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Episode 07: Storytelling w/Daniel “The Blackalachian” White, Sirena Rana Dufault, Tam Willey & Travis “Bearbait” Clough

A love of the outdoors is rediscovered after a fibromyalgia diagnosis; two friends make a series of hilarious and possibly dangerous choices while backpacking; a thru-hiker survives threatening animal encounters, but it was owls that nearly did him in. In this special storytelling episode, we’re taking the Unlikely Hikers feed and bringing it to life with stories from Daniel “The Blackalachian” White, Sirena Rana Dufault, Tam Willey & Travis “Bearbait” Clough.

Sirena Rana Dufault (second from left) has logged thousands of miles hiking, backpacking, rafting and canyoneering in the Southwest. Her consulting company, Trails Inspire, promotes the outdoors via photography, freelance writing, public speaking, and trail design. Her first book, “Best Day Hikes on the Arizona National Scenic Trail” will be released in August 2020 by Wilderness Press. Sirena is based in Tucson, Arizona, ancestral lands of the Tohono O’odham and Yaqui, but considers the Grand Canyon her second home. Sirena’s Wanderings| ig: @desertsirena

Tam Willey (third, left) is a Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Trainer and Mentor with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs. Tam is the founder of Toadstool Walks, a small guiding practice based in Boston, Massachusetts, designing community walks, immersions and retreats that invite us to come together in ways that support a culture of reciprocity, cultural repair, health and healing for all beings. Toadstool Walks | ig: @toadstoolwalks

Travis “ Bearbait” Clough (third, right) resides in Portland, Maine. He has been Director of Trip Operations and an Instructor with The Venture Out Project since 2015. His favorite outdoor activities are backpacking, scramble hikes, splitboarding, swimming in mountain lakes, summiting high peaks and bikepacking. Their other interests are quilting, playing guitar and banjo, contra dancing/square dancing, pot-lucks, and connecting to queer community. The Venture Out Project | ig: @tc_frost

Daniel “The Blackalachian” White (right) hails from North Carolina. In 2017, he hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. In 2018, he biked 2,000 miles  from Mobile, Alabama to Ontario, Canada along the Underground Railroad Trail. His mission was to reflect on the history of racism in the U.S., shed light on the lack of people of color represented in the outdoor scene, and the importance of making the country’s public lands, monuments and natural wonders more accessible and comfortable for all. YouTube Channel | ig: @theblackalachian

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Show notes

Tell me how you’re planning your harm reducing re-entry into outdoor activities as parks begin to re-open, or share your physical distancing methods and precautions while outdoors with me at me@jennybruso.com – your tips may be shared in a near future episode!

Trails Inspire
Arizona Trail Association
Support GoFundMe for Ahmaud Arbery’s family
Sign petition and make easy phone calls for Justice for Ahmaud Barbery (but do not donate here! Donate to above gofundme)
Fibromyalgia
The Venture Out Project
Toadstool Walks
June Forest Circle Series – Finding Resilience and Building Stamina during Liminality – an invitation to tend to the stressful conditions of living in a modern industrialized civilization during a global pandemic.
Appalachian Trail
Hike for Mental Health
Buffalo Soldiers
York – explorer with Lewis & Clark
Donate NOW to Native Women Wilderness – they are providing food and hygiene boxes, as well as money, to the Navajo Nation
Donate NOW to the Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund

Creating a podcast takes an extraordinary amount of time and we are currently unsponsored. Please consider making a donation. Sharing goes a long way, too xo

Podcast drawing by, Olivia Winokur