on some huge things, and support lots of friends in the process.

I hope you’ll also head over to plussizedoutdoors.org, where you’ll find her beautiful site with all the fantastic resources that I go on and on about in this episode, I promise you’ll be just as impressed as I am.

And the rest of your required reading from this episode:

@Plus_sized_outdoors on Instagram
Plus Sized Outdoors on YouTube
Hiking My Feelings donation page
The Trevor Project donation page
Victoria’s PCT blog on The Trek
Mt. Major (NH)
Unlikely Hikers - Jenny Bruso
She Explores Podcast featuring Sam Ortiz
Hiking My Feelings - @hikingmyfeelings
Sydney Williams
Virtual Campfire featuring Victoria
Rocky Mountain National Park
Four Pass Loop
Maroon Bells
PCT (Pacific Crest Trail)
What is ‘Type II/Type III’ fun?
REI Garage Sale
NEMO Hornet 2-person tent

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Today’s fabulous guest, Heather Kinal, is going to fuel our PLAN-UARY mojo!

Heather is the organizer of the Rooted Women’s Mountain Bike Festival that will be happening in July; she’s one half of the super-terrestrial force behind Ride Cosmic Dirt, a new women’s mountain biking clothing brand that’s launching its Kickstarter any day now; she’s the founder of the Instagram community Sisters in Singletrack; and not surprisingly, she’s also an all around lovely person who loves connecting women to each other, and to new experiences.

Heather and I caught up right before she left her home base in the Buffalo New York area for a cross country traverse to meet up with Ride Cosmic Dirt’s co-badass, Ashley Duffus-Jambor. Even before her trip commenced, Heather and I covered a lot of ground - we talk about getting started in mountain biking, building confidence, yelling at the internet, launching an apparel company during a pandemic, and why we need Rooted in our lives.

Along with the Ride Cosmic Dirt universe, you should obviously follow Heather in all her other places, she’s @heluvaheather, @sistersinsingletrack, and @rootedMTBfest on Instagram.

AND - don't forget, it’s Plan-uary!! Time to put some dates on the calendar for safe outdoor fun!:

Snowshoe Camp with Sarah Canney (registration closes January 17th!)
Ice Climbing with Laurie Watt
Dogsledding with Polly Mahoney

More links from our conversation:

Lost Dutchman Marathon
Nike+ app
ACE Fitness (fitness trainer certification)
Yoga Alliance
Yoga with Adriene
Down Dog app
Black Yoga Magazine
Yoga Blue Fitness Studio
So You Want to Start a Podcast by Kristen Meinzer
What is duathlon?
What is aquabike?

And special thanks to our sponsor, Evans Notch Lodge!

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I’m all fired up today, because this conversation represents exactly the kind of guest and interview that drove me to start Guides Gone Wild in the first place. My guest is Jackie Stratton of Waterways Guiding, a licensed Maine Guide, Maine Master Naturalist, and ACA certified white water canoe instructor.

Like all of us, Jackie had exciting plans for 2020. She had given notice at her so called ‘real job’ and had started her own guide service, Waterways Guiding, and was ramping up on all fronts for her first full season in business. She had big goals for connecting new groups of people to the outdoors, improving access and safety, increasing the comfort level of those who’d been ignored or mistreated because of their sex, race, gender identity, physical limitations, you name it. Jackie was bringing years of backcountry and paddling experience to her new business, and she was stoked to make her passion her profession as well.

But COVID-19 didn’t really give a flying you-know-what about her big plans, and the past year has instead been an exercise in continuous pivoting, testing, reworking, and plan B-C-D-E activation.

Jackie has my head spinning with ideas and hope for the future of professional guiding - she is just the positive force I needed to get back on track after a bumpy start this year!

Check out Jackie's guide service, Waterways Guiding, on the web, Instagram, and Facebook.

And don't miss Jackie’s fabulous Cedar Grove Sauna on the web, Instagram, Facebook!

We covered a lot of ground in this one, this is just a sampling!:

Allagash River
St. John River
Polly Mahoney/Guides Gone Wild, Episode 10
Common Ground Fair
Joy Massicotte/Guides Gone Wild, Episode 26
Venture Out Project
Mountainsong Expeditions/Murphy Robinson (VT)
Jackie featured on The School of the Forest Podcast
Sauna Magic by Garrett Conover
Wild Rice from Minnesota
Coconut Curry
Dutch Oven Corn Bread
Smartwool Balaclava
Bug net with under-arm straps - this was the only one of its kind I could find :-D

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I had so much fun talking to the Fly Girls last week, that I’m keeping with the buddies-on-the-water theme this week too!

My guests today are Sandy Moore and Kimberlee Bennett, the authors of Paddling Southern Maine, a great guidebook that I just bought myself as a birthday present… to myself.
Yes, I’m one of those lucky people whose birthday smacks right up against the holiday season AND the new year, so I usually spend January doubling down on planning and scheming about how to get my butt out of my desk chair more with trips and activities. I can already tell that my new copy of Paddling Southern Maine, and all the other information these ladies share so generously online and in this episode, will get me social distancing on the water a whole lot more this coming spring and summer.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s had a hard time interpreting guide books in the past. You read about a trip or hike or paddle you want to do, but then get lost trying to find the trailhead, or show up at the parking lot and it holds 2 cars and there are already 10 other people jockeying for position. Never mind when the book tells you something is ‘easy’ or ‘moderate’ or ‘difficult’ - what does that even mean?

These two ladies live in Maine, paddle in Maine, and in some cases, face-plant off SUPs in Maine (see below), so I trust the advice and guidance they’re providing. I feel like a broken record since I basically say this every week, but you’re really going to love this one. These two are a riot together, they know their stuff, and our conversation is jam packed with tips and trips - but thankfully no map scraps!

You can follow Sandy on Instagram @kayakguide1, and Kim is all over the interwebs @mainekayakgirl on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Kim also continues to blog and add trip reports at kayakinginmaine.blogspot.com, and her trusty adventure companion, Miss Gladys, has her own Instagram handle @mainekayakdog.

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