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Outdoorsy Women

By: Caitlin Denhalter

By KAVU

December 10^th, 2024

What makes someone "Outdoorsy"? How does it happen?

For me it wasn't a conscious choice, it wasn’t one big trip or years of education. I simply slipped into it. After spending college summers working at a rafting outfitter, I found I felt most like myself when floating down a river, hiking to an alpine lake or simply having a picnic in the shadows of a mountain. When I look back at my 20’s, I realize most of it was spent chasing time in nature.

Life’s changed for me, the carefree version of myself that lived in a van and shared a shower with 40 other hippies still exists, but with a few more responsibilities. The greatest of those, being the life I’m creating for the two tiny girls that call me mom. I am responsible for the needs of their day-to-day life and for helping them fall in love with the outdoors. The biggest part of that equation is for them to see me prioritizing time in nature, both with and without them - the other part is of course the treats I bribe them along the trail with.

When I moved back to Phoenix, Arizona a couple of years ago I started searching for my people - women who are curious, appreciate art, love music, cheer for each other and love nature. And I found them! A great group of empowering women who I have loved sharing meals, hobbies, wins, losses and time with. We do so much together with our families and kids, but had been talking about a trip for just us off and on for a few months.

I wanted to share my love of floating down a river with them and the Black Canyon of the Colorado seemed like the perfect, scenic stretch. The group text went out, a few friends-of-friends were added and we landed with a group of 12 women. 12! I was so thrilled to get to share this with so many. The group had a wide range of experience in the outdoors, a few with more experience than me in the backcountry, the majority with much less and a few with none.

As the designated weekend got closer, what started with excitement, quickly shifted into a little bit of fear. Had I over extended? What if not everyone liked it as much as me? What if people were uncomfortable? Did I have the experience to lead a trip like this? The classic imposter syndrome kicked in. I wanted to empower these women to feel “outdoorsy”, to feel confident in their ability to take up space in the outdoors, to exist in the backcountry. I wanted to remind myself of those same things too. And hopefully in all of that, my girls would get another small memory of their mom taking up space, prioritizing time in nature and having fun.

I’ve written a few iterations of this story, many focused on the actual trip. I dove into the logistics, locations and fine details…all of which are important in a successful trip, but that's not what I felt was the real story here. We also had a great time relaxing in hot springs, and diving into the frigid river. We relaxed and recharged as we sat and shared stories around the fire. We grounded ourselves with hours floating through a beautiful canyon, but again…that’s not necessarily what this story is about.

This story is about the importance of claiming the adjective “outdoorsy” as your own. It’s about women of all experience levels, feeling connected to each other and to themselves. It’s about the way this deeper sense of self, accessed in outdoor spaces, bleeds into all areas of your life. The powerful ripple effect of this experience through our lives, to our children, partners, friends, & communities is impactful and is the story I want to share. It’s the feeling I cling to as I look at my girls and hope they live their lives with confidence, love and grit.

So what makes someone “outdoorsy”? I believe it’s simply existing in and appreciating nature. You don’t earn the outdoorsy merit badge by bagging your first 14’er or a certain number of nights in the backcountry. You just have to be curious and step out of whatever four walls currently surround you. And while you’re at it, invite your friends, you’ll be glad you did.

Caitlin Denhalter - Linkedin

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Footnotes

We love it when our KAVU family shares stories about being inspired by nature and friendship... to by default, inspire friendship in nature! That's KAVU and busylivin' at it's core.

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FootNotes

We love it when our KAVU family shares stories about being inspired by nature and friendship... to by default, inspire friendship in nature! That's KAVU and busylivin' at it's core.

Havasupai 2025

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