Dream about starting your own adventure club, community, or membership?

Lehigh Valley Women of Adventure went from just a wild idea to a thriving community of over 6,000 women who love to spend time outside!

Hear the LVWoA story and take away tips for building and growing your own outdoors community.

We talk about:

• Why women need their own outdoor spaces

• The challenges of going from 100 to 4,000 members in weeks

• Member-created events: how to scale community without burning out

• When and why to incorporate as a nonprofit

• Vetting, waivers, and insurance: the unglamorous but necessary parts

• Why passive engagement matters too

• How "unfamiliar faces" push us in new ways and the power of hiking with strangers

Thanks to Jackie Seidman, Cathy Nelson, and Allison Young for sharing their stories and advice.

If you’re inspired by group adventures and want to join us in the Grand Canyon in March for a Rim to River to Rim hike, there are a couple spots left! Sign up now:

https://cairnproject.org/grand-canyon-rim-to-river-to-rim

Check out these resources:

• 📱 The LVwoA Facebook Group

• 💻 LVWoA Website

• ⁠➡️ The Cairn Project on IG⁠

• ⁠✨ The Cairn Project's newsletter⁠

• 🥾 ⁠⁠Become a Trailblazer⁠⁠

• 📅 ⁠⁠Summit Scholarship Foundation⁠

• 🎙️ ⁠⁠Share your story on this podcast! Submit for Field Notes here.⁠⁠

Like this episode? Leave a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app!

Make sure you subscribe to the⁠⁠ ⁠See Her Outside Podcast⁠⁠⁠ so you don’t miss a story!

Brought to you by the Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure (GEA Alliance).

Hosted by Angie Marie Lake and edited by Alyson Castonguay.

We have just 3 spots left for our Grand Canyon team adventure in March 2026! Get a rare guided Rim to Rim hike, but with a Get Out, Give Back twist.

Free packing list and training guide

Curious about hiking Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon? Let us help you start planning! Listen to learn:

• The types of trails and different route options to hike in the Grand Canyon
• Variations of a Rim to Rim hike and length estimates
• Training tips for a Rim to Rim hike
• Gear and water considerations
• How hiking into the Grand Canyon is like time traveling!

Our October 2025 team adventure in the Grand Canyon fundraised about $12,000 for gender equity AND wildfire relief. Congratulations to Tana, Lorri, Lisa, Ritzy, and Mary for completing an epic Rim to River to Rim hike!

Join us in March 2026 if there’s still space: https://cairnproject.org/grand-canyon-rim-to-river-to-rim

Like this episode? Leave a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app!

Make sure you subscribe to the⁠⁠ ⁠See Her Outside Podcast⁠⁠⁠ so you don’t miss a story!

Brought to you by the Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure (GEA Alliance).

Hosted by Angie Marie Lake and edited by Alyson Castonguay.

Lucy Westlake started mountaineering at 7 years old through a highpointing project. In 2021, she set the record as the youngest person to summit the highest points in all 52 United States, including Denali. At 18, she set a record as the youngest American woman to climb Mount Everest (at the time).

Angie and Lucy talk about:

• Being a competitive athlete starting in elementary school
• Transitioning from running to mountaineering through highpointing
• Highs (and lows) of climbing the high points of the USA
• Behind the scenes of mountaineering and setting records
• What it’s like when other people break your records
• Why she decided to put aside a Seven Summits and Explorers Grand Slam goal
• Lucy’s research on glaciers in college while being a mountain guide
• The impact of ageism, mentorship, and women in mountaineering

Send this episode to a teen who would be inspired by Lucy!

Check out these resources:

• 📱 ⁠Lucy on IG⁠
• ➡️ The Cairn Project on IG
• ✨ The Cairn Project's newsletter

• 🥾 ⁠Become a Trailblazer⁠
• 📅 ⁠Summit Scholarship Foundation

• 🎙️ ⁠Share your story on this podcast! Submit for Field Notes here.⁠

Like this episode? Leave a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app!

Make sure you subscribe to the⁠ ⁠See Her Outside Podcast⁠⁠ so you don’t miss a story!

Brought to you by the Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure (GEA Alliance).

Hosted by Angie Marie Lake and edited by Alyson Castonguay.