Reflections from the Wild Women's Project

The Wild Women’s Project is the brainchild of Amanda Goad of Bold Brew, a creative and communications shop that does a lot of work for clients in the outdoor industry. Based in Durango, Colorado, the team is focused on “building meaningful cultures, innovative landscapes and gritty people,” according to its website. After spending a weekend with women from around the country who are blazing new paths in the outdoor industry and beyond, I’d say we moved the needle, in our own incremental way, on gritty, innovative and, most importantly, meaningful.

We hiked, we chatted, we laughed, we cried—maybe more than most of us thought we might among, well, perfect strangers. In a place that felt exposed to the elements, we too gave into vulnerability. Surrounded by jagged peaks and quaking aspens, through snow thunder, ice, sleet and alpenglow, and because of an energy that only being in the outdoors can create, we created.

We told our stories and challenged each other to live them even more authentically; we tested products and shared our candid comments; we mentored each other, older to younger but the other way around too; and we wondered aloud why women’s voices are not more prominent in the outdoors when we all feel a similar passion for it.

Click below to read the full story from Julie...