Tuesday, November 7, 2023
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Meet the 12 Ladies of Gossamer Gear’s Model Ambassador Staff


Once I was little, I don’t keep in mind seeing many out of doors ladies I might look to for inspiration. It wouldn’t be till younger maturity that I actually felt I had a spot on trails and in kayaks, tenting within the woods and climbing up mountains. 

As we speak, due to many teams selling better variety in out of doors content material and dealing to make extra welcoming out of doors areas for everybody, it feels simpler to note the various ladies taking up nice out of doors feats within the backcountry.

And it’s one of many issues I’m proud about collaborating with Gossamer Gear. We have now 12 ladies model ambassadors on our group. I like following their tales and getting inspiration from their adventures. Via their very own presence within the outdoor, they remind me that I can take up house there, too.

Beneath, you’ll get to know these 12 badasses and the way they take much less and do extra.

1. Heather “Anish” Anderson

Anish is a protracted distance climbing legend. She’s the one girl to have accomplished the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide trails thrice every. She holds the general self-supported quickest identified time (FKT) on the PCT and the feminine self-supported FKT on the AT and Arizona Path (AZT).

She’s additionally the creator of two books: Mud, Rocks, Blazes: Letting Go on the Appalachian Path and Thirst: 2,600 Miles to Residence. These reads take you on each her bodily journey and likewise her intrapersonal journey of gaining better confidence in herself and her talents whereas on path.

You possibly can learn a bit extra about Anish in different articles on the Mild Ft weblog:

2. Arlette “Apple Pie” Laan

Arlette appears to at all times be adventuring and has an genuine fashion to how she shares her path time via social media. She’s engaged on ending all 11 of the nationwide scenic trails. Only a portion of her path resume contains:

  • Pacific Crest Path (2003)
  • Continental Divide Path, (2004)
  • Appalachian Path (2005)
  • Arizona Path (2009)
  • Grand Enchantment Path (2012)
  • Te Araroa in New Zealand (2015)
  • The Lengthy Path (2015)
  • Florida Path (2017)
  • Hayduke Path (2017)
  • Colorado Path (2017)
  • Benton-MacKay Path (2018)
  • Pinhoti Path (2018)
  • Cohos Path (2018)
  • New England Path (2018)
  • Pacific Northwest Path in sections (2007, 2012, 2019)
  • Potomac Heritage Path (2020)

She additionally makes some fairly fabulous material dolls that make nice path companions. You possibly can learn a bit extra about Arlette in different articles on the Mild Ft weblog:

3. Sirena Rana

You possibly can consider Sirena because the queen of all issues Arizona Path. After climbing all 800 miles of the AZT, Sirena has devoted herself to its promotion and safety. 

She labored for a time with the Arizona Path Affiliation after which based her personal enterprise, Trails Encourage, LCC, which offers public talking, path design, writing, and images providers centered across the outdoor. Moreover, Sirena is a champion of selling variety, fairness, and inclusion within the out of doors trade.

You possibly can learn a bit extra about Sirena in different articles on the Mild Ft weblog:

4. Christy Rosander

Christy relies in Tehachapi, California, and began backpacking over 30 years in the past when a pal requested her to hitch. Her then-10-month-old had been sick, and along with her husband capable of watch their two youngsters, she was excited for the journey and time for some self-care within the wilderness.

Christy is a fan of off-trail routes. A few of her favourite routes and lengthy trails she has hiked embody:

  • Kings Canyon Excessive Basin Route
  • Yosemite Excessive Route
  • Southern Sierra Excessive Route
  • Nice Divide Path
  • Theodore Solomons Path
  • John Muir Path 4x
  • Wind River Excessive Route
  • Sierra Excessive Route
  • Pacific Crest Path
  • Lowest to Highest
  • Tahoe Rim Path
  • Scotland The Nice Outside Problem
  • Continental Divide Path

5. Carolyn Blessing

For the previous a number of years, Carolyn has labored in out of doors training, together with positions with Outward Certain. She met her husband, Jeff Podmayer (additionally a model ambassador!), in 2016 doing Outward Certain in California. They’ve since been climbing and climbing companions who’re obsessed with folks, mountains, studying, difficult themselves, and rising as folks collectively.

Carolyn and Jeff took a non-traditional path (actually) to forming their marriage final yr, selecting to thru-hike each the AT and the CDT collectively to honor their dedication to at least one one other. You possibly can learn extra about that journey on the Mild Ft weblog:

6. Kathy Vaughan

Kathy “OBAL Unbranded” Vaughan started climbing in her teenagers and took her first backpacking journey with a pal when she was 20, into the Olympic Mountain Vary in Washington, which obtained her hooked. When she and Ras (additionally a model ambassador!) had their daughter, she started setting household objectives like backpacking the 97-mile Wonderland Path round Mt. Rainier when she was seven and once more when she was eight. They spent most weekends discovering a brand new place to hike within the Mt. Baker space, or the North Cascades. 

When her daughter left for faculty, Kathy obtained into path operating and ultrarunning. As soon as she ran her first 50k and was educated to take action, she hasn’t stopped. Most notably, she’s had a 200-mile extremely end, two 150-mile extremely finishes, a 100-mile end, and the completion all collectively of round 40 ultramarathons. She received the Humble Pig award on the finish of her 200 mile-finish for her perspective and efficiency all through the weekend. 

You possibly can learn a bit extra about Kathy in different articles on the Mild Ft weblog:

7. Grace Shattuck

Grace obtained launched to the world of thru-hiking via her husband Steven (additionally a model ambassador!). She shared that: “Having a companion to discover with and be taught from elevated my confidence in my very own expertise within the outdoor, and taught me that I’m able to a lot greater than I initially thought. Now we get out to the mountains of Colorado as a lot as we are able to, and I have been capable of create my very own objectives utilizing the information I realized from Steven. It has been very rewarding!”

A few of Grace’s path resume embody:

  • Hayduke Path thru-hike
  • Size of Scotland
  • Pyrenees from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean
  • Alta By way of II within the Dolomites
  • Three Move Trek within the Himalayas
  • Presently engaged on climbing all of Colorado’s 14k-foot mountains

8. Michelle Zhang

Michelle grew up taking journeys to the nationwide parks along with her household for automotive tenting. These sparked a need in her to return to them to hike extra of their trails and camp of their wilderness. Since then, she’s accomplished simply that.

Michelle is a San Francisco-based ultrarunner—along with her most up-to-date ultras being the Whistler Alpine Meadows 110K, which runs up and down Whistler and Blackcomb mountain. She additionally has plans to run the Wonderland Path in a single push. 

9. Nancy “Seal Mother” East

Nancy is understood by some (me) because the goddess of the Smokies. Her efforts in Nice Smoky Mountains Nationwide Park have been each bodily and philanthropic. She holds the FKT for the Smokies 900-Miler Problem, FKT of the Tour de LeConte for a mixed-gender group, and has accomplished the South Past 6,000 Problem.

Throughout her FKTs, she raised tens of 1000’s of {dollars} to help path restoration and preventative search and rescue efforts inside the Smokies. As a member of her native search and rescue group, she’s additionally obsessed with out of doors training to maintain hikers protected on the path.

You possibly can learn a bit extra about Nancy in different articles on the Mild Ft weblog:

10. Emily “Squishy” Schrick

Emily is a tremendous photographer along with a badass outdoorswoman. She’s accomplished the PCT, John Muir Path, Wonderland Path, and Excessive Sierra Path. She additionally has hopes to finish the Triple Crown.

She’s a believer that the outside needs to be a protected house and empowering for everybody. Two of her favourite organizations to help on this trigger are SheJumps and Outside Journal Tour, that are obsessed with getting women and girls of all races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations exterior, and utilizing the outside for private progress and therapeutic.

You possibly can learn a bit extra about Emily in different articles on the Mild Ft weblog:

11. Sally Phillips

Sally is our resident model ambassador of Inverness, Scotland. She has hiked coast-to-coast throughout Scotland twice and has been engaged on bagging Scottish Munros (peaks over 3,000 toes). Whereas Covid put a pause on Sally’s plans to thru-hike the PCT, she has been having fun with exploring her native climbing extra and finds confidence and connection within the wilderness.

You possibly can learn a bit extra about Sally in different articles on the Mild Ft weblog:

12. Zelzin Aketzalli

Zelzin is the primary identified Mexican nationwide to complete the Triple Crown. As well as, she’s accomplished the Hayduke Path and Arizona Path. She loves to seek out methods to encourage others to expertise the good outdoor in her residence nation and past, and is presently engaged on opening new thru-hiking routes via Mexico.

Zelzin is obsessed with mentorship and making house for extra ladies of colour within the outdoor. We teamed up along with her and Path Combined in Could 2021 to supply sponsorship for one girl of colour to obtain ultralight gear and mentorship for backpacking adventures massive and small. You possibly can learn extra about Zelzin in our interview along with her on the Mild Ft weblog.

Comply with Our Ladies Model Ambassadors for Inspiration and Journey

Wish to sustain with our ambassadors’ adventures? Be certain to observe us on social media (@gossamergear). You may also discover hyperlinks to our ambassadors’ social media accounts, web sites, and different data on our Model Ambassadors web page.





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