Guides Gone Wild

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

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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 Foodie and 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!

More fun links:

• https://backcountryfoodie.com/
• Subscribe to the Backcountry Foodie YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@backcountryfoodie
• Keep an eye on the BCF blog for a recap of Aaron’s Tour du Mont Blanc in September 2023: https://backcountryfoodie.com/blog/
• Backcountry Foodie Shop: https://backcountryfoodie.myshopify.com/
• @backcountry_foodie on IG: https://www.instagram.com/backcountry_foodie
• Meg Carney, The Outdoor Minimalist, on GGW: https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/meg-carney-outdoor-minimalist-ep115
• Brittany Haas - Alpenventures Unguided: https://www.alpenventuresunguided.com/
• Condor Trail Info: https://www.condortrail.com/
• Favorite cold-soak recipe: https://backcountryfoodie.com/sun-dried-tomato-pesto-pasta-ultralight-backpacking-recipe/
• Frogg Toggs Emergency Poncho: https://www.froggtoggs.com/frogg-toggsr-emergency-poncho-4734

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On Guides Gone Wild, we talk to lots of women who do extremely brave things - but I have to say, being vulnerable and open about a life-changing diagnosis and treatment (and the mental *ss-kicking you are still going through as a result), is the bravest kind of bravery in my book.

Anyssa Lucena first graced the Guides Gone Wild airwaves in April 2022, when she was in the early days of building her business, Genuine Climbing, through which she provides guiding, instruction, coaching and community around her passion for rock climbing.

Literally a month after we first spoke, Anyssa’s life and business got turned completely upside down when she found a lump in one of her breasts.

So a few trigger warnings for today: very salty language; cancer; survivor guilt; trauma. If those kinds of things cut a little too close right now, skip this and come back next time.

But whether you’re in for this week’s audio ride or not, please do check out Climb for a Cause, an event that Anyssa is hosting Thursday, October 26, 2023, at the GOAT Climbing Gym in Hackensack, NJ from 7-9pm.

If you’re able to attend in person, you’ll have a fantastic time learning and climbing and learning some more, and will be welcomed with open arms by the amazing community that Anyssa has around her.

If you can’t be there in person, I hope you’ll consider donating to the same causes that Anyssa will be supporting with her proceeds from the event: For the Breast of Us, the first online community dedicated to women of color affected by breast cancer; and The Ellie Fund, which provides essential support services like transportation to appointments, housekeeping, grocery assistance, childcare reimbursement, that kind of thing for breast cancer patients, to ease the stresses of everyday life, so that they can focus on recovery, healing, and spending time with family. 

And a final reminder that early detection can make a HUGE difference - get the mammogram, check yourself out once in a while, and if anything seems to be changing or is concerning you - ANYTHING! - waste no time, make sure to talk to your doctor.

All the links, all together:

• Climb for a Cause (Thursday, October 26th; 7:00-9:00pm)
• GOAT Climbing Gym (Hackensack, NJ)
• For the Breast of Us
• The Ellie Fund
• The Big Cs: Chicks, Climbing and Cancer (FB Group)
• Anyssa’s first episode on Guides Gone Wild (April 2022)

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Today I’m talking to Bethany Cass, an awesome new friend I met around this time last year when she and her daughter Maddie attended the Guides Gone Wild Iron Chef weekend that I hosted with Ari Leach of Blackbird Guide Service.

At the time, as you’ll hear, Bethany was kind of treading water in a sea of discontent, but getting ready to take some bold strokes in new directions - and less than one year later, things are poppin' off for her, as the kids would say!

WAIT UNTIL YOU HEAR what she is doing in 2024!!

But the point I want you to come away from this conversation with is NOT that you have to go big or stay home. There is more than one right way to seek - and hopefully find - fun, inspiration, and fulfillment.

Bethany’s soul was called toward meditation, yoga, and spending quiet time in the wilderness - yours might be finding a dozen friends for a whitewater or ski trip, or dangling from ropes on a rock face or splashing in a waterfall, or maybe hanging out with your favorite four-legged friend at your local land trust trail. It's all good! If it's outside in nature and it makes you feel good, it's worth doing!

Some of the cool stuff we talk about - come on over to GuidesGoneWild.com to see the full list!:

We Built This Workshop - come build a tent platform with us!

• AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) Huts
• REI Outlet
• Greenleaf Hut (AMC)
• What are energy therapies?
• How long is a Half Ironman Tri?
• SupYo Adventures
• Jana Olenio on Guides Gone Wild
• Backroads Travel
• SupYo Machu Picchu trip (August 2024)
• Sherpa of Souls
• Pemi Wilderness
• Polly Mahoney on Guides Gone Wild
• Mahoosuc Guide Service (Newry, ME)
• Maine Huts & Trails
• Kula Cloth - Kula’s amazing Instagram!

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I’ve got another special encore for you this week to remind all of us of the absolute power and beauty that can come from making connections, staying curious and just saying YES! (despite your nagging doubts...)

Picture yourself in April 2020, flailing around in and out of lockdown, wondering if the world was legit ending. That’s about the time I decided to use some of MY newly found free time to start reaching out to Maine guides to eventually recommend to visitors of our Lodge property, refusing to believe that we’d never be able to travel again.

And the very very first person to whom I reached out - who eventually took an even bigger leap and agreed to be interviewed by me, for purposes that weren’t even 100% clear to me at the time - was Alicia Heyburn.

Alicia is the Executive Director of Teens to Trails, a registered sea kayak guide, she’s on the boards of Maine Island Trail Association and Maine GearShare, she’s basically the Kevin Bacon of Maine, I think everyone in the state is, at most, two or three connections away from her.

I’ve stopped counting the number of guests I’ve had on Guides Gone Wild that were direct or indirect referrals from Alicia. And guess who reached out a month or so ago to let me know that a space had opened up on a trip she was going on with PackRaft Maine?!?

My kneejerk reaction was "I don’t think so, that sounds kinda hard and complicated, plus it’s a far drive, blah blah blah no blah...."

And then I was like, "Jen, you have spent the last four years talking a big game about getting outside, being a beginner, trying new things with new people, moving into the life you want to live - so shut the **** up, figure it out and make it happen!"

So last weekend I drove 4 ½ hours and shared a tent and two days of end to end outdoor amazingness with someone who was a complete stranger less than five years ago, whom I randomly connected with on LinkedIn.

Alicia is one of a kind, as was this trip: Alejandro Strong, the founder of PackRaft Maine, shepherded our group of complete newbies through the process of packing all our gear and led us as we biked the Penobscot River Trails, into Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, where we camped at Lunksoos Campground, then paddled the East Branch of the Penobscot back to our starting point on Sunday.

It was a weekend of sparkling water, the darkest skies and epic stargazing, making new friends and trying lots of new things.

And all because I talked to someone cool many moons ago. And said yes.

Enjoy this encore! And come on over to GuidesGoneWild.com to see all the links from Alicia's debut episode!

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Coming in HOT this week! Amy Hopkins is the founder of Saltwater Mountain Co., a cold-water dipping and wellness outfitter based in York, Maine, so I was stoked to talk to her, hoping that a tiny bit of thinking about all the cold water would translate into cooling me down in the crazy humid September summer we're experiencing!

We do indeed talk a lot about cold water dipping today - and so much more. Amy brings a unique compendium of skills and life experiences to her latest entrepreneurial endeavor, which should serve as great inspiration for all of us - basically a reminder that it’s really never too late to change your mind and try some new and different things.

This is a timely message for all those high school seniors/college freshmen out there - I hope they listen to this one and realize they doesn’t have to have their whole life figured out at 17! There will be plenty of opportunities to expand, grow and pivot to come - and bottom line, trying something new and challenging yourself with a little discomfort can have some hugely positive effects on your mental health!

Make sure to follow Amy’s Instagram page @dipdowntoriseup for her schedule of community dips, and be sure to check out the SaltwaterMountainCo.com website for more information on retreat offerings and all of the other fun ways Amy is blending her loves of cold water, yoga, bodywork, and more into uplifting experiences for her growing community.

And of course, grab a super-cozy Saltwater Mountain Co. Dry Robe or some other fun merch from her online store while you’re there!

Laps of links!:

• Saltwatermountainco.com
• @dipdowntoriseup
• National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) - https://www.nami.org/
• Tops’l Farm Petite Pause Retreats
• Maine Outdoor Economy Summit (November 29-December 1, 2023)
• dryrobe™
• Casting for Recovery
• Cressi Isla Booties (Amy recommends 7mm)
• Patagonia explains Yulex

And some related fun listens:

• Two Maine Mermaids on Guides Gone Wild
• Bonnie Holding, Casting for Recovery on Guides Gone Wild

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I’ve got a special encore for you this week. Back in June of 2021, I talked to Rebecca Sperry, aka SockedInHikes on Instagram, as a result of the powerful story she was sharing on social media at the time about her cancer diagnosis, treatment, and desire to continue to hike (mostly solo) despite, and kind of because of, the mental and physical challenges she was facing as she fought for her life. Literally.

Pulling that two-parter back together into a single episode gave me a very justifiable reason to spend time reading through all of Rebecca’s blog posts from the past many months of her tracing.

For those who don’t know, a White Mountain Trace is an attempt to walk every mile of every trail in the White Mountain trail guide. A daunting lifetime goal, for sure, because with all the backtracking and spur trails, a Trace amounts to over 2000 miles of hiking.

And Rebecca is currently trying to complete the trace in just 15 months, which would make her the fastest female on record ever to do so.

It has been NUTS to follow her progress, even if you didn’t know that this is Rebecca’s third attempt at this fastest known time, because the first two attempts were stymied by COVID, and then a life threatening battle with breast cancer. Let that sink in for a minute.

Her amazing blog, Rebecca Sperry.com, has a meticulously documented recounting of her White Mountain Trace efforts. It’s hugely inspiring, but also often very raw, and so truthful, and a remarkable window into the soul of someone who spends many, many hours alone with themselves in nature.

Despite the powerfully difficult circumstances of Rebecca’s last few years, she has continued to persevere, putting one foot in front of the other (and a bazillion miles on her car), and sharing a peek into her internal landscape that wanders from inspirational to devastating to relatable, probably an unintended metaphor for some of the trails she’s been bushwhacking through over the past year.

Rebecca is just a few weeks away from either finishing and achieving her goal, or not. But regardless of the outcome, her words, whether here or in writing, will completely rock your soul. This conversation is from June, 2021, but I think it’s an even more powerful listen today, knowing all that Rebecca has undertaken and achieved since then. I know it’s a long one, but I promise, take a nice long walk or two and listen end to end, you won’t regret it.

When she writes a book about this experience - and she better freaking turn this into a book! - I’ll be first in the pre-order line, I can tell you that much. And I’m hoping to have Rebecca back on the pod very soon to talk about some of her last 15 months - but only if she wants to, because one thing is very clear by now, she is writing her own damn story, and none of us have any right to it unless she decides to share it.

Some links to share:

• RebeccaSperry.com - click here to jump right to the trace entries
• @sockedinhikes on Instagram
• White Mountain Trace objective
• Fastest Known Time site

And SO MANY more here!:
https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/rebecca-sperry-socked-in-hikes-you-are-capable-of-more

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Summer is winding down, school and fall sports and work obligations are winding back up, and that has me thinking about winter! Or should I say, what passes for winter these days in New England (which at least last winter, was three months of rain and chilly gray skies, followed by 87 snowstorms in like 2 weeks...)

So what better time to bring on my guest today, Torey Brooks, who is one of my original backcountry ski inspirations, a former ski racer and coach, a climber, an engineer, a climate warrior, and a basic bad*ss who decided she wanted to ski the entire length of Vermont earlier this year.

We are talking about the Catamount Trail - 300+ miles of nordic ski trails that were strung together in the early 80s by a few guys who were stuck in their tent on a rainy camping weekend, probably had had a few too many beers, and decided it would be an awesome idea to ski from Massachusetts to Quebec.

I may have made up that part about too many beers, but not about this trail system being awesome - the Catamount Trail really is an amazing network of public and private lands, laced together by ski trails that are conveniently broken down into 31 manageable segments, which is how most people experience the Catamount Trail.

But not today’s superstar guest! As you’ll hear, Torey decided to go for a thru ski - yes, that means all 300+ miles in a single go - this past winter - yes, the winter that basically didn’t decide to happen until the end of February.

So how did she do? You’ll have to tune in to find out!

If you’re not already, you should absolutely be following Torey’s latest adventures over @tleeski on Instagram, and while you’re at the whole online thing, make sure to check out (and maybe even donate to!) Torey’s purposeful pursuits over on Summit4Something.com

And some other important stuff!:

• Protect Our Winters
• Catamount Trail (VT)
• Craftsbury Outdoor Center (VT)
• Eastern Adventure  - @easternadventure
• Vermont Social  - @vermontsocial
• Meg Pierce (Torey’s co-leader on my original backcountry ski inspo experience) on Guides Gone Wild
• Z pad

>> Make sure to follow Torey for all the up-to-date deets on the premiere of 300 Miles Melting - Friday, September 16th, 5:00-8:00pm at Hula, Burlington VT! <<

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The last few weeks I’ve enjoyed checking in with some of my guests from WAY BACK - like, 2020-2021 - to find out what they’re up to now, and I've been reveling in all the growth and expansion (and sometimes pivoting!) that’s occurred since our initial conversations.

Today is no exception - I’m checking back in with Jackie Stratton, a registered Maine guide who featured prominently in the early days of the podcast. Jackie first shared her guiding origin story in January 2021, and she was one of the awesome panelists for our "Maine Guide Q&A"  in May of 2021.

But fast forward 2+ years. While Jackie's interest in the outdoors hasn’t waned, her business interests have completely refocused as a result of the overwhelming success of what started out as a side hustle, to keep some cash coming in during the off season.

Cedar Grove Sauna is now actually THREE saunas: two anchored in beautiful spots on Jackie and her partner Nate’s sprawling homestead property in Montville, Maine; and a third that’s a modified horse trailer, that Jackie tows around mid-coast Maine and plants for days at a time in spectacular waterfront spots.

Jackie and I talk about the explosion of her sauna business, how it’s impacted her guiding, and why she spent six weeks in Europe this summer in various states of undress. How’s that for a teaser?!? Listen in for all the steamy stuff!

You're going to want to take advantage of one of Cedar Grove Sauna’s Summer Tuesdays, or be among the first to know about the where/when of Jackie’s mobile sauna season coming up, so you absolutely MUST sign up for the Cedar Grove Sauna email list over at CedarGroveSauna.com.

And of course, a few more hot links from our convo:

• Trish, Paula & Jen at Cedar Grove Sauna - listen in!
• Jackie’s Chicken Barn on Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/43701826
• International Bath Academy (Lithuania): https://bath.academy/en
• Spinney’s:  https://www.spinneysmaine.com/ (Phippsburg, ME)
• Glidden Point Oyster Farms: https://www.gliddenpoint.com/ (Edgecomb, ME)
• Craignair Inn: https://craignair.com/ (Spruce Head, ME)
• Steelhouse: https://www.rocklandsteelhouse.com/  (Rockland, ME)
• One source for Lithuanian linen bath towels - no dyeing required!

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