Women's Hiking Conference

I recently received the below information regarding a truly amazing women's hiking conference taking place in Colorado. I may have to start saving my pennies!

Women gather to celebrate hiking, backpacking and the love of the outdoors

One of the wonderful things about hiking these days is the abundance of women in the outdoors. Of course, women on the trail are nothing new. For decades now, we have been out enjoying the beauty, energy and camaraderie of the trail. However, it seems that the last few years have brought about a surge in the number of ladies out there. And we aren’t the only ones that have noticed it. Outdoor retailers have gone out of their way to create equipment just for us and clubs, organizations and outlets for women’s hiking are springing up everywhere.

One of the most exciting aspects of this trend is the upcoming Summit-a hiking and backpacking conference for women. Last year, the Trail Dames hosted the Summit, billing it as the nation’s first hiking and backpacking conference for women. It was a grand success and this year the Summit is coming to Durango, Colorado.

The Summit is an opportunity for all women to come together and learn, dream and share the beauty of the outdoors. For three days, Fort Lewis College will play home to seminars, demonstrations, classes and special guest speakers, all designed to celebrate women on the trails.

The conference will feature guest speaker Sanne Larsen Bagby, aka ‘Ready”, a triple crowner with more than 10,000 miles of backpacking to her name. The conference will also include an extensive list of seminars, classes and a special screening of “Beauty beneath the Dirt”, a newly released documentary about three intrepid hikers attempting one of the most challenging outdoor adventures in the country. A Hikers Fair with gear demonstrations will be open for the duration of the Summit, as well.

“Campfire Yoga”, “Lightweight Backpacking”, “In a Woman’s Voice-writing for the outdoor woman”, “Hiking the El Camino” and “Women’s Nutrition for Hiking” are some of the clinics that will be offered.

In addition to the conference, the Durango area offers a myriad of fabulous things to do from hiking and backpacking to river rafting. The city it a short drive from the Four Corners area and is adjacent to the San Juan National Forest and the Animas River Valley. To cap off a fun holiday, our friends at Step Outdoors Colorado are offering multi-day backpacking trips for Summit attendees both before and after the Summit.

For more information or to register for the Summit, go to http://www.traildamessummit.com/