See Her Outside: Stories From Women Who Adventure

Antonina Samoilova's mountaineering career began with a breakup, two weeks' notice, and a one-way ticket to Antarctica. Antonina is the first Ukrainian woman to summit the five highest mountains on Earth — Everest, K2, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, and Makalu — and in 2024 she made history by summiting Everest and Lhotse in a single 24-hour push. She grew up as a city girl in central Ukraine with...

Ultrarunner Rachel Entrekin joined the First 50k Sisterhood and hundreds of other women running the Wild Woman Trail Runs races on June 19-21, 2026. We recorded our conversation in case you weren't there IRL! Rachel Entrekin is a pro trail runner and record holder who most recently outright won the Cocodona 250 race in Arizona. Rachel and Angie talked about: Traits that make for a strong runne...

Our First 50k Sisterhood runners ran their first ultramarathon last weekend, and Coach Zoë was one of the folks who made it so successful. Zoë Rom is a journalist, coach, podcast host, and ultrarunner based in Carbondale, CO. She co-hosts Your Diet Sucks and The Trailhead Podcast. Zoe's journalism focuses on public lands and the environment. She coaches endurance athletes through Microcosm Coa...

Mimi was a third-year medical student when she signed on as the sole medical officer and only woman on a four-climber expedition attempting the east face of Everest from Tibet (a route that had only been climbed once before). If you love what Mimi has to say, her memoir was the featured book in our last winter Grit Lit box. Join Grit Lit now and you'll get our welcome box plus the next quarter...

Seasonal workers know the feeling: You love the community, the adventure, the purpose, and then every fall you get laid off, change your address, and try to figure out health insurance, again . Sasha Clonts is the founder of Guide Theory, a platform helping seasonal workers build more sustainable, empowered lives through coaching, community, and practical tools. Sasha and Angie talk about: The COV...

⁠ Hike Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon this October! ⁠ Four women set off on a 1,380-mile paddle from Lake Superior to the Hudson Bay, and became the first publicly documented all-women's crew to complete the historic Voyageur route to York Factory. Along the way they crossed a 9-mile portage on day one, paddled multiple 40-mile days through wildfire smoke, navigated a teammate's POTS diagn...

The hands that built Melissa’s entire sport, business, and life were taken from her in an accidental instant. Her story explores what came next: the mental tools she invented to survive, the small triumphs that felt enormous, and the athletic determination it took to find her way back to the rock. Melissa's memoir, Climbing Through: A Courageous Story of Grit, Healing and Second Chances, is al...

Have you ever chalked up gear discomfort to your body being the problem: the chafing, the shoulder pressure, the hip belt that just won't cinch down far enough? It's not you. It's the gear. Sarah Berkeley (trail name: Mellow!) is the founder of Symbiosis Gear , an ultralight backpacking gear company designing packs and accessories that actually fit women's bodies. Sarah went throug...

When Colleen was a kid, her mom read her a story about a family stranded in a storm on Kilimanjaro. Most kids would have been scared. Colleen thought: “I have to go there.” Colleen MacDonald is a mountaineer and ultrarunner specializing in 50 and 100-mile ultras. Her unshakable grit and love of flying down technical descents has led her to many adventures and advocacy projects (which you can hear...

Kat Schaumberg heard the conventional advice to prove her worth by climbing high mountains – but she ended up ditching the toxic culture to pursue true leadership instead. Kat began her career in outdoor education at 18 and went on to work as a mountain guide, instructor, and logistics coordinator for many outdoor organizations. She’s spent hundreds of days on expeditions across Alaska, Yosemite,...

Grab the workbook: How to Use Your Adventure for Your Career Goals If you went to summer camp as a kid, you get it. The bats at dusk, the swim across the pond, the feeling of being someone slightly new for a week... Those memories don't fade. And if you worked at summer camp, you also know that the skills you built there — troubleshooting on the fly, managing 300 kids and 65 staff, keeping eve...

Do you remember running sprints as punishment in soccer practice, or the stress of the dreaded PACER test? Many of us equate running with suffering. But that doesn't have to be the case. Emily Holland is a runner, rock climber, and Partnerships Manager at HydraPak, where she builds collaborations that fuel adventure and strengthen community across the outdoor industry. This story is a reminder tha...

Viv Serrano is a mountaineer who progressed from local trails to the summits of Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro, Rainier, and Hood—and she's just getting started. But what sets Viv apart as an athlete is her honesty. She navigates bipolar disorder, manages stabilizing medications, and still shows up for the kind of training that demands a lot from both mind and body. Hear about: Climbing Kilimanjaro on...

The courage you use in your outdoor adventures is the same courage you can use to resist fascism. This is an unpolished but urgent bonus episode, in light of recent events in Minnesota and within the USA government. Athlete Colleen MacDonald joins Angie Lake to talk about why athletes and outdoor enthusiasts need to be using their voices right now to counter fascism and discrimination in the Unite...

Ever put so much work into an adventure or creative project that you feel a bit sad when it's over? Lauren Delaunay Miller is the editor of "Valley of Giants: Stories from Women at the Heart of Yosemite Climbing," and also a producer and award-winning audio reporter. "Valley of Giants" features 40 stories of women and rock climbing, going all the way back to the 1930s. We t...

Summit Scholarship applications close on Jan. 31, 2026 and The First 50k Sisterhood applications close on Jan. 10, 2026! Paula Murray didn't start backpacking until she was nearly 60 years old, and now she can't get enough. Paula lives in the Wasatch Mountain Range in northern Utah and has been a professional machine quilter for 31 years. She and her husband, Tom, have six children and 12 grandchi...

First 50k Sisterhood applications open Dec. 27, 2025! Curious about running a trail ultramarathon? Host Angie Lake shares nine tips for running your first ultra, covering how to prepare your body, train your mind, and embrace what we call "the Spirit of the Wild Woman." Plus, learn about the First 50k Sisterhood, a new scholarship program that will help 15 women train together for their...

Summit Scholarship applications open on Dec. 15, 2025 ! Here’s the story of one of our past recipients. Brittain Noel is a storyteller whose practice began in childhood and followed her through foster care, to Tibet, across Asia and into the mountains she climbs today.  Navigating an upbringing by adults with mental illness, Britt found nature and climbing as a way to heal. Her work blends documen...

Dream about starting your own adventure club, community, or membership? Lehigh Valley Women of Adventure went from just a wild idea to a thriving community of over 6,000 women who love to spend time outside! Hear the LVWoA story and take away tips for building and growing your own outdoors community. We talk about: Why women need their own outdoor spaces The challenges of going from 100 to 4,000 m...

We have just 3 spots left for our Grand Canyon team adventure in March 2026! Get a rare guided Rim to Rim hike, but with a Get Out, Give Back twist. Free packing list and training guide Curious about hiking Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon? Let us help you start planning! Listen to learn: The types of trails and different route options to hike in the Grand Canyon Variations of a Rim to Rim hike and...

Lucy Westlake started mountaineering at 7 years old through a highpointing project. In 2021, she set the record as the youngest person to summit the highest points in all 52 United States, including Denali. At 18, she set a record as the youngest American woman to climb Mount Everest (at the time). Angie and Lucy talk about: Being a competitive athlete starting in elementary school Transitioning f...

You can join Trailtober TODAY and still get a chance to win trail shoes, electrolytes, gear patches and more – sign up now! 🍂 The mountains themselves might be unbiased, but the systems we live in are not. Kelly Fields is a rock climber, certified climbing guide, and owner of Athena Rock Climbing, a nationwide guide service with a specialty in multi-pitch trad climbing and a primarily all female...

(Psst -- Win trail prizes during Trailtober: a trail challenge supporting gender equity in October! Learn more here. ) Heather Anderson has hiked over 50,000 miles — including completing the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail multiple times, and often faster than anyone before her. Heather shares why writing a memoir could feel as vulnerable and difficult as hikin...

Sarah experienced anaphylactic shock while trekking in the Denali wilderness. Her nervous system regulation practices were an important part of healing – and you can learn how to use them, too! Sarah Histand is an Alaskan adventurer, a somatic nervous system educator, and a mental health-informed fitness trainer through her business, Mind & Mountain. Angie and Sarah talk about: Sarah’s anaphyl...

Have you been censoring yourself? 🤔 If you've ever softened your language, felt imposter syndrome, or kept quiet when you had a message screaming inside of you, buckle up for a pep talk. We're breaking down 5 common self-censorship blocks in adventure storytelling and how to break through them, including: “I don’t have a good ending yet.” “I’m afraid I’ll change my mind later.” "I need to soften...