How one community is advancing how women hike

An increasing number of women are hiking and enjoying the outdoors in general. While outdoor adventure has been traditionally male in Western society, now many women are embracing hiking or backpacking. Helping to push the boundaries on what’s “female” or “male” when it comes to sports is Love Her Wild. Here’s how this community is making hiking more accessible for women. This post is all about when women hike.

Why do we need a women hike community?

A healthy, safe atmosphere is the best way to truly enjoy any hobby. The first impressions are often the most important though and many women have been turned away from hiking by the terrible impressions of some hiking communities.

Generally, the most important hiking tip for beginners is to join a community or a group. Being part of a group helps beginners to make better decisions regarding camping gear, get tips and advice from experienced hikers, have a well-planned hike, and many more benefits.

It’s also safer to be in a group than alone when hiking, generally. There’s the risk of falling, for example, if inexperienced, and you’re also vulnerable to an attack by a passerby when going solo.

But most hiking groups end up being male-dominated and rarely take into account female hikers.

Now don’t get me wrong here, hikers in general are some of the nicest people out there. But there are some bad apples, as with almost any group, and running into someone sexist or misogynistic completely ruins the mood.

Given how the numbers skew towards men in hiking, it’s not uncommon for groups to include only one or two women. Often, that isn’t a problem by itself, but women in these situations may feel they are being treated differently, or feel isolated.

It was problems like these that encouraged travel enthusiast Bex Bands to start a community designed especially for women. Thus was born Love Her Wild, a thriving female-only hiking community based in the UK.

The community has well over 7,000 members and is playing a wonderful role in making hiking accessible and enjoyable for women. And that’s a great thing for employers and entrepreneurs, given the research on how hiking can improve productivity at work.

Love Her Wild does everything a responsible hiking community should; in fact, it goes beyond and does much more. The community is open to anyone who identifies as female.

This female-oriented network encourages new hikers, providing them with necessary help and often pairing them with experienced hikers so they can freely enjoy the wonders of hiking. There’s no pressure, no judgment, and no toxic sexism like women porters have faced on the Inca Trail.

Making the world of hiking a better place

According to Bex Bands, an important objective for Lover Her Wild is to be a team. She noticed that the conventional male-dominated hiking groups were too deep into being competitive and put more focus on goals, rather than hiking as a team.

Love Her Wild instead takes a healthier route and encourages team building. The hiking trip becomes way more enjoyable once the off-putting over-competitiveness is put to rest.

As the community has amply displayed, ambitious and tough treks are manageable in a more wholesome manner than delving into competitiveness. Bex Bands and the community have arranged several hiking trips in the UK and around the world.

Many of these outings are announced through Love Her Wild’s Facebook community, where interested women can sign up for their outdoor adventure of choice.

Several hikes organized by the community also have an altruistic side. Some hikes have helped raise money for charity, while other trips aimed to pick up litter along their routes.

Overall, the community has kept responsible hiking as a core value by encouraging conservation.

“Leave no trace” is a phrase often used in the hiking community. The idea is to leave pristine areas of the outdoors as hikers found them – untouched and unsullied by human contact.

The community has followed that rule, and better yet, Lover Her Wild has gone beyond that. They have helped remove trash and litter left behind by other hikers during some outings.

Keeping it accessible

Economic reasons are also a major barrier that several women face when considering hiking. Gear is not always cheap and some hiking trips can end up costing a pretty penny.

The community has displayed an awareness of these problems and can be seen lending a helping hand to women who wish to hike with a tight budget. Specifically, Love Her Wild runs a mentoring program that not just helps encourage women to hike but also provides some material support.

The scope extends to providing gear and funding to women who might need it. Additionally, the community also hosts cheap or free hiking trips and meet-ups across the UK.

That way, even those with financial constraints can be an active part of the community and visit outdoors with options that suit their budget.

There is a wide range of options available for hiking and outdoor adventure. Of course, as mentioned, cheap and free programs are a big part, but the community also offers some paid trips that can include hikes in different parts of the world.

Overall, there is a great mix of options. A bit of something is available for everyone, really.

When women hike: Final words on Love Her Wild

Finally, it is worth reiterating that Love Her Wild community is about creating a safe space for female hikers. It is a community that encourages beginners as well as experienced hikers to come together as a team, grow, explore the outdoors safely as a group rather than alone, and have an overall great time.

The community seeks to differentiate itself from the stereotypical male-dominated world of hiking. Love Her Wild and its founder Bex Bands have made it clear that the community is not anti-men; instead, it’s a positive group designed to support ladies and enable them to explore the world of outdoor adventure.

 

Top image: Screenshot of the Love Her Wild website