Guides Gone Wild

Today we are catching up with another new friend I made at the Maine Outdoor Economy Summit last fall, Emily Mackeown, who is the outreach coordinator for Maine GearShare, a Brunswick-based gear library that completed its pilot year in 2022 and supported tons of youth groups and non-profits successfully in their quest to get more people outside safely and comfortably.

It’s clear from our conversation that Emily’s truly unique upbringing informed her love of the outdoors, which eventually led to her becoming a registered guide. As she puts it, she’s always interested in talking to strangers, hearing their life stories, taking them somewhere outside their comfort zone, and being in that moment with them. So it’s no surprise that she got involved with an organization like Maine GearShare, which strives to bring more and more people into those moments.

As Emily sees it, Maine GearShare is trying to fire up the spark of a societal shift in thinking - maybe we don’t all have to own everything. And maybe, just maybe, access to the outdoors is a fundamental human right that shouldn’t be limited only to those who can afford the “right” gear, clothing and equipment.

I love this business model, I love geeking out listening to people with a passion talk about bringing their visions to life, I love that organizations like Maine GearShare are acting to expand access to the fun and adventure that can be had outdoors. All.The.Love.

You can get more information about Maine GearShare at mainegearshare.org - check out the kinds of equipment they have in inventory, find out about membership, maybe even make a donation to support their work right there on the website! 

(And if you happen to find yourself on Route 1 heading into Brunswick any time soon, maybe hit the Aroma Joe’s first and bring Jackson a treat, he is definitely earning it with all the stanky middle school camping gear that man has to manage!)

Before I go, some fun upcoming events and links:

• Maine GearShare - @me_gearshare
• U.S. National Toboggan Championship - February 4-5, 2023 (Camden, ME)
• Skijor Skowhegan - February 25, 2023 (Skowhegan, ME)
• MOES (Maine Outdoor Economy Summit)
• Matinicus Island (ME)
• Nature Based Education Consortium
• Millinocket Gear Library (ME)
• Kindling Collective (Portland, ME)
• Solar string lights
• Black Diamond headlamp

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I purposely picked this conversation with Anne Parmenter to kick off the year, because I need to hear so much of this right now. For someone who was told by a middle school teacher that she wasn’t going to amount to much, Anne has done pretty ok for herself. She will blow you right off your feet. Literally!

Anne is a Hall of Fame field hockey coach that took her team to the NCAA tournament multiple times. She’s done multiple marathons, is an AMGA rock climbing instructor and ice climbing instructor, and oh, did I mention she’s also a mountaineer who’s climbed a bunch of 8000 meter peaks around the world - including summiting Mt. Everest in 2006?

BUT - this isn’t a story of some extreme, unrelatable, genetically superior athlete ticking things off a bucket list. (Although Anne's 90 year old mum is still working out every day and went snow tubing over the holidays, so maybe there is a teeny bit of genetic superiority at play here after all....)

The day I spoke with her, Anne was on the brink of retiring from an almost 40-year career as a coach and educator to embark on her next act - as a full-time climbing guide with EMS in North Conway, New Hampshire. Never mind 'bucket list'; Anne is more of an opportunist who  doesn't shy away from epic adventure potential that drops into her lap. 

Rather than using her age or job or busy life as (justifiable) reasons to put things off indefinitely, Anne cranked up her mountaineering in her 40s, summited Everest in her late 40s, and decided to lean in to more technical ice climbing in her 50s. She is truly the inspiration I thought we all could use to start the year off in the right frame of mind!

Learn more about Anne, her Everest expeditions, and lots more good stuff here (and even more over at GuidesGoneWild.com!):

• Anne Parmenter - National Field Hockey Hall of Fame
• Anne Parmenter on NBC CT
• High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed by Michael Kodas
• EMS Climbing Guides
• AMGA - American Mountain Guides Association
• Anne Parmenter on Finding Mastery with Michael Gervais
• Ragged Mountain Foundation (CT)
• Who was Fritz Wiessner?
• What are traprock ridges?
• Exum Mountain Guides (Jackson Hole, WY)
• Ama Dablam (Nepal)
• Laurie Watt on Guides Gone Wild (more climbing goodness)
• Kanchenjunga (India/Nepal border)
• Dolomites (Italy)
• Cuillin Ridge, Isle of Skye (Scotland, UK)
• Anne’s essay about her ‘Summer of Fun’ when she turned 60
• Women’s Climbing Coalition ice climbing on Jan 21st & 22nd (Woodstock, NH)

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Welcome to the very last episode of Guides Gone Wild for 2022!
 
I’m still recovering for the crazy pace of stoke we had going on here a few weeks back, but rather than take a week off, I decided to squeeze in one more inspiring guide - today I’m talking with Lisa Holcomb of Wander the Whites.

If you plan to listen to this in the car on your way to the North Conway area for a long New Year's weekend celebration, you are IN LUCK! Lisa is an outdoor guide who works with a ton of hotels and resorts in the White Mountains, taking folks out to immerse themselves in nature, whether they’re looking for a gentle meditative walk or a cardio blasting snowshoe-to-summit.

My favorite part of this conversation is the wonder you still hear in Lisa’s voice as she describes the first time she drove into Crawford Notch. Needless to say, the White Mountains grabbed her heart right then and never let go, and today she revels in sharing that wonder and joy with all of the guests she guides.

I’ve dropped a few links below, but you will DEFINITELY want to come on over to the episode page on the Guides Gone Wild website, you could plan six vacations with all the helpful info Lisa shared with us!

• Wander the Whites
• ‘Hire a Guide’ profile of Lisa
• Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce
• Jaimie Crawford on Guides Gone Wild

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Adventuring for Two Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, or listen online here
Canyon Wren Coaching
@trailrunningbabycatcher on Instagram
Sacopee Midwives - on Instagram
Acadia Gantz on Guides Gone Wild (August, 2021)

One last shorty for you today, and it’s a good one, because my lovely podcast friend Acadia Gantz, aka the Trail Running Baby Catcher, has started her OWN podcast - yay!

Acadia is a midwife, ultra runner, and running coach, and has managed to combine all of these passions into a great new podcast called Adventuring for Two.

I’m going to let Acadia tell us more about it all so you’ll have some great new audio for the marathon wrapping session or holiday travel you might have coming up - I hope you'll check it out!

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She Summits Co. - on Instagram - on TikTok
Keep an eye on the site for the release of 2023 Women’s Week dates in the new year!
New summer camp offering this year, four weeks on the Maine portion of the AT for 9th/10th graders (totes jelly, much?!?)
Amanda Hatley on Guides Gone Wild (September, 2020)
Amanda Hatley talks small business excellence on LinkedIn too!

Can I just tell you how amazing the last few weeks have been?

I’m sorry if my ceaseless STOKE SHORT! releases have been annoying you, but I have found them to be just the fuel I need right now to keep myself going with this pod. Every time I have a quick catch-up call with one of these amazing women, I thank my lucky stars that I ever had the idea to do this in the first place, because hearing these women’s stories and watching their businesses grow brings me so much damn joy!!

OK, enough of me being sappy, but you’ll understand why in a minute - today’s check in is with Amanda Hatley, the founder of She Summits Co., an adventure camp and now travel company built around helping women and girls learn bravery in the outdoors.

Amanda’s understatement of the year comes right up front - “Wow, have we changed since [the last time we spoke]!”

Backpacking and pack-rafting? Ice climbing? The Amalfi-freaking-Coast?!?!

You’re going to want to listen in all the way to the end, visit Shesummitsco.com, AND, perish the thought, follow She Summits Co. over on TikTok, so you’re the first to know about all the cool stuff on tap for 2023!

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Rooted MTB Festival - July 21-23, 2023 (NY)
Cosmic Dirt - get in on the Zodiac Pant pre-sale!
Heather Kinal on Guides Gone Wild (January, 2022)
Jen & Trish’s Rooted MTB Festival Recap - Voices of Rooted

Who’s ready for a road trip? You would be if you’d gone to the Rooted MTB Fest last summer with me, Trish and our 26” hardtails of doom!

Today we’re getting a quickie update from the doyenne of drops and double-track herself, Rooted MTB Festival director and Cosmic Dirt co-founder Heather Kinal.

This sister in single track has had a LOT going on this year - Rooted was a smashing success in its 3rd year, and Cosmic Dirt is finally ready to release its flagship product, the Zodiac Pant.

Let’s hear all about it all from Heather, and get you all fired up to join our Guides Gone Wild road trip to Rooted!

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Mooney Mountain Guides
Laurie Watt on Guides Gone Wild (in her previous life!)

We are back on the ropes again today with Laurie Watt, the Women’s Program Director at Mooney Mountain Guides in New Hampshire.

Laurie was a full-time PT and a part-time climber when we first chatted back in April of 2021, but she has totally flipped the script since then and gone all in on her dream, moving to the White Mountains full-time and continuing to rack up pitches and professional certifications in her new career as a full-time mountain guide.

When it comes to inspiration for the new year, Laurie is bringing it (just when we need it), so listen in, and then give her a call to talk about your goals for 2023!

Women’s Steep Ice Clinic - February 12th
Women’s Mt. Washington Ascent - March 5th
Mt. Baker Trips through Mooney Mountain Guides

Red Rock Canyon (NV)
Rock Climbing in downtown Manchester NH, who knew?!?

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Genuine Climbing - on Instagram
Confident Climbers Club
Empowered Women’s Goal-Setting Workshops - January 8th (NJ), 11th (Zoom), 15th (MA) - not just for climbers!

Just because these episodes are short, doesn’t mean the guests aren’t bringing the FIRE!

Anyssa Lucena of Genuine Climbing has had one hell of a year, which she’s going to come back and talk to us more about soon (if I have anything to do with it). But in the meantime, we’ve got our dreams to live! And dreams take an action plan, which is exactly what Anyssa is ready to help us build in one of her upcoming Goal-Setting Workshops.

This wise woman speaks the truth when she says that "things like this, unless you schedule, and make a date, and be accountable to it, will always get pushed back". Well, guess what - by January, all the wrapping and baking will be done, there won’t be any Festivus pole to decorate, so lose the excuses and take a little action!

Head over to Genuine Climbing to make that date to join Anyssa and your soon-to-be-friends at a workshop, catch some psych, and watch those dreams of yours come into focus.

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Maine Yoga Adventures - on Instagram and Facebook
Holly Twining on Guides Gone Wild
Washington Baths (Portland, ME)

Variety is the spice of life, as they say, and by that definition Holly Twining of Maine Yoga Adventures has been LIV-ING.

Based on her update, I’m thinking she needs to change her business name to 'International Yoga Adventures' - wait until you hear about all the amazing places she’s been lately, and what she’s got planned heading to in 2023!

But she hasn’t forgotten her home base in Maine, and has plenty of winter fun on tap that will be made that much more awesome now that we got a good solid dumping of snow, hooray! Head on over to Maine Yoga Adventures to find out all about it…

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Follow Skyline Maine Adventures on Instagram and Facebook
#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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