I am not a thin, svelte, or overtly sporty human. I did not play sports in high school…and quite honestly, was pretty intimidated by the whole team sports thing. I was in marching band…in Texas…and while you could argue that is a team sport…I won’t.
I am the girl who walks into walls because I am thinking. The girl who had a bag of crackers in one hand and a book in the other.
As a teen did I Walk? …Yes, to the Ice House to get a pack of Marlboro 100s, then to the Dairy Queen for a dipped cone. Walk? Yes, into the woods by my house with my friend Stephanie, Charles, and Michael to …yes, smoke…but also to make trails, to follow trails already made, and to escape.
Why am I bringing all this up?
Because as I look at hiking groups I see two types of hiking groups for women: 1) You are a sporty person and 2) you are not a sporty person.
Here is what pisses me off the most. I am not a sporty person and I am a self-proclaimed chunk…but I love to hike. When I first started hiking, I struggled to go three miles. But I do like a challenge and now I can hike up to fifteen pretty easily…but I am still a chunk.
Google & Me (BoobOnARock). I am the one embracing the chunky. 🙂 Oh, and I gave that smoking shit up long ago. It is just a slow suicide, not worth it!!
I don’t like it when hiking groups patronize us chunky women (and maybe the chunky guys out there get this too). We don’t all want to stick to the easy hikes. Schedule a variety of hikes so your group can “grow” hikers in an environment that is supportive. Don’t give in to your underlying assumptions that fat girls can’t hike or fat girls don’t want to do anything remotely physically taxing. Knock it off with offering hikes that ensure we don’t skin our fucking knees, cause bitches, we can bleed with the best of them!
Rant done! Hike On!! 🙂
Girl Gone Hiking 
Brava, my dear! Perfect rant-worthy post!
Thank you! I feel better now *sigh*
p.s. Your hiking partner is the spitting image of Camilla Parker-Bowles (Prince Charles’ woman). 🙂
Oh my God! You are right, haha!
You are AMAZING!!
I’ll take that! 🙂
I am a backpacker and not much of a day hiker for the reasons you mentioned. I led two hikes for the ATC biannual meeting and caught a glimpse of some really boneheaded hiking culture. You go for the company and to share nature. I don’t care who gets there first. Moreover, if you tell me you can do it, I’ll believe you. You tell ’em lady!
Thanks Jim! Backpacking…love, love, love! Still planning to do my “Shiver in Shenny” this winter! 🙂
It’s a lovely place in winter. Just keep moving…
Interesting! I’ve never been to a hiking group on the internet. As a former orchestra nerd with a marching band daughter, I do believe marching band is a sport.
Marching band geeks! My calves were hard and lungs strong! Bass clarinet!
Copeland explained that they include these hikes because their opinions aren’t “necessarily the end all and be all”. You might want to do some ‘don’t dos’ and decide for yourself,” he said.
Who is Copeland? Who is “they”? I don’t quite understand the quote “you might want to do some ‘don’t dos’…please re-explain.