So for me, this year has been a bit of a transformation. I've been able to lose about 50 pounds or so (estimated, didn't own a scale) in the past 6 months through major changes in diet and mountain biking 3-4 times per week. I have come to be quite passionate about mountain biking and have been improving my skills little by little each ride.

I would always delete photos of myself, especially as I got closer to 300# at the end of last year unless they were at the perfect angle, or focused on other people and I was hidden, but I'm not looking to hide anymore. I have gained and lost this amount of weight 3 times in my life and I always get complacent and end up fading back up, but this time is different - I'm not hating myself at the gym, I'm not starving myself with unsustainable eating habits. I found a passion, and a responsible eating pattern that has worked for me for 6 months and will continue to do so.
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I'm enormously grateful for my local trail systems and the volunteers and organizations that maintain those. I have spent many weekends doing volunteer work, I donate to these organizations and I plan to continue to do so. I recommend anyone who is looking to do something similar to do some research and see the hidden gems around where you live!
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Pronouns: He/Him
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Check out other showcases on the blog - link in bio or linktr.ee/misfithikers!⁠
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[Image Description: Image 1: Jeremy stands in front of Machu Picchu, wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and camel bak.  He's smiling, and has short sandy-brown hair and bread and mustache.  Image 2: Jeremy rides a mountain bike, wearing black pants and a black shirt.  He's in the woods, trees all around, and is finishing a low-dipped jump.]

*MISFIT SHOWCASE*
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I think I'm a misfit hiker because there are not a lot of African American Women on the trails. My goal is to diversify the trail. I have met some wonderful people and made some great connections over the 10 years of hiking. However, my love for the outdoors started 25 years ago with my husband and kids who were little then. We use to go RVing, boating and fishing. I truly have found that the outdoors and hiking brings me piece as well as solitude. My philosophy would be that everyone in some point of time needs to venture outdoors so that they can be in one with nature and themselves. There are so many places that I would like to travel and hike Kilimanjaro as it looks like it would be a great and humbling experience. I would also like to backpack through Fugi to experience the people and its beautiful terrain. My favorite outdoor moment would be my visit to Bryce Canyon in Utah. During my visit the canyon had snow. To view the canyons in my distance with the snow on the valley and peaks was breathtaking. - Kenya (@kenyatallandbeautiful)
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Pronouns: She
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Check out other showcases on the blog - link in bio or linktr.ee/misfithikers!

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[Image Description: Kenya stands in a desert/canyon landscape, with scrub brush all around and red-rock cliffs behind her. Dark clouds hover in the sky.  She's smiling, wearing a very full backpacking pack and a blue rain shell over purple patterned tights.]

*MISFIT SHOWCASE*
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From a young age I was introduced to the outdoors, by my dad, naturally I fell in love. Hiking and camping are my main loves, then the passing of my dad in 2006 put that love for nature on hold, not sure if I'd ever find it again. Several years later and I rekindled that relationship with the outdoors. It's where I can peacefully and easily sort out my thoughts, where I go to rejuvenate, to relax, to talk with my dad, and to recollect myself. There's also been challenges out on the trails that made me feel unwelcomed. Possibly being female in a "male dominated" activity? Or being a POC in a "white dominated" activity? Either way, I still pushed and I will continue to push for my presence in the outdoors. I'll push pass the stares. I'll push pass the whispers. I'll push pass the unwelcoming.
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Also if you want to get dolled up for the trails, then by all means, GO FOR IT! Tell 'em I said it” - Arianna (@himandcats)
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Pronouns: She/Her
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[Image Description: Arianna stands in front of a snowy landscape filled with pine trees.  She's smiling and wearing wooden earrings and a green sweater, her long blue hair all around her.]

 *Misfit Showcase*
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“You’re hiking by yourself? You can’t do that. That’s not safe.”


I’ve heard that statement way too many times, and it always frustrates me on multiple levels.


I do most of my hiking by myself. In fact, my favorite hikes are typically the ones that I go on by myself - where I can just be alone with my thoughts. There’s truly something magical about it.


Whenever I hear that statement, I wonder if they would say that if I was a guy hiking by myself. I doubt it since most of their concerns seem to be about strangers that I may come across on the trail, not about accidental injuries. I really find that to be unfortunate.


When I’m on the trail, I often ponder the concept of “hiking anyway”. No matter how cold, rainy, muddy, icy, etc a trail has been, I’ve never regretted an opportunity to be outside. Because of that belief, I hike anyway.


Being a woman isn’t going to stop me from enjoying the peacefulness of nature, so I hike anyway. Does that mean I’m oblivious to my surroundings? Not at all. I’m always aware, and though I’m well prepared in how to stay safe if I meet an unkind stranger on the trail, I’m more concerned about getting injured on the trail than rather than dealing with an unsafe situation just because I’m a woman.


Years ago, I never would have considered hiking by myself as a form of rebellion, but maybe it is. Either way, I’m going to hike anyway. You should too. Be smart about it, but go enjoy the outdoors. You deserve to be there just as much as anyone else.” - Sadie (@islandgirltalk)
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Pronouns: she/her
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Sadie would like to give a shout-out to: I finished the 52 Hike Challenge for 2020 already, and I plan on doing it again next year. I also just completed the Hiker Babes Journey to 100.
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[Image Description:​ Sadie stands in front of some dead, winter field vegetation in a grey t-shirt and dark "wing" glasses.  She smiles, her hair in a brown bob with bangs]

**Misfit Showcase!** (megan_sykora)⁠
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I am a misfit hiker because I am fat, I am a woman, and I struggle with depression, anxiety, and ED.⁠
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The outdoors have been a part of my life since I was a kid, hiking and camping with my family. As I grew up, being outside became a challenge and a taunt, because I longed for an adventurous life that I believed (and was told) I was too fat to have. I never felt welcomed in the outdoor communities. This past year, however, I've become reinvigorated by many things - the fat liberation movement, friends and family, and the things that bring me joy, most notably hiking and biking. Being outside is a private time for me, when I contemplate and discuss things with myself, and when I am most free to feel joy. It is also where I feel most valid as a human being, equal to every other. We all have different physical abilities and different stories, but nature doesn't know or care. It is beauty and life, two things I'm trying to focus on most.- Megan (@megan_sykora)⁠
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Pronouns: She/Her⁠
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Tag #misfithikers to be showcased!⁠
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[Image Description: Megan stands, wearing black leggings and salmon-colored shorts, with a black shirt and long-sleeved jacket.  There's a cowboy hate on her head, and she dons sunglasses as she points to the sky.  Her curly brown hair touches her shoulders.  In the background is thick scrub, and dry grass and bushes lay all around her.  The sky is blue with wisps of clouds.] ⁠

*Misfit Showcase*⁠
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"I grew up in Indianapolis in a neighborhood with lots of trees, a creek and neighborhood kids to ride bikes and explore with. I loved to be outside. Sometime in my teens my love for the outdoors got replaced with sitting on the phone talking for hours with friends instead of going for walks. Watching television all day instead of riding bikes. It only took 20 years to rediscover my love for the outdoors and my passion for hiking. And I’m elated that I did. Being outside reminds me that no matter how small or out of place I feel- I belong in this great big beautiful world." - Erikka (@yancypantz)⁠
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Pronouns: She/Hers⁠
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📍Rattlesnake Peak - This land traditionally held (past and present) in stewardship by the Tongva peoples. ⁠
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📣Erikka would like to give a shout out to: @blackgirlstrekkin⁠
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[Image Description: Erikka stands, pointing at a triangular-shaped sign with the number 39 on it.  She wears shades, a maroon jacket and eggplant colored leggings.  She stands, with a big smile and one hand on her hip.  The landscape is rocky, with blue skies and large white-capped mountains in the background.]⁠

*Misfit Showcase*
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I was never one of those "fit" kids, I was overweight and didn't exercise. I started walking my dogs when I was 18/19 and started to lose weight. I ended up loosing 30kgs and I fell in love with running. I gave it up a few years back and lost my drive. My first major hike was the Inca trail for part of my honeymoon. I started hiking after this and loved it. I lost a family member to suicide three years ago, I had a breakdown two years ago and found myself diagnosed with severe anxiety. I now use hiking to ground myself, to be with nature and spend time with loved ones. I also love pushing my limits and doing multi-day hikes. - Kristy (@Teacher_adventures_)
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Pronouns: She/Her
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[Image Description: Kristy stands on large rocks, the ocean a dark blue behind her with large white clouds in the sky.  She wears a light colored crop top and black leggings, her hair in a messy bun.]

*Misfit Showcase*
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"I have been labeled many things in my life. Too long to fit on a social media post. Misfit hiker is one label I take on with pride!
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Why do I consider myself a misfit hiker? I hike alone. I hike with my service dog. I work hard at finding trails where I can find total solitude.
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I have always found the outdoors as my safe place. I feel safer hiking alone in the back country then I do anywhere else or with anyone. The outdoors has been a lifeline. The outdoors has taken me out of deep, dark spaces. The outdoors gives me something to keep me looking forward. On days that are physically and mentally difficult, if I can get up, get out and walk a trail, I always feel better!" Mary (@LittleAngelsMollie)
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Pronouns: She/Her
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Mary would like to give a shout out to - Little Angels Service Dogs has changed my life by matching me with Mollie. Mollie not only keeps me safe while hiking alone, she helps me enter social and public settings that would not have been possible prior to our match.

https://www.littleangelsservicedogs.org/
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[Image Description: Mary crouches on a dirt and rock precipice, next to Mollie her service dog. Mary wears a black t-shirt with grey shorts and sneakers, Mollie a blue harness.  The sky is blue, there are mountains in the distance, and greenery in the background.]

How is COVID-19 affecting National Parks and those that make them their livelihoods? My good friends Jeremy and Emily were in Wyoming, visiting Grand Teton and Yellowstone.  Jeremy offered this perspective on what it takes to maintain nature:⁠
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"A moment to reflect as we leave this wintery wonderland and return back to the reality of a COVID-19 world. We may be facing unprecedented challenges with social systems, with our supply chains and economy. In Jackson Hole we met many people whose lives are about to fundamentally change. Being in the tourism / hospitality industry they are facing massive layoffs with no hope of alternative employment or unemployment compensation. Many are leaving, as the rent prices are close to that of Seattle. The Commercial properties are closing permanently as they cannot afford $60k a month leases.⁠

This all puts into perspective what it takes to keep wild areas wild, even in the current commercialized world where you can visit national parks on a whim. This may not be the case in the future, or there won't be as big of an industry around it.⁠
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Enjoy nature as you can. Stay safe as you do, and if we end up with quarantines of course follow them, but until that happens - you'll find us in the woods."⁠
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Pronouns: He/Him and She/Her⁠
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Wyoming - This land originally held in stewardship by the Arapaho, Arikara, Bannock, Blackfeet, Cheyenne, Crow, Gros Ventre, Kiowa, Nez Perce, Sheep Eater, Sioux, Shoshone and Ute tribes (and possibly others).⁠
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Pics Courtesy of Jeremy.⁠
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​Have you noticed changes in the outdoors and outdoor spaces due to COVID-19? 

*Misfit Showcase!*

“Growing up in the outdoors was a huge part of my identity but I often referred to myself as ‘My dad’s favorite son’ as a joke because my two brothers didn’t feel the connection to the outdoors that I shared with my dad. Although I had this connection with the earth and the biological entities and non-biological elements within, I deeply believed that being female and belonging in nature wasn’t possible. Things have definitely changed within the last 15 years because I now see a part of my identity represented in the outdoors, but as a white, cisgender female, I know that it is only a small shift for inclusion. I want all people with all their identities to feel like they belong in the natural world, because that is the way to make meaningful and honest connections with the world in which we live. You belong, exactly as you are.— Bethany (@bethanyrenn)
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Pronouns: She/Her
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[Image Description:  Bethany grins, facing the camera.  She wears a dark blue jacket trimmed in grey with a black knit cap.  Her cheeks are rosy and while the sun is shining, snow covers the background and pine trees can be seen.] 

*Misfit Showcase!*
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“I love hiking. I've never been athletic and I never thought I would be training for something, especially hiking. Now I lead a hiking group at my daytime job and I am an active hike leader with an amazing group- the San Antonio Plus Size Women's Hiking Group (168 members strong). I am hiking the Ultimate Hike in April of 2020 in the Sam Houston National Forest with a few other ladies from my group. This is a 22.7-mile hike (that's just short of a marathon) done in one day - benefiting children's cancer research through CureSearch. We need help fundraising. In order to hike, we each have to fundraise $2500 and we can't do that alone. We are doing this for the children, the cure, and for ourselves. I'm doing it for every time I felt like I couldn't. And every time I know now that I can.—Linsey, (@lindseyxcole).
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Pronouns: she/hers
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Please feel free to share, and check out the blog (link in bio or linktr.ee/misfithikers) to read past showcases!
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Lindsey would like to give a shout-out to -- San Antonio Plus Size Women's Hiking Group (168 members strong) @sa_plus_sized_women_hiking. We are a group of brave, strong, incredibly lively, and diverse misfit hikers of all shapes, sizes, and abilities. We know that the size of our bodies does not determine the size of our journey.  
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📍 Lost Maples State Natural Area (Texas) -  Land originally held in stewardship by the Apache, Lipan Apache, Comanche and possibly others. 
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[Image Description: Lindsey sits with her leg dangling on the edge of a rocky cliff.  She's wearing black leggings, a grey cami, and white jacket with her hair tied in a messy bun.  She looks out at a vista green mountains.] 

“I grew up during the last years when kids were still allowed to be wild. We played outside all day, free and in nature. When I became an adult, my priorities changed, and I studied hard, went to medical school and became a doctor. It was an all enveloping process that took up a decade of my life, and I stopped making time to be outside. During my training I suffered an injury that almost cost me my medical career, and made it difficult for me to walk for several years. I retreated inward and was lost in anxiety and depression. Gradually, I started to heal, physically and mentally, and I finished my training. I found I had more time for myself, and I started hiking anytime I could. I wanted to be closer to the wilderness that I loved so much, so I moved my family across the country to Oregon. Now I live in a valley surrounded by mountains, and I hike or ski any chance I get. The outdoors has been my saving grace, and hiking has helped me find calmness in a world that fills me with anxiety. I couldn’t be more thankful.”—Jenny (@doctorofacertainsize)
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Pronouns: She/Hers
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📍Oregon Coast, this land originally held in stewardship by the Tillamook, Chinookan, Nez Perce, Modoc, Conferederated Tribes of Coos, Coquille, Clatsop, Cayuse, Shasta, Walla Walla and other tribes.

“Lonesome lobo. Rockabilly. Lowrider. Oldies all day. Greaser. Mechanic. Mack trucks Chicano. Honky tonker. Vegetarian. Buddhist teachings. Hiker. Traveler. Animal rights. Colorado. Cali. Tattoo luv 🖤. Found my biological father and family 2 years ago at the age of 41. Amazing story there. Highly impacted over last few years by a massive brain tumor. Radiation in 2018-19 and serious side effects. With the luv of friends and family, I healed and moved forward changing my world. I still have to perform MRI’s every 6 months as long as I live to monitor the brain tumor. And at the same time I’m pursuing my passions. On day one, NOT one day. Lost 80lbs. Active every single day. And learning so much of the hiker life and enjoying hikes religiously with just the sounds of nature. Life is short and beautiful. Embrace the day. Embrace your close ones. And embrace yourself 🖤. — (Maurice, @Lone_some_lobo)
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Pronouns: None (El Lobo)
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[Image Description:  Maurice rides a drop seat, custom motorcycle on a paved road, with trees, a sidewalk, and signs in the background.  Maurice wears a plaid, long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and sneakers.  Maurice wears glasses and has a moustache and goatee.] 

“I was always very active, ate well, etc. I never thought I'd experience challenges and setbacks regarding my health. However, in 2013, I had my first, major intracerebral hemorrhage. It was caused by a CVA (cavernous amgioma) or CVM (cavernous malformation). A CVA is a cluster of blood vessels that leak through their own walls. Mine was located deep within my brain, in an area my neurosurgeon called "high real estate". Surgery was too risky. We hoped that this would be a one time event. Unfortunately, I had several more bleeds and another major hemorrhage in 2016. To save my life, they had to operate. I am extremely fortunate to be alive despite my cognitive and physical deficits. I'm in pain continually. But nature is my therapy, and I get out as much as I can. My advice? Accept help. Much love to all misfit hikers out there!—Dana, (@mrs.hangle).
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Pronouns: She/Her
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Dana would like to give a shout-out: I am not affiliated with a group, but one thing I feel strongly about is the appropriation of Indigenous traditions and ceremonies in ecotherapy. I would just encourage people to refrain from partaking in cultural activities, which are not their own. Don't be taken financially and emotionally by people claiming to be able to use Indigenous events in nature if they are not Indigenous themselves. In kindness, Dana

“I've always loved the outdoors. As a child my family would take a few camping trips every summer. It wasn't until I was much older when I found my passion for hiking. The very first time hiking was actually on a date. I am a bigger girl so I was concerned that I wasn't going to be able to keep up or that I would be huffing and puffing and just have a miserable time. I was wrong! We did a pretty short hike but it was still challenging enough. I was huffing and puffing a bit lol, but honestly I didn't care because I was having so much fun. On that day not only did I find my passion for hiking but it also jumpstarted my passion for photography. Nothing ever ended up evolving with the guy I went on a date with, but I am grateful I went and that he introduced me to a hidden passion. – Angelica (@thethickhiker)
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Pronouns: She/Hers
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Tag #misfithikers to be showcased!
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[Image Description: Angelica stands on a snow-covered path with pines in the distance, wearing a red long-sleeved shirt, black tights with green at the bottom, and a black patterned buff across her face.  Her brown hair hangs long and loose.  She's holding skis/trekking poles and wearing snowshoes. ] 

What do rock stacks have to do with Leave No Trace? Apparently, a lot.  More scientists, conversationists, and park rangers are requesting that folks stop rock stacking when they're out and about on the trail.  Why's it a big deal? Is it actually a big deal? 

Where the heck does rock stacking even come from? Well, according to my Cairn Terriers, Lucy and Charlie, rock stacks aren't real "Cairns," which are dedicated memorials or landmarks.  These rock stacks that are cropping up throughout the wild woods are done more for artistic or "fun" reasons.  Sometimes, for meditation - and the popularity of them may have sprung up from a 1987 new age movement called the Harmonic Convergence.  

I belong to a number of hiking groups on FB (imagine that) - and I've seen this topic crop up a number of times recently.  And it's always incredibly and unnecessarily tense.  The counter-arguments usually focus on how extreme it is to target things like rock stacks as part of Leave No Trace, and if the environment survives hikers, kayakers, etc. it can survive a couple of rocks stacked up.  

It isn't always just one or two rocks - many beaches in the Northwest and other areas are completely covered with rocks stacks and a lot of them. (Please click links for slideshow pic credits). 

Parks have specific guidelines, as well as the Leave No Trace Principles, that help to curtail the impact humans have in those areas.  It's important to abide by them, even if they don't make sense at the moment.  Like the rock stacks, or staying on the path. 

Moving rocks can impact the natural habitat for those critters that call it home.  It can disrupt waterways.  It affects game trails.  When you move a rock, you might also be unknowingly moving critters, fungus, bacteria, seeds, etc. to another area that didn't have those types before.  For example, someone on Insta gathered rocks from five different state parks they visited and in the final one made a rock stack.  Cool idea, except they most likely brought in seeds, etc. from other states that may not have been present.  

Also, safety, first! A lot of National Parks and hiking areas use stacked rocks (actual cairns) to mark paths - such as Dolly Sods in P.A.  Hikers can easily get lost when you start adding your own directional markers. 

Rock stacks can be beautiful - they really are art - and made of "natural" bits, so it's easy to forget that just because it's pretty, doesn't mean it doesn't have a negative effect.  And that when you're in the great wild, that it doesn't belong to you - it isn't your backyard.  You're a steward of the land you visit.  So remember, leave it how you found it or with as little impact as possible. 

Leave No Trace isn't about doing it perfectly - and I'll say this again and again and again.  But it is about learning, growing, and doing what you can when you can. 

What do you think about rock stacking?  Leave a comment below or contact me here.   

​*MISFIT HIKER SHOWCASE*

“I found myself lost living in a new state and needing another change in life in 2016. I came across the 52 Hike Challenge and that was the beginning of my hiking lifestyle. My first thoughts were there's no way I can complete 52 hikes in a year; one hike a week. Funny part was that I found myself hiking more than that per week. I found myself seeing Arizona like no regular people would see it. Hiking has taught me to be more calm and to challenge myself physically and mentally. Finding myself pregnant at 43, wondering how was I going to continue hiking with a child, has been the best experience ever. Teaching and raising my daughter to love the outdoors has brought me more close to nature. Before moving to Arizona, I wasn't a hiker -now I'm glad hiking has become the most important part of my lifestyle.” — Michelle, (@hikerocknroll).
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Pronouns: She/Hers
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Michelle is an ambassador for the Phoenix Hikerbabes Chapter in Arizona. She runs the chapters facebook page and started an Instagram page to share the Phoenix ladies photos from their adventures. Her goal is to encourage other like-minded women to get outdoors.
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Tag #misfithikers to be showcased!
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[Image Description: A woman with tats, wearing a pink brimmed ballcap, black shorts, and glasses, walks on a dirt path in the desert.  She has on a backpack with blueish straps.  She is smiling down at a toddler wearing a pink t-short and short.  The toddler is carrying a babydoll wearing a blue/green outfit.  Mountains rise in the background, and scraggly brush and rocks dot either side of the trail.] 

​*MISFIT HIKERS SHOWCASE*
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“Growing up in a city and the youngest of 4 kids in the 1960s, I always felt a little out of the mainstream, a misfit. Most of my friends and family were city people but I was drawn to nature from my earliest memories. My favorite TV shows were about nature and I took every opportunity to get out of the city and go walking in the woods.
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As I grew older, I also increasingly became aware of another unusual feeling. You see, I was assigned male at birth based upon my genitilia like everyone is. But they couldn't see my heart, soul and mind. At this time there was no Internet, no support groups, no words to describe my feelings. So I followed the path that was given to me. It wasn't my path but it was my only choice.
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By the early 1970s I began to understand that I wasn't alone. But the information was still sparse and erroneous. So I struggled with this civil war in my soul, seeking help through counseling and reading anything I could get my hands on.
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But I didn't fit neatly into a box or label...I was a true misfit. This lasted for over 40 years cycling episodes of depression and confusion with episodes of certainty that I wasn't Transgender. But I was.
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Finally in 2008 I began my journey to myself and came out publicly in 2016. I couldn't be happier (other than losing some "friends and family"). And all through this my love of hiking has sustained me. Before my transition (gender revelation, not transition), I hiked to run away from myself by taking on the personna of a rugged "mountain man". Now that I've shed my lies, I hike as the woman I've always been without pretension and unafraid to show my full self as a Tomboy kind of woman, being a badass hiker chick! And I finally love my life!” – Stephanie (@Trans_zen_hiker_nhsteph)
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Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
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Tag #misfithikers to be showcased!
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[Image Description:  Stephanie stands smiling as she pulls a grey glove from her hand.  She is wearing a blue skirt, black leggings, black long-sleeved shirt and a blue buff.  Her cheeks are rosy and her blond hair tied in a pony tail.  Tall, snow-covered pine trees line both sides of a snow covered path.  Orange hiking poles stand crossed, off to one side.] 

​*MISFIT SHOWCASE!*

“Hi. My name is Shaun. I’m a misfit all around. I believe boxes are best for cats not for humans so I am myself 100% of the time. I struggle with drug resistant severe depression and anxiety. I try to find the positive and the humor in everything. When I’m not working (I manage a Tea bar where the workers lovingly refer to me as “dad”) you can definitely find me outside. It’s where I feel most happy, free, and at peace. I hike, skateboard, trail run, and explore (both solo and with friends) and have for as long as I can remember. My philosophy in outdoors and life is “you do you!”—Shaun, (@Dykesonhikes)
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Pronouns: she/her or they/them
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📍 Chico, California – This land was originally held in stewardship by the Mechoopda Maidu peoples and others.  
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Tag #misfithikers to be showcased!
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[Image Description: Smiling in sunglasses and a black t-shirt with a white “Unlikely Hikers” t-shirt, Shaun stands clasping a grey and black backpack shoulder straps.  Behind her is a vista of scrub brush, and tall pines and mountains can be seen in the background.]