You belong here.

“You belong here.” Wow – how often have you heard that? If you’re like me, not often enough, especially in my experience as a post-divorce mature woman trying to find a niche in the outdoors world. After my divorce I felt like I had arrived at a new place in life, a bit battered and bruised, but ready to scope out new landscapes and sample the healing power of nature. But where were all the programs for people like me?

Even without factoring in a traumatic life event like divorce, I found it difficult to break into the hiking scene as a middle-aged woman. Back in 2009 I decided that my first big adult adventure would be to hike the Chilkoot Trail in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Sure, I’d been active all my life, and “did hiking” if you counted the miles I’d spent on prairie and foothills cow paths. Wasn’t hiking just an upscale version of that? Well, sort of, I guess. But I discovered that I needed to give a lot of thought to equipment, physical conditioning, and safety measures for a multi-day backpacking adventure. I had no idea how to prep for the trip and didn’t know who to ask. How much food should I take? And what kind? What warmth of sleeping bag should I bring? And what about bears? Plus I wasn’t 25 anymore so I needed a mature-ish approach. I needed advice about creaky knees and what kind of anti inflammatory to pack. I felt completely uninformed and afraid of looking stupid.

Back 40 Outdoor Events is built upon the premise that you can try new things and change your lifestyle no matter your age. You can gain confidence and experience and kick some outdoor ass, all in the company of people who have been there and seen that but didn’t get the t-shirt because they were all out of our size, dammit.

We don’t care where you came from; we care where you’re going.

Check out our programs and if it feels right, take a chance on a new direction. We’re here for you. You belong here.

See you soon!

-K-