Moving 3,000 miles away took away my sense of security and confidence in knowing exactly where and who I was. Moving to a new city where I knew no one I spent a lot of time with my boyfriend, which was great, but I felt like I needed a group of ladies to create connections with to do things with that I enjoyed. I started going to yoga in our neighborhood, and immediately was hooked to this community that allowed me to do something for myself. After completing my 200-hour yoga teacher training, I spent 8 weeks with women who were all on the same path of self-improvement. Once the teacher training was over, I found myself wanting more of a community where I can continue to connect with other like-minded ladies. Being surrounded by so many women who were also working toward self empowerment gave me a sense of home and belonging, that I hadn’t found yet in San Francisco.
Moving from Florida, my outdoor “explorations” consisted of traveling to the beach, mostly. There is just something about a sunny clear blue sky that can abate any uncertainty or stress. I hadn’t hiked much other than a few trips I had taken years prior, particularly one to Glenwood Springs, Colorado which left me craving mountain views. Living in the city, I felt like I was locked in a 3-mile radius. After visiting Land’s End with a friend I met in San Francisco, I realized just how much the Bay Area had to offer and I couldn’t wait to see more of it. I knew there had to be more to exploring than just going out for a hike here and there; I knew I wanted to find my “tribe” of women, and I knew I wanted to make a difference.
If you know me, you know my love of pups far exceeds my love of humans. I was looking for volunteer opportunities with local rescues, but most of them had very specific time demands that I could not commit to with my work schedule. I decided I was going to find a way to combine all of the things I wanted to do: explore the Bay area, connect with like-minded individuals, and grow as a person while helping our local community. And so, Project Hike was born.
Upon doing research, I found Grateful Dogs Rescue which I felt connected to mostly because of their high rescue rate of chihuahuas, since I have one of my own. All of our hikes donated to their organization for the first few months. Not knowing many people, I realized how hard it was to get folks in the Bay to commit to hikes every month, especially since my “marketing” was through word of mouth. There were hikes where it was just myself and my good friend Emma, who came no matter the number of attendees! I decided to pause the hikes toward the end of 2018 as many were traveling for holidays, and though I’d reconvene come the new year. I wasn’t sure if I’d continue, since I felt like I wasn’t making enough of a difference. Talking to some of my friends and supporters, they convinced me to give another attempt in January of 2019.
With the New Year, came new branding, a new site, a new logo, and a new dog rescue to work with – Coppers Dream Rescue. I knew I wanted to work with a rescue that had a little more presence in the community. Both a social media presence, adoption events, and I kept hearing their name when I would talk about Project Hike and what I was doing with our donations. A few coworkers had been fostering their pups who were beyond amazing, and I began to connect with them as an organization. I can’t say exactly what it was about their energy or presence, but I just knew it was a great fit. Outside of Project Hike, I am also an ambassador for Girl Get Outside, an organization which encourages women to get outdoors, and through them I came across Meetup – a platform that allows you to find communities based on your hobbies and interests. I found that utilizing social media allowed me to reach a larger range of women that I otherwise wouldn’t have, and it allowed me to connect with more people who were looking to spend their weekends making a difference, too. The best part has been those who reach out and join because they adopted their dog from Coppers Dream and want a way to reconnect to the community that changed their life.
After placing Project Hike on Meetup in early January of 2019, I couldn’t believe the outpour of support I received and ladies who couldn’t wait to join us on an event. We had just over 30 attendees for the hike. I was floored. Our February hike had a similar turnout, but it was the hike in March of 2019 that brought me to tears as I introduced myself to the group and explained why I had started Project Hike. This was also the first hike that would donate to Coppers Dream Rescue. As I spoke, I had nearly 50 ladies and 25 pups staring back at me. I couldn’t help but choke up thinking this community believed in me, in this project that came together as a way to find community and help pups who don’t have the homes they need, and ladies who took time out of their week on a Sunday morning to hike with a bunch of strangers. It was more than amazing. It was priceless. And in turn, I was speechless.
In short, I am so grateful for all of the ladies (and pups) who have supported Project Hike, who have donated, showed up for an event, shared on social media, whatever the means – it is because of you that this is all possible.
I have been receiving messages about expanding Project Hike. Though we are not there yet, I am excited to make this part of our future to help as many pups in need as possible, to connect as many like-minded ladies as possible, and to explore as many beautiful parts of this place we get to call home.
// Read more of the Big Outdoor Guide here.
