Unlikely Hikers

Find out more about the Unlikely Hikers Podcast here.Episode 13: Where is the Plus-Size Gear?Plus-size outdoorspeople are climbing mountains, long-distance hiking, whitewater rafting and rock climbing, but plus-size specific technical gear and clothing are still rare to non-existent. Many studies have shown the average American woman wears a size 16/18, so where is the gear at? In this episode of the Unlikely Hikers Podcast, I talk with plus-size outdoor leaders Diandra Oliver, Tasheon Chillous and Sam Ortiz, about the hits and misses of the outdoor industry when it comes to the needs of the plus-size adventurer.This episode was sponsored by, Eddie Bauer, a brand I am really proud to work with as a leader with their One Outside Program.Our guests:Diandra Oliver (she/her/hers) www | ig: @sink.shipsSam Ortiz (she/her/hers) www | ig: @samortizphoto & @climb.bigTasheon Chillous (she/her/hers) ig: @chilltashSHOW NOTESJustice for Jacob Blake (gofundme)Find full show links here.@kanoagreene, @ashleysadventure, @pdxoutdoorchiro, @bennettrahn, @themirnavator, @brandihikes, @iamlshauntaySustain the podcast – Join my Patreon!

Find out more about the Unlikely Hikers Podcast here.Episode 12 : Disabled Hikers with Syren NagakyrieSyren Nagakyrie (they/them/theirs) is a long-time disabled activist and community builder who is passionate about liberation through connection. They grew up with multiple invisible disabilities and finds connection with nature to be a source of comfort in times of social isolation. Syren is the founder of Disabled Hikers, an organization building disability community and justice in the outdoors. They are a freelance writer, consultant, and presenter. They are the author of The Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Western Washington and Oregon: outdoor adventures accessible by car, wheelchair, and foot, to be published by, FalconGuides. Syren currently resides on traditional lands of the Quileute, in Forks, Washington. They identify as a white, queer, and poor person from a disabled and working-class background. Disabled Hikers | ig: @disabledhikersWeaving throughout the interview are other voices from the Unlikely Hikers community, Evita Rush (she/her), Vasu Sojitra (he/him), Matthew Tilford (he/him), Alyssa (she/they/we), Eugene Brukhman (he/him), Olivia Bernard (she/her), Kali Welch (she/her) and Regina.Support Disabled Hikers on PatreonFeds in PortlandWall of Moms messSpoon TheoryInspiration PornHow to show up every day for racial injusticeSee full episode notes hereSustain the podcast – Join my Patreon!

A Triple Crown thru-hiker doesn’t know what he’s got ’til it’s gone. A plus-size mountaineer fights her inner monologue and embraces her badassery. A backcountry drag queen uses the power of femininity for social change.This episode is sponsored by, the National Forest Foundation for #NationalForestWeek, June 13th-19th. National Forest Week is an annual celebration of our incredible National Forest System and all that it offers. Find all information, resources, events and a photo contest at nationalforestweek.org. This year’s theme is “Discover Unforgettable Experiences.” What are your favorite outdoor memories and traditions? What is your personal connection to National Forests and public lands? Midway through the episode, I do a mini interview with El Yunque National Forest supervisor, Keenan Adams.See full show notes at jennybruso.com/podcastMegan Banker (she/her) is a rock climber and mountaineer living in Portland, OR. At her day job, she is a Health At Every Size (HAES) chiropractor ig: @pdxoutdoorchiroPattie Gonia (she/her) is an environmental advocate, outdoor community leader, and backpacking drag queen––and yes, Pattie really hikes in heels. ig: @pattiegoniaWill “Akuna” Robinson (he/him) is an army vet who has used thru-hiking as a tool to manage PTSD. He is the first known Black man to earn the Triple Crown of hiking, ig: @akunahikesKeenan Adams (he/him) has worked all over the U.S. for the National Wildlife Refuge System, Department Of the Interior and National Forest Systems. ig: @keenan_the_nomadSustain the podcast – Join my Patreon!

Find out more about the Unlikely Hikers Podcast: jennybruso.com/podcastEpisode 10 : Chelsea Murphy Colors NatureChelsea Murphy (she/her/hers) is a hiker, a runner, a mother of two girls and a Black woman who’s found herself in a role as a local leader for anti-racist violence in a majority-white small mountain town in Washington state. She’s on a mission to create a better, more inclusive world for her daughters. She uses hiking and trail running to balance mental health and wellness, while juggling the activist lifestyle and speaking out about social injustices. She loves a good taco, glass of red wine and a productive conversation about racism and white supremacy. ig: @she_colorsnatureYou can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and many other podcast apps. You can watch the episode on YouTube. Please subscribe, rate us 5-stars and leave a good review!SHOW NOTESChristian CooperGeorge FloydAhmaud ArberyBreonna TaylorTony McDadeJuneteenthBlack Lives Matter (official)np̓əšqʷáw̓səxʷ (Wenatchi) TribeSheFly Apparel“Future racists of America” postMe and White Supremacy by, Layla F. SaadErin J. NashComplete list at jennybruso.com/podcast

Find out more about the Unlikely Hikers Podcast & LIVE Show: jennybruso.com/podcastWhat does responsible re-entry look like as parks begin re-opening? Where can I go? Do I have to wear a mask every moment? What do I need to plan ahead for? What does "close to home" really mean?You're going to want to listen to this before your next outdoor adventure!On this episode, I spoke with Taldi Harrison, a Government and Communities Affairs manager at REI, and Chip Jenkins, superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park. They are both members of the Recreate Responsibly Coalition, a newly formed coalition of nonprofits, outdoor businesses, and land managers developing and sharing best practices to protect each other and our natural landscapes during COVID-19.Unofficial title of this episode: The Mountain is ClosedFind bios for Taldi & Chip: jennybruso.com/podcastThis episode is sponsored by REI, who has awesomely helped me make the connections to bring this to life. A life outdoors, is a live well lived, amiright?Recreate Responsibly CoalitionHispanic Access FoundationAmerican Hiking SocietyLeave No Trace (LNT)The Ten EssentialsMap of state-by-state reopenings - NYT will try to trick you into getting a subscription, be sure to opt for the free one even though you have to provide your email address. This guide is amazing!)Find out what is open near you: Stateparks.org, Trust for Public Lands, U.S. Forest Service, National Park System (NPS)Our Public Lands by, Nicole Brown of Women Who Hike - a complete & comprehensive guide to understanding the U.S.'s many land management systems. Includes many resources for finding out about where to recreate responsibly.Find your next trail and info about closures: AllTrails, Hiking Project, Washington Trails Association - Use these via the web or app.CDC Guidelines - stay up to date!What We Know About Your Chances of Catching the Virus Outdoors - concise, informative, reassuring. Read this!

The live show airs every Tuesday at 5pm pst. Join here: jennybruso.com/podcast Our eighth episode features, Ash Manning!Ash Manning (she/her) is a self-proclaimed plus-size outdoorswoman working on breaking stereotypes put on bodies of all shapes and sizes. She pushes back on the narrow view of what hikers, boaters, or outdoorsy people should look like perpetuated by the outdoor industry. Ash also acknowledges there is more than just size to take into account when expanding space in nature for everyone. She seeks to aid in creating space for everyone underrepresented in the outdoor world. ig: @ashleysadventureShow notesSurveys about weight gain = I LIED! Ok, I didn’t, but I can’t find the article I read which makes me think it was possibly bunk. Regardless, our obsession with quarantine weight gain is harmful to ourselves and the fat people in our lives.Ash’s Blog for The TrekAppalachian TrailInstagram post we mentioned with Serene / @fattyontheflyNüümü Poyo –– and why we aren’t calling it the “John Muir Trail”Ashley’s employer, Adrift DinosaurLatria Graham from episode 04!Sustain the podcast – join my Patreon!– Find the full show notes for all that we discussed and join our next episode at jennybruso.com/podcast

The live show airs every Tuesday at 5pm pst. Join here: jennybruso.com/podcast Our seventh episode features storytelling w/Daniel "The Blackalachian" White, Sirena Rana Dufault, Tam Willey & Travis "Bearbait" Clough! A love of the outdoors is rediscovered after a fibromyalgia diagnosis; two friends make a series of hilarious and possibly dangerous choices while backpacking; a thru-hiker survives dangerous animal encounters, but it was owls that nearly did him in. In this special storytelling episode, we’re taking the Unlikely Hikers feed and bringing it to life with stories from Daniel "The Blackalachian" White, Sirena Rana Dufault, Tam Willey & Travis "Bearbait" Clough.Sirena Rana Dufault has logged thousands of miles hiking, backpacking, rafting and canyoneering in the Southwest. Her consulting company, Trails Inspire, promotes the outdoors via photography, freelance writing, public speaking, and trail design. Her first book, “Best Day Hikes on the Arizona National Scenic Trail” will be released in August 2020 by Wilderness Press. Sirena is based in Tucson, Arizona, ancestral lands of the Tohono O'odham and Yaqui, but considers the Grand Canyon her second home. Sirena's Wanderings| ig: @desertsirenaTam Willey is a Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Trainer and Mentor with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs. Tam is the founder of Toadstool Walks, a small guiding practice based in Boston, Massachusetts, designing community walks, immersions and retreats that invite us to come together in ways that support a culture of reciprocity, cultural repair, health and healing for all beings. Toadstool Walks | ig: @toadstoolwalksTravis “ Bearbait” Clough resides in Portland, Maine. He has been Director of Trip Operations and an Instructor with The Venture Out Project since 2015. His favorite outdoor activities are backpacking, scramble hikes, splitboarding, swimming in mountain lakes, summiting high peaks and bikepacking. Their other interests are quilting, playing guitar and banjo, contra dancing/square dancing, pot-lucks, and connecting to queer community. The Venture Out Project | ig: @tc_cloughDaniel “The Blackalachian” White hails from North Carolina. In 2017, he hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. In 2018, he biked 2,000 miles from Mobile, Alabama to Ontario, Canada along the Underground Railroad Trail. His mission was to reflect on the history of racism in the U.S., shed light on the lack of people of color represented in the outdoor scene, and the importance of making the country’s public lands, monuments and natural wonders more accessible and comfortable for all. YouTube Channel | ig: @theblackalachian – Find the full show notes for all that we discussed and join our next episode at jennybruso.com/podcast

The live show airs every Tuesday at 5pm pst. Join here: jennybruso.com/podcast Our sixth episode features, Perry Cohen of The Venture Out Project! Perry Cohen (he/him) realized a lifelong dream of combining his love of the outdoors, his commitment to social justice, his own trans & queer identity, and his professional life when he founded The Venture Out Project in 2014. TVOP's mission is to help create a space for queer, trans, and LGBTQ+ youth and adults to create community, develop leadership skills, and gain confidence through the shared experience of outdoor adventure and physical activity. Perry has extensive wilderness experience, having led multi-day hiking and mountain biking trips in the US and Canada. He is an avid backcountry skier, hiker, biker and runner. In support of Venture Out’s mission to make both outdoor and traditional education settings more affirming of trans and gender diverse folks, Perry also works with colleges, schools, camps, and other organizations to deliver comprehensive and progressive workshops around gender diversity.– Find the full show notes for all that we discussed and join our next episode at jennybruso.com/podcast

The live show airs every Tuesday at 5pm pst. Join here: jennybruso.com/podcast Our fifth episode features, Mercy M'fon of Wild Diversity! Mercy M’fon is the founder and executive director of Wild Diversity, a non-profit creating outdoor experiences for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) & the LGBTQIA+ communities. She has over 15 years of community leadership as an educator and facilitator and she uses this knowledge and passion to create community-based approaches to decolonized outdoor stewardship that nourish our inherent connection to the land.– Find the full show notes for all that we discussed and join our next episode at jennybruso.com/podcast

The live show airs every Tuesday at 5pm pst. Join here: jennybruso.com/podcast Our fourth episode features, Latria Graham & Tyler "The Prodigy" Lau! Quicksand, sketchy hitchhiking and a cringeworthy mistake you will never make after hearing this. In this special storytelling episode, we’re taking the Unlikely Hikers feed and bringing it to life with stories from Latria Graham, Tyler “The Prodigy” Lau and your host, Jenny Bruso.Latria Graham is a journalist, and fifth generation South Carolina farmer. Her work stands at the intersection of food, social justice, sports and culture. She’s written longform pieces about everything from farming to NASCAR. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College, and later earned her MFA in Creative Nonfiction from The New School in New York City. She is a three-time Best American Sports Writing notable for her stories on athletes in places of tension—primarily Standing Rock, ND and Flint, MI. She received a Bronze level CASE Award for her reporting on immigration policy that stemmed from 2017’s Executive Order 13769, often referred to as the “travel ban.” Her work has been featured in the NYT, LATimes, The Guardian, espnW, Southern Living, and Garden&Gun.Tyler “The Prodigy” Lau (left) hails from the US and Hong Kong. He didn't grow up appreciating the outdoors, but that changed as he got older and started taking jobs doing trail maintenance, rehabilitating fragile habitats and fighting wildfires. At work he found himself experiencing discrimination and sterotyping, which openend his eyes to the diversity problem in the outdoors. He wanted to be a part of making it more accessible to all. In 2018, he became the first Person of Color and first Asian-American to complete a Calendar Year Triple Crown which is the completion of the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail and Appalachian Trail in one calendar year. He used the hike to promote and fundraise for organizations working on diversity efforts in the outdoors.– Find the full show notes for all that we discussed and join our next episode at jennybruso.com/podcast

The live show airs every Tuesday at 5pm pst. Join here: jennybruso.com/podcast Our third episode features, Nikki Smith! Nikki Smith (she/her) is a photographer, artist, writer, author, and climber based in Salt Lake City, Utah. She started climbing in the early '90s, and has been working in the outdoor industry and climbing world since 1998. She’s authored five climbing guidebooks and written many feature articles for climbing magazines. She’s done more than 150 first ascents throughout the west and has traveled the world to climb. Now much of her work is focused on trying to build a more inclusive, diverse, and safe community within climbing and the outdoors. She is an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, and a Board Member for the Access Fund. – Find the full show notes for all that we discussed and join our next episode at jennybruso.com/podcast

The live show airs every Tuesday at 5pm pst. Join us: jennybruso.com/podcast Our second episode features, Will "Akuna" Robinson! Will (he/him) is an army vet who has used thru-hiking as a tool to manage PTSD. He is the first known Black man to earn the Triple Crown of hiking, which is the completion of the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail and Continental Divide Trail. Along the way, his journey became a mission not just for himself to heal but to share the healing power of nature with veterans, people of color and everyonewho doesn't fit the stereotype of an outdoorsy person. – Find the full show notes for all that we discussed and join our next episode at jennybruso.com/podcast

The live show airs every Tuesday at 5pm pst. Join us: jennybruso.com/podcast Our debut episode features, Tasheon Chillous! Tasheon is a plus-size Personal Trainer and Coach located in Tacoma, Washington. The lack of diversity in the fitness industry pushed her to pursue movement as a career instead of a hobby. She believes that movement does not have to be about changing a number on the scale or measurements and instead practices a HAES (Health At Every Size) and size-inclusive approach. She loves creating programs for people who want to improve their strength and confidence with functional and intuitive movement. In 2019, she created BOPOMO, a Body Positive Movement class specifically for plus-size, fat-identified, people of color and queer folks of all abilities to find joy and empowerment through movement. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she began offering classes online. Tasheon is also a self-described Unlikely Hiker. She didn't really understand why people would climb mountains until 2017 when her brother died and hiking became a way to process her grief. Find the full show notes for all that we discussed and join our next episode at jennybruso.com/podcast