Hey there, and welcome to HikeUpYourSkirt – a hiking and adventure blog focused on exploring the outdoors, adventure travel and making the great outdoors accessible and approachable to women.
I’m Suzie, and that’s me diving the Y.O-257, an intentionally sunken U.S. Navy oiler off the coast of Waikiki.
I’m not a effortlessly cool, blonde bikini blogger and you don’t have to be either.
I’m a freelance writer in north Lake Tahoe, where I write about everything from mountain life to hiking to social media to food and drink around the world – and travel of course, usually with a focus on unique things to do in California and beyond. This is my personal hiking and adventure blog, which I created to counter what I see as a problem with social media: travel accounts full exclusively of tall, thin blonde girls around the world, using people, experiences and culture as props, claiming to be inspirational but really making women feel kind of bad about themselves. So, this isn’t that – THIS hiking and adventure blog is designed to inspire all women – from first-time hikers to (yes) the beautiful blonde ones – to experience the great outdoors. It’s about being real, not being pretty. As long as you have fun hiking, skiing, exploring, or even just wandering in the woods – that’s what matters.
Your forests, your national parks, your trails: they’re yours and they’re waiting for you! Let’s get out there!
What’s this Hiking and Adventure Blog all about?
My goal with this blog is twofold: to show amazing, affordable, and off-the-beaten-path travel destinations, to highlight the fact that nature, wilderness, and outdoor adventure is approachable and accessible. You can have meaningful experiences in nature and experience new places without having to “quit your job to follow your dreams.” (Source: see every travel blog, ever.)
It’s also very important for me to show real people doing sports. I love human-powered sports and SO many millennial and outdoor bloggers make them look intimidating and only for “cool people.” Well, I’m proof that you don’t have to be natural athlete or supermodel to enjoy nature.
If you can’t tell, I want women to feel good about themselves – lets use social media and the internet to encourage each other and share amazing adventures!
What’s the deal with the HikeUpYourSkirt name?
Thanks for asking! The name HikeUpYourSkirt has nothing to do with trying to look cute in the woods, or the Dave Matthew’s song “Crash into Me.”
A “skirt” is the extra fabric on a ski jacket that cinches around your waist to keep powder out of your base layers when you’re in deep snow. One day while skiing in Vermont, a friend and I were hesitant to venture off the established trail and give skiing through the trees a try. While we were trying to decide, a group of other friends came up behind us and yelled “Come on girls, hike up your skirts and get in the trees.” Voila, the name of this hiking and adventure blog was born!
And for those wondering, since then, we have been in the trees many times. (Falling most of the time.)
Are you into this whole Hiking and Adventure Blog thing? Then let’s do something together!
Yes, let’s. I’m always open to partnerships with new businesses and entrepreneurs interested in putting a spotlight on their product or destination. If you’d like to work together, reach out to me!
I also offering editing and content creation services in various styles and for various audiences. Please check out the Work With Me page for more info and ideas.
Some fun facts about me. (Well, sort of fun.)
- I learned how to parallel park from the Secret Service
- I love airplane food!
- I love spicy food, nachos, ghost towns, and arcades
- I can say the alphabet backwards and no, I’m not sure why.
- My best friend in the world is Doolie, my weird, short, basset hound-border collie mixed rescue dog
- I love succulents but am not all that great at growing them
- I don’t collect anything, but it’s safe to say I have too many hats and water bottles
