Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 37

RELEVANT ISSUES: Creating opportunities for
healing in nature
NEEDS: Volunteers, donations, and brand
partners

Hiking My Feelings started in 2018 as a
hashtag and blog post by Sydney Williams,
a former collegiate athlete and competitive
skydiver who, at the time, was training for
her second thru-hike of the Trans-Catalina
Trail. After a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, she
had replaced her normal coping mechanisms-eating and drinking-with hiking. A
memoir and speaking tour followed her social
media movement. Now, Williams and her
four-member board are helping other people
discover how spending time outside can heal
the mind and body. Their three focus areas include supporting survivors of sexual violence,
preventing and managing Type 2 diabetes,
and exploring the mind-body connection.
Williams halted her book tour, as well as the
workshops and retreats they had planned to
host on the road last year. Instead, they turned
those events into a 12-week online program
called Blaze Your Own Trail to Self-Love. They
also created a 20-night online fundraiser
called Virtual Campfire, in which they went
live on YouTube for two hours every night and
hosted more than 60 guests. It's now a podcast.
Hiking My Feelings' 2021 goal is to hike 1
million miles for diabetes awareness through
three urban hikes around Chicago; Lake
Michigan; and Washington, D.C. A 10-episode
documentary will highlight the organization,
brands, and community leaders who are making the outdoors more inclusive and accessible.

hosting online film screenings. But 2021 is going to be full of action for the organization.
Initiatives include introducing programs
to new areas, such as Joshua Tree and Moab,
and developing creative ways to support
other groups in those areas already doing
great work. That includes connecting with
the tribes who are indigenous to the land
and showing gratitude and respect to them.
VanPatten says they're also prioritizing the
launch of a backpacking program, expansion of and fundraising for the mentorship
program, and the partnership and free clinics
with PDX Climbers of Color.

Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Nevada,
New Mexico, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas,
Virginia, Washington, and Guam. It achieved
nonprofit status in October, and the board
plans to expand its efforts to connect even
more people by working with partners in the
military and outdoor spaces. The Community
Perks program, a directory of local businesses
offering military discounts, is another way
Military Wild is helping members and families feel at home on their new bases.

MILITARY WILD

WHERE TO FIND THEM: militarywild.com,

@militarywild
RELEVANT ISSUES: Connecting military families
with one another in wild places
NEEDS: Gear donations and Community Perks
partners
Military life can be alienating and lonely
at times, which led Hannah Wolt to start
Military Wild. As an Air Force wife, she was
often hiking alone in new places and yearning for community. While on the Pacific island
of Guam, she organized a small group hike
for military people in her area. Interest grew
among active-duty service members, veterans, and military families. As of now, Military
Wild has chapters established in Alabama,

Lizzy Van Patten,
founder of She
Moves Mountains

From top: Freya Fennwood, Courtesy of Hiking My Feelings

SHE MOVES MOUNTAINS

WHERE TO FIND THEM: shemovesmountains.org,
@shemovesmountains
RELEVANT ISSUES: Teaching women-specific rock
climbing clinics and creating mentorship
opportunities
NEEDS: A yoga sponsor and a solar energy
sponsor

By teaching a diverse community of women
technical skills and providing mentorship opportunities, She Moves Mountains is changing the narrative that women are underrepresented in the rock climbing and guiding
communities. Founder Lizzy VanPatten says
the lull in clinics and events in 2020 pushed
her team to diversify into creating apparel and

A Hiking My Feelings
crew in Montana

January 2021 / OUTDOOR RETAILER 37

http://www.militarywild.com http://www.shemovesmountains.org

Outdoor Retailer - January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outdoor Retailer - January 2021