Bri @heroutdoorlife, Laura @cruisinhughesin, Me @lschipper, Miriam @miriamsubbiah
Summer was full of planning and executing weekend trips out of the city and into the mountains. My writing didn’t keep up with my adventures, but one notable trip this summer sparked a flame that has manifested some amazing opportunities and highlighted the positive impact social media can have on community and forming intentional relationships.
It began when I was scrolling through instagram and saw a posting on She Explores for a Pacific Northwest meet-up. I happened to be out of town the weekend it was occurring but I stalked (yes, stalked) the gal who was hosting the event and found a quick connection with her positive posts and nature photography. I direct messaged her instantly and the following week we were getting to know each other over a beer.
Less than an hour into the conversation I was committed to a weekend camping trip in Oregon with her and 3 other girls whom I had never met. (The power of social media bringing like minded people together!) The weekend of the trip approached and I was picked up by one of the ‘strangers’ that I spent the next 4 hours getting to know as we battled Seattle traffic, crossed into Oregon, and settled at our campsite with the others. We all quickly bonded over our collective love for the outdoors, photography, adventure and s’mores. We cruised through the weekend, completely changing the itenerary of our trip and headed to Oneonta Gorge and Hood River instead of traveling to Portland for an outdoor expo. As our weekend came to a close, we started devising plans for our next trip. I was excited, but at the same time questioning whether our future plans would come to fruition. It’s like a first date where the other person says they had a great time and they’ll call you, but you’re left wondering if they actually will. Thankfully we were all genuine in our desire to continue pursuing friendship and fun and we promptly had out next adventure weekend scheduled.
The transition from Summer to Fall was happening and with the prospect of sun, we traveled East to Ancient Lakes (where all the pictures in this post were taken) in hopes of warmth and clear skies. Less than a mile on the trail, we concluded that none of us had ever done an all girls backpacking trip…..which felt pretty ironic because female powered adventures is what brought us together in the first place! We’re excited to bring our meeting full circle and expand the opportunity for other outdoor loving females to connect by co-hosting out first event in collaboration with She Explores Saturday October 29th. For more information and to RSVP, head to the She Explores website. Oh and quick moral of the story? Social media can be incredibly useful for connection, education and inspiration. If you follow someone that positively influences you, don’t be afraid to reach out and let them know. You never know the adventures that may come from it! See ya on the trail!
