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plus-size hiker

I’m in a Magazine!

by Jenny Bruso on March 6, 2017March 6, 2017

Recent Posts: Jenny Bruso & Unlikely Hikers

New merch! party!!!

Universal Standard Mystery Boxes!

This isn’t Just a Shoe

MERRELL X UNLIKELY HIKERS – shop now!

Shop Dia&Co and support Unlikely Hikers!

Unlikely Hikers Podcast 13: Where is the Plus-Size Gear?

I designed a shoe… sneak preview!

Condé Nast Traveler: Meet the Women Making the Outdoors More Accessible to All

Unlikely Hikers Podcast 12: Disabled Hikers

Unlikely Hikers Podcast 11: You Can Do Hard Things

@unlikelyhikers on IG

NEW MERCH! Swipe left for the new styles ☝️💨

“Nature's lesson to me is to show up as my whole self. Nature shows up and shows out. As a professional Naturalist working in public lands, my entire career is to encourage folks to connect with the natural world, but early in my career, I wished I could blend in with my colleagues and environmental science classmates who looked like people in any outdoor magazine. And then there was me, a Black, Latina, plus-size woman who sometimes wore lashes, hair extensions and acrylic nails in the field leading bat monitoring programs. I often felt like a walking contradiction, but every day I feel more okay with that. It's my job to help people feel comfortable in nature and to do that I need to be proud of my whole self in these spaces as well.”

“I love the outdoors and connecting with nature. It’s refreshing and gives me peace. Last February, I was invited to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with 3 other disabled hikers. We used hiking wheelchairs that were pushed and lifted by our porters and guides. I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this journey without their kindness. We spent 6 days climbing via the Coca Cola route. It was a very rough journey, but a beautiful one. I enjoyed being in the diverse wilderness and learning about the Tanzanian culture and customs. On February 9, 2020, we reached our summit and it was the day that I learned that the sky is not the limit: I became the first Latin American and Peruvian woman with a disability to climb Mount Kilimanjaro! The summit was freezing so I had to wear 9 layers of clothing and be wrapped in a sleeping bag to avoid my legs freezing. This adventure taught me to enjoy the *now* because it is the beginning of the next journey. My disability won’t stop my goals and to reach the highest mountains of the world. I will never be able to say no to another adventure.”

When planning the photoshoot for the @merrell X Unlikely Hikers shoe collaboration, I chose people who have deeply impacted my vision of what outdoor culture can be, even if it’s just by being wholly themselves. Dan White, aka @blackalachian, was an obvious choice for me. Fun facts: 1) we first featured Dan in our first year of existence while he was on the AT 2) He doesn’t identify as an Unlikely Hiker because Black people have always been outside. RESPECT 🎯

“Performative allyship creates trauma.

PLUS-SIZE ACTIVEWEAR 1X-5X SPOTLIGHT:

@jennybruso on IG

Happy Birthday, Audre Lorde ✨ your words and offerings will forever shape my life and The Vision. Thank you.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED! Congratulations @cita_la_naturalista! Thank you all so much for participating ❤️❤️❤️

Who the hell even has a shoe?!

Who doesn’t love a little mystery?

I woke up so grateful to be alive.

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