My guest today is Amy Wight Chapman, aka @hikelowandlocal and the author of a beautiful family memoir, Just Like Glass.

Amy inspires me for so many reasons - the biggest, hugest reason being that she honors herself. She is creative, and knows she enjoys moving her body, so she keeps those two flames flickering at all times, even when she’s challenged by all the same things the rest of us are: family, injury, work, all the obligations that suck up our time and energy whether we want them to or not…

Amy’s book Just Like Glass: A Family Memoir is a one or two sitting affair, because you get sucked in from the start. Having grown up in a stoic New England family myself, Ruth’s approach to what was probably the biggest tragedy of her life reminded me so much of women I knew in my childhood.

I laughed, I cried, I told everyone I know who’s in a book group about this book, because this family really got to me. And I’m going to leave it at that, so you head to your favorite book store and request this title, if it’s not already carried, or head to amywchapman.com and hit the Buy Now button to order it directly from the Bethel Historical Society like I did.

Be sure to stick around until the end to be completely and utterly impressed by Amy’s movement streak. I’m telling you, this is the episode you need to be reminded to honor yourself in all the smallest ways, it makes such a huge difference!

Get to know Amy and the places she loves!:

@hikelowandlocal

Order Just Like Glass: A Family Memoir from the Bethel Historical Museum!

AmyWChapman.com Substack

Museums of the Bethel Historical Society (Bethel, ME)

Buck’s Ledge Community Forest (Woodstock, ME)

Moody Mountain (Woodstock, ME)

Community Concepts (ME)

Maggie’s Nature Park (Greenwood, ME)

Lapham Loop (ME)

True North Adventureware

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Are you like me, struggling with the overwhelming urge to punch something about 25 times a day right now, for sure every time you read a news headline?!!? Time to put your foot down. Literally!

Today I'm catching up with Serena Ryan of Summits in Solidarity, to learn about the latest iteration of the grassroots hiking initiative she co-founded that continues to break down barriers to outdoor access by raising critical funds for BIPOC-led organizations.

The 2024 Summits in Solidarity Hike-a-Thon launched March 20th with an ambitious goal: collectively hiking 5,000 miles between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice to raise $50,000 for two remarkable organizations: MANA (Maine Association for New Americans), that supports immigrants in connecting with nature and community resources; and Unlikely Riders, that creates welcoming mountain sport spaces for BIPOC Vermonters in skiing, snowboarding, and beyond.

My 2025 hike-a-thon is underway, and I hope you’ll pop in @GuidesGoneWild on Instagram or Facebook to follow my progress this spring!

There will be no talk of FKTs or thru hikes or 24 hour traverses, and I might not even go to the White Mountains, because I honestly don’t have time for that right now! Instead, I’m going to be getting ALL of my 75 pledged miles on my local trail systems - a few of the hikes I intend to do are less than a mile long!

Whether you support my hiking efforts, do your own thing solo or with a team, or donate to win some swank raffle items, it’s all good! Join me in supporting Summits in Solidarity, Maine Association for New Americans, and Unlikely Riders this spring over at summitsinsolidarity.org.

A few more useful links:

• Solidarity Night - June 7th - Join me!
• The Notch Hostel (N. Woodstock, NH)
• Hear the origin story of the Notch Hostel and Summits in Solidarity from Serena on Guides Gone Wild
• Read more about white supremacy, the impacts of colonialism and privilege here
• “Me and White Supremacy” Challenge - save the date for February, 2026
• Kokanee Trail Half Marathon (CA)
• Hayduke Trail (UT, AZ)
• Hyperlite 35L backpacks
• Arc’teryx Boston
• ULA Circuit Backpack (Serena’s current favorite!)
• Stio
• ”Finding Philip” Carcia - @findingphilip
• Presidential (“Presi”) Traverse (NH)
• The Roost Hike in Evans Notch (ME)

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Last Sunday, I stopped doomscrolling long enough to make it down to the Boston Outdoor Expo, and I can't overstate how great it was to spend a few hours fan girling with many a pod guest, including today’s repeat interviewee, Jen Klein!

I first spoke with Jen back during the early months of COVID, when she was with the Trustees of Reservations in Massachusetts as the Director of Outdoor Experience. I realized I had to have her back on about six months ago, when I happened to see on LinkedIn that she had made a job transition, and was now Executive Director for the Friends of the Blue Hills. I have the utmost respect for smaller, member-funded non-profits that are enhancing conservation and stewardship efforts in public spaces - in this case for the Blue Hills Reservation, which is one of the largest parcels of undeveloped conservation land in the Greater Boston area.

So of course we are chatting all about the Blue Hills and the countless events and activities Jen and her team have been hosting there, as well as the super exciting new development that’s hopefully right around the corner. But we’re also digging deeper into the challenges of outdoor program administration and community engagement, the differences between statewide and local roles, and along the way, Jen drops a few kernels of hope and strategies for making an impact, even in the midst of the dumpster fire raging around us.

Regardless of where you live, I hope you’ll consider supporting the Friends of the Blue Hills with a donation or membership, or if you're local, please make sure to sign up for some programs or volunteer events over at friendsofthebluehills.org, or @friendsofthebluehills on Instagram and Facebook.

And don't forget to lock in to some of this local goodness!:

• Blue Hills Reservation (MA) - download guide & trail map
• International Women’s Day ‘Women’s Wave’ with Two Maine Mermaids - March 8, 2025
• The Trustees of Reservations (MA)
• Which Charles Eliot are we talking about?
• DCR (Department of Conservation & Recreation, MA)
• Elevate Youth (MA)
• NEMBA - New England Mountain Bike Association

Plus, more Outdoor Expo-related rock stars for your listening pleasure!:

• Jana Olenio, SupYo Adventures on GGW
• Traci Bisson, Golden Dog Adventure Co. on GGW
• Alicia Heyburn, Teens to Trails on GGW
• Mardi Fuller talks Winter Hiking for Beginners on NHPR
• Nicole Freedman, NEMBA on GGW
• Paula Burton, NEMB

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