Guides Gone Wild

Long time listeners, first time callers might remember a conversation I had with Paige Emerson of Chubby Hiker Reviews, back in June 2021. 

At the time, Paige seemed to be on the cusp of absolutely blowing up on social media with her inspiring and relatable posts about hiking, and her trail reviews that highlighted things most of us care about, like bathroom access, parking, whether our butts would get totally kicked or just partially kicked.

But with social media, sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for - all the attention Paige was getting kind of brought her down for a bit, and she fell off the radar.

Never fear! As of summer 2023, Paige is back with a VENGEANCE, with all kinds of activities on offer AND the beginnings of a structure that will (hopefully!) allow Chubby Hikers to blow up without taking her down again.

You can be part of Chubby Hiker's growth and get to know Paige and her team in a bunch of ways - 

• Follow @ChubbyHikerReviews on Instagram
• Join the Chubby Hikers of Maine Facebook Group
• Check out the new Chubby Hiker chapters in Waldo County, Cumberland County, Androscoggin County (Maine), plus now Connecticut
• Sign up for the Chubby Hiker Email List to keep up with all the fun!

If you haven't heard Paige's story, check out our first Guides Gone Wild conversation here: https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/paige-emerson-chubby-hiker-reviews-ggw056

Read about Paige and Chubby Hiker Reviews in the Portland Press Herald: https://www.pressherald.com/2022/06/05/just-because-youre-bigger-you-can-still-be-a-hiker-there-shouldnt-be-barriers/

Join the July 30th Kindling Collective x Chubby Hikers Portland (ME) hike here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kindling-collective-x-chubby-hiker-tickets-608730849357

Join Paige, Tori Gray and Greg Sarnacki on their All Bodies Canoe Trip (Baxter State Park, ME - August 3rd): https://thewildernessguru.com/shop/ols/products/chubby-hiker-reviews---all-bodies-canoe-trip

And a enjoy a few more bonus links from this episode:

• Kindling Collective (queer-centered gear library)
• The Wilderness Guru (and Tori Gray's episode of Guides Gone Wild!)
• Forage River Outfitters - Greg Sarnacki

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Last week I mentioned the Diversify Whitewater Community River Float happening up in Veazie, Maine this Saturday, July 8th - and today, we’re hearing more from a true force of nature behind this event, Saige Purser.

Saige is a citizen of the Yakama Nation, a whitewater guide and the Director of Future Generations program for Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, a community-driven, culturally centered public health and social services agency supporting all Wabanaki communities and people while honoring Wabanaki cultural knowledge, cultivating innovation, and fostering collaboration.

Saige is a tireless advocate for indigenous representation in outdoor spaces - literally tireless, she’s been on the road non-stop for the past two months, which we’re going to talk about today. Her summer itinerary so far sounds exhausting, but so, so amazing!

Saige has landed back in Maine for now, and she’ll be one of the leaders for this weekend’s Diversify Whitewater event - and guess what, it might actually be nice out for a change! So I hope a bunch of you are planning to attend! And it’s not too late to volunteer to help out at the event, link here to sign up.

Quick warning, the audio is a little rough here and there, because Saige was sitting in the middle of a gallery at the Smithsonian when we were recording this - literally! I resurrected it the best I could given my minimum viable editing skills.. don’t worry, you will still come away with plenty to think about and be inspired by.

Follow Saige on Instagram @saigelinsay and prepare to get a face-full!

All the links:
Get more information about the Diversify Whitewater Community River Float here: Bit.ly/DWMaine

Or email [email protected] or [email protected] for more information.

Learn more about Diversify Whitewater here: https://diversifywhitewater.org/

• Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness
• Yakama Nation
• What was the ‘Scoop Era’?
• Read a little bit about Saige’s Greenland trip and the upcoming “A Taste of Two Worlds” cookbook development
• National Unity Conference
• Penobscot Nation Youth Council
• The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
• Packraft Maine
• West Forks River Fest
• Read more about Nyle Sockbeson’s AT thru-hike
• What is a flip line?
• Canyonlands Field Institute (Moab, UT)
• Native Teen Guide in Training Program

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Outdoor Women Lead (OWL) fundraiser at Fogtown Brewing Company, Ellsworth, Maine - Thursday, June 29, 2023

Enjoy a special spritzer release made from locally foraged and harvested deliciousness, all to benefit OWL programming and OWLette summer camp for girls!

Get more info about Outdoor Women Lead and Women for Healthy Rural Living here:  https://whrl.org/programs/owl/

Or join OWL on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/outdoorwomenlead/

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Diversify Whitewater Community River Float at Veazie Salmon Club, Veazie, Maine - Saturday, July 8, 2023

All BIPOC, Queer, and allied paddlers (and wanna-be's!) are encouraged to join in this FREE event, to encourage and celebrate more diversity on Maine’s waterways!

Register for the Diversify Whitewater Community River Float here:  Bit.ly/DWMaine

Or email acstrong @ packraft.me  for more information.

Learn more about Diversify Whitewater here:  https://diversifywhitewater.org/

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Welcome to a special in-between-isode of Guides Gone Wild - I'm going to get right to the chase with this one for a change!

This Saturday, June 24th, is Summits in Solidarity's annual Solidarity Day fundraiser, which is designed to get everyone outside to celebrate and support BIPOC in outdoor spaces.

One of the recipients of this year's Summits in Solidarity fundraiser is the Boston chapter of Latino Outdoors, an organization dedicated to fostering connection with nature that is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. And today I've got the pleasure of speaking with Cyntya Uriegas, one of the volunteer leaders for Boston chapter - she's going to tell us a bit about herself, Latino Outdoors, and why this partnership with Summits in Solidarity is an exciting opportunity to build on the momentum this great group has generated in just a few short years in the Boston area.

I hope you'll follow Latino Outdoors Boston on Instagram and at their Eventbrite link, and don't forget about Solidarity Day, head on over to Summits in Solidarity.org to donate and sign up for a hike!

It's not too late to adopt a peak of your own, or tag on to one of the hikes and peaks that have already been claimed by another ally (or learn more and plan to do a fundraising hike of your own another day, just because it's not officially Solidarity Day doesn't mean you can't still stand in solidarity, right??)

Let's help Summits in Solidarity reach the top of all of the 4000 footers in New Hampshire, AND their $35K fundraising goal! 

• Latino Outdoors website
• @latinooutdoors_boston on Instagram
• Latino Outdoors Boston - Eventbrite

>> Summits in Solidarity - Solidarity Day sign-up <<

• Blue Hills Reservation (MA)
• Middlesex Fells Reservation (MA)
• Ridj-It
• Boston Harbor Islands
• Tajín
• What does it mean to 'code switch'?
• Mt. Willard (NH)
• Latino Outdoors Western MA
• Outdoor Afro
• Brown Girls Climb
• Luci Lantern

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Ever wondered how to blend your passions into a successful business?  Today, we're getting one approach - allow me to introduce you to Tori Gray, a registered Maine Guide for the past few years who is going into her second full season of business as The Wilderness Guru.

In creating The Wilderness Guru, Tori has taken advantage of the rising tide of demand for recreational guiding, and created a fabulous business that melds together all of the things she loves.

Lots of Tori’s offerings center around Baxter State Park, which holds a very special place in her heart, because of its unique management philosophy, that prioritizes wilderness preservation over recreation. It’s also where she first started considering a nature-based career, when she served as a wildlife educator and ridge runner during summers away from her pursuit of dance in college.

Today, The Wilderness Guru offers guided group and private hiking and backpacking trips, yoga retreats, foraging workshops, forest therapy walks, and integrative health and wellness coaching.  The Wilderness Guru Katahdin trips are pulled together with the utmost respect for the mountain and its sacredness - and Tori even looks for ways to integrate Citizen Science efforts into these adventures, to contribute further to our knowledge of the special flora and fauna that she loves so much.

Head to TheWildernessGuru.com for more information about upcoming trips and events, click a trip link below, or get the expanded list of coolness over on the episode page at GuidesGoneWild.com.

• @thewildernessguru on Instagram
• GuruWilderness on Facebook
• @GuruWilderness on TikTok
• @GuruWilderness on Twitter

• Other Gear Lists (constantly evolving & growing)
• Training for Katahdin Tips
• Concierge Services
• Yoga Day Retreats
• Katahdin Flora Workshop
• Katahdin Group Hikes
• Bendable Maine Community Collection (A few resources surrounding Baxter State Park that Tori put together for Maine's Online Library system)

• The Glorious Backpacking Spork
• Baxter State Park
• What is an AT Ridge Runner?
• How do I get involved in Citizen Science?

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Spandits Adventurewear Pop-Up at the Delta Dental Mt. Washington Road Race - Saturday, June 17, 2023
Get more info or buy Spandits Adventurewear here:
https://www.spandits.com/
Get more info about the Delta Dental Mt. Washington Road Race here:
https://mt-washington.com/mount-washington-road-race/

Listen to Sarah Doscinski & Kelley Cullenberg of Spandits on Guides Gone Wild:
https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/ggw069-spandits-kelley-cullenberg-sarah-doscinski

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Kennebec River Whitewater Rafting Day with The Girls Trip Adventure Co. - Saturday, August 5, 2023
https://thegirlstripadventureco.com/pages/upcoming-trips for more details, or call North Country Rivers at 1-800-348-8871 and ask to join “The Girls Trip” on August 5th.

Listen to Jackie Lastinger on Guides Gone Wild:
https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/jackie-lastinger-the-girls-trip-adventure-co-ep094

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Summits in Solidarity - June 24, 2023 (Solidarity Day)
https://www.summitsinsolidarity.org/ for more details or to register for a Solidarity hike!

Listen to Serena Ryan on Guides Gone Wild:
https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/ggw024-serena-ryan-the-notch-hostel
https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/ggw052-summits-in-solidarity-serena-ryan

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'Tall' Ashley's Guide Service - Ashley Leedberg, Registered Maine Guide
 https://www.guidedbytall.com/  for more details on Women's Adventure Weekends, retreats and more!

Listen to 'Tall' Ashley on Guides Gone Wild:
https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/ggw070-tall-ashley-leedberg

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We're back with Part 2 of the latest Guide for Guides, all about insurance!

Today we're talking to Angela Ziogas of Cross Current Insurance, which at its very core came out of a woman guide's need for insurance for her fly fishing business. Cross Current now offers all kinds of options for fishing and hunting guides, outfitters, lodges and even outdoor equipment manufacturers.

Angela's going to fill us in on what kind of coverage to look for, questions to ask, information to gather, and things that you can do proactively to protect yourself, your business, and most importantly, your clients.

Get more information about Cross Current Insurance at https://crosscurrentinsurance.com/

If your guiding business features more forest bathing than field dressing, make sure you go back and listen to the first part of this Guide for Guides, when we talked to Miriam Ball of Alternative Balance, a member-based insurance group that will help you find the right coverage for activities such as yoga, Pilates, nutrition coaching, forest bathing, reiki, and more.

I hope you'll let me know if you find these 'Guides for Guides' useful - shoot me an email ([email protected]), share your feedback, and let me know if there are other topics you'd like to hear about that would help you and your guiding business!

And speaking of helping your guiding business, if you're guiding or leading trips in Maine, the Maine Wilderness Guides Organization (a great professional organization that gave me the idea for this mini-series) can provide you with a supportive community, pro deals, and other resources that will set you up for success in the field (or on the water, or in the woods....)

Final call out goes to Evans Notch Lodge, our sponsor for the Guide for Guides series - and not a bad place for you to base the next fly-fishing (or forest bathing) group you lead!

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Skills4Lumberjills - June 10-11, 2023
axewomen.com for more details
Listen to Alissa Wetherbee on Guides Gone Wild: https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/ggw065-alissa-wetherbee-axe-women-loggers-of-maine
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F**k Cancer Fondo - July 15, 2023
susan @ carolinesdream dot com or DM Jen @GuidesGoneWild for more details!
Listen to Susan Shashok on Guides Gone Wild: https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/susan-shashok-carolines-dream-ggw127

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It's the topic most of us love to hate or avoid... insurance.

But for anyone who's thinking of taking folks outside, out of their comfort zones and into the wild (even if the wild is a nicely manicured campground just off a main road), you NEED to protect yourself from the random things that might happen!

My guests for the next two episodes are here to help you find your path through all the regulations and jargon, so you can be confident you're covered - so you're able to spend your limited time and resources on things that you love (and are also important to your business!) like creating memorable and amazing experiences for your clients.

Today's guest is Miriam Ball from Alternative Balance, a NH-based membership group that provides guides and practitioners with access to professional and general liability coverage in health, beauty and wellness spaces that fall outside traditional business liability models.

If you're an outdoor guide or trip leader who offers (or wants to start offering) outdoor fitness or yoga instruction, nutrition or wellness coaching, massage therapy, reiki, forest bathing, energy work, etc., Alternative Balance can be a great option, and Miriam has LOTS of insight to share today.

(Or if your guide offerings include fishing, hunting, boating, that kind of thing, you're going to want to tune in to Part 2 next week, because those service lines are right in the crosshairs for Cross Current Insurance - yes, pun absolutely intended - and next week's guest Angela Ziogas has tons of great tips and perspective to offer as both an advisor and sportswoman herself.)

Listen, learn, enjoy!
And then check out an awesome option to get yourself and your business some top-notch liability insurance:
https://alternativebalance.com/
See profiles of Alternative Balance members here:  https://www.instagram.com/alternativebalance/
Special thanks to our series sponsor Evans Notch Lodge: https://www.evansnotchlodge.com/
And if you're guiding or leading trips in Maine, consider joining the Maine Wilderness Guides Organization!

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