Following the blazes and looking up at the clouds. Interview with Rahawa Haile, author of the essay "How Black Books Lit My Way Along the Appalachian Trail" on Buzzfeed.

We talk with Rahawa Haile, an Eritrean-American writer living in Oakland, CA, about her northbound thru hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2016. Rahawa believes that if you have the inclination and the time to do a thru hike, you should hit the trail. As one of the few black women to thru hike in 2016, Rahawa talks about how her experience is different than the "typical" hiker. She also discusses the small beauties she found along the trail: be it snow on a branch or the kindness of the hiking community.

Note (!) : There's a factual error at 20:45. Rahawa actually saw at least 10 black people hiking on the Appalachian Trail, not one. This error is on the part of the host's misinterpretation, not Rahawa.

Thanks to our sponsor, Oru Kayak.

Music is by Broke For Free, MindsEye, Lee Rosevere, Tours, Little Glass Men, & Chris Zabriskie via Free Music Archive. CC by A.

Because it's OK to not have it all figured out. We interview Erin Sullivan, the writer behind "Erin Outdoors" about finding your path (in the outdoors and otherwise) through vulnerability, saying no, and self-awareness.

We don't think there's any such thing as a straight path and Erin holds her life up as proof. After years of guiding outdoor, adventure, and travel excursions, Erin starting writing and blogging full time. While the site is named "Erin Outdoors", it's rife with lessons learned because at the heart of Erin's work is helping others.

Visit the podcast landing page via she-explores.com/podcast/no-straight-paths

Learn more about Erin through her blog, Erin Outdoors.

As mentioned in the beginning of the episode, we need your help answering a quick listener survey. It's anonymous and will take you less than five minutes. Thank you so much! Find it here: www.she-explores.com/podcast/listener-survey-2017

Thanks to our sponsor, Oru Kayak.

Our talk with Jerri gave us a lot to think about: 1) How companies on private land can respect and uplift the missions of our public land organizations. 2) How the way you grow up so impacts your relationship with the outdoors. 3) How experience is key to stewardship. And 4) How we all make choices every day when it comes to the footprint we leave on the earth.

Jerryne "Jerri" Cole believes experience is key to conservation of public and private land. For Jerri, a lifetime of connection to nature has correlated to a lifetime of stewardship for the natural world. Jerri is a member of the board of Public Lands Alliance and the owner of Camp Denali, for-profit lodging near Denali National Park. Learn about raising kids in the Alaskan interior in the 1970's and maintaining a for-profit model with a "not for profit" mission.

Learn on the episode page via www.she-explores.com/podcast

Thanks to our sponsor, Oru Kayak.

Music is by Ryan Little, Minds Eye, and Chris Zabriskie via freemusicarchive.org.

Learn how you can help protect the outdoors you love by using social media. We interview Katie Boué about how you can use the phone in your pocket to enact real-life change in an ever-changing landscape.

Katie Boué cares. She's a resource for people - young and old - across the outdoor industry. Over the past year, she has become the megaphone for using social media as an advocacy tool. A proud Miami native with Cuban, Irish, and Venezualian heritage, Katie made a name for herself as the writer behind her blog, The Morning Fresh, writing with vulnerability about her experiences hiking, climbing, and trying new sports like trail running.

More recently, she took the social media reigns at the Outdoor Industry Association, or OIA.There she learned what she already knew - social media is a powerful tool. She’s since gone freelance from her full time role with OIA, but she considers herself a full time advocate for the outdoors.

A theme for this episode is what Katie said right off the bat - we’re all in this together. We can all be advocates for conservation and public land.

Learn more via She-Explores.com/podcast

Thanks to our sponsor, Oru Kayak

Music is by Music is by Mindseye & Dr. Rinkel, Halogen, Lee Rosevere, Aenon, Josh Woodward via freemusicarchive.org

Weekend climbing, camping, hiking, and backpacking is not so different from going it "full time." Meet Paulina Dao, the blogger behind "Little Grunts" and an honest advocate for spending time outside. We talk about overcoming insecurities, growing, and finding the activities and issues you're passionate about in the outdoors.

Be sure to read Paulina's piece, "Why Don't They Look Like Me?" on the diversity dilemma in outdoor media.

Learn more about this episode via www.she-explores.com/podcast

Sponsored by Oru Kayak

Music by Mise, Chris Zabriskie, Halogen & Lee Rosevere via freemusicarchive.org

Bringing women together in the outdoors. Meet Sasha Cox, founder of Trail Mavens, and Amanda Goad, founder of Wild Women's Project, two very different companies whose missions are built on backcountry bonding. We talk with each founder about the benefits of bringing women outside together, the community that springs from outdoor endeavors, and how much we have to learn from each other.

Learn more via the episode page at www.she-explores.com/podcast |

Sponsored by Oru Kayak

Music by Mise, RoccoW, Keshco, and Fleslit via Freemusicarchive.org CC by SA.

Communication, activism, and reflection. In the second part of our series on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the outdoors, we talk with experts to provide practical steps for how organizations AND individuals can cultivate a more inclusive outdoor space. Liz Song of Snowqueen and Scout cohosts with Gale Straub on this special two part series.

Featuring Ava Holliday and Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin of The Avarna Group; Elyse Rylander of "Out There Adventures"; Graciela Cabello of "Latino Outdoors" and Miho Aida.

Voice memo submissions from Sara Murphy & Monserrat Alvarez.

Make sure to listen to part one, "Diversity, Beyond the Buzzword" to fill yourself in on the background of this episode. Learn more on the podcast landing page via www.she-explores.com/podcast.

Thanks to our sponsor for this episode, Goal Zero.

Music in this episode is by MindsEye, Dr. Rinkel, & Mise.

CC by SA

Life lessons learned on the PCT. We interview Kimberly Vawter, who quit her job as a school principal in Los Angeles to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. We've found that a lot of people thru hike because they're looking for an in-between. They want more in their lives but they're not sure what. They need time to think. Just 5 days off the trail, Kim is bursting with lessons learned and she is holding them close and bringing them off the trail and into the "real" world. We highlight them so you can put them into practice own life.

Learn more on She-Explores.com/podcast

Music is by RoccoW, Mindseye, and Dr. Rinkel

Entrepreneurship, sustainable outdoor gear, and making a difference: a new kind of outdoor retail company. We talk with the women of Wylder Goods, which just launched this week. Featuring Jainee Dial, Lindsey Elliott, and Gina Peters.

Starting a business can be challenging, but it helps when there is a lot of heart behind it. We talk with three women who are rethinking outdoor retail with their new company Wylder Goods.

Learn more on She-Explores.com/podcast

Music is by MindsEye, CC by SA 4.0

The outdoors and diversity, equity, & inclusion. We team up with Liz Song from Snowqueen and Scout to investigate the many barriers that a diverse group of people from enjoying and embracing the outdoors.

And voice memos from:

Sponsored by Sierra Club Outdoors.