The Trail Ahead

Growing up in Nebraska, Wyn Wiley (he/him) tried to hide his queer identity and some of his more feminine traits. First by playing small and then trying hard to overachieve, often to the detriment of mental health and well-being.

After finding his identity as a drag queen specializing in all things outdoors, the transformation into Pattie Gonia (she/her) has come with both a lot of freedom and a lot of learning. In this episode questions about shifting privilege and sharing power are front and center.

Now, Pattie refers to herself as a professional homosexual, working in front of the scenes and behind it to work with likeminded outdoor advocates to help co-create a better, more welcoming, more inclusive outdoors.

This episode discusses how the queerness in nature brings her joy, how queer youth are bringing hope for the future, “honoring the try” when it comes to allyship and how to keep putting your best foot forward, even when you stumble, and how to do it as often as possible in fabulous heels.

In today’s episode, Faith is joined by Adam Merry. Adam is an accomplished track and trail runner. He started trail running back in 2017 and has since raced distances, both on road and trail, of up to 100k. In this conversation, Faith and Adam talk about the importance of diversity and representation in running, both in track and trail.

As the summer comes to a close we are excited to share a few updates. Tune in to learn about all that's taking place with us, why Faith isn't in this episode and what's to come in the coming weeks.

Dr. Peyton Thomas is a truly impressive individual. She’s a scientist living in Boulder, Colorado, who is also an active and avid ultra-distance runner. She holds a PhD in marine biology, is a sponsored trail athlete, and has also competed in the Olympic trials. She joins The Trail Ahead today to discuss the climate, ocean, and the joys and challenges of trail running.

Carolyn Finney, PhD is a storyteller, author and a cultural geographer who is deeply interested in issues related to identity, difference, creativity, and resilience.The aim of her work is to develop greater cultural competency within environmental organizations and institutions, challenge media outlets on their representation of difference, and increase awareness of how privilege shapes who gets to speak to environmental issues and determine policy and action. She holds a B.A. and M.A. (both of these degrees focused on gender and environmental issues in Kenya and Nepal, respectively) and aPh.D. (which focused on African Americans and environmental issues in the U.S.). Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors. (Bio excerpts from her personal website)

Terumi Murao is a Japanese-American creative director, model, sustainable wardrobe stylist, and surfer who dedicated much of her time to working with the Laru Beya Surf Collective in Far Rockaway, Queens. She also believes in finding creative new ways to give back to the community through fashion and styling. In this episode, Faith and Terumi talk about their shared New York Energy and Spirits, leveraging power & privilege for community uplift, navigating the fashion industry as environmentalists, and knowing how horrific it can be for the planet. They also get into the ups & downs of thrifting and buying secondhand, representation in the outdoors, examining privilege, and navigating whiteness. There is a lot of real talk and self-reflection in this episode, we think it's an incredible conversation to listen in on.

Molly Sugar is a designer, writer, and cyclist based in Portland, Oregon. She’s the founder of Friends on Bikes and the co-founder of Radical Adventure Riders, both of which are organizations that work toward gender inclusivity and racial equity in cycling communities. In today’s episode, Molly joins us to talk about how she discovered her passion for gravel riding.

Atongular is a mentor at Laru Beya Collective, a surfing focused non-profit organization based in Far Rockaway in Queens, NY. While it's not the first place you think of when thinking of surfing, its a place with a vibrant and connected surf community. Faith first met Atongular while climbing at the Women's Climbing Festival in Bishop, CA in 2018. Getting connected with Atongular is one of the things that made Faith want to surf in the first place. While surfing can be a place where outsiders are often explicitly unwelcome, a popular bumper sticker was once "Don't Surf, Don't Start," the NYC community is quite different. We meet up with Atongular just a short walk from the ocean. She talks about the beauty of being involved in this community and why Laru Beya specifically focuses on young women of color learning to surf and invites us to join for a Beach Clean Up.

Gabe is a first-generation American who was born and raised in the borderlands. He is the founder of Nuestra Tierra, an organization focused on supporting and creating thriving border communities via outdoor engagement. Gabe has served his community as a Las Cruces City Councilor, as a staff member for U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, and by helping to protect New Mexico’s environment and public lands.

McGrady is a traveling writer and photography and one of the folks behind Authentic Asheville. She is a small space living, vanlifing, burger eating runner who loves creating community and sharing it. As queer Asian women living in the South, an experience intensified with additional levels for Erin as a transracial adoptee, these elements of her identity impact her daily life. She uses her platform to speak out for historically marginalized voice, pass the mic, and increase representation in the outdoors and travel spaces.