How to Find Outdoor Friends
With Sarah and Caitlyn, new friends made on a rainy backpacking trip in Summer 2021
Making friends as an adult is hard - making friends as an adult with the caveat that they also like to do outdoorsy things sometimes feels damn near impossible, especially when first starting out. I was fortunate enough that my introduction into the world of hiking camping and backpacking came via an ex. On our first date he asked if I liked to hike (I had never hiked a mountain before) I, eagerly said yes and figured that I could fake it until I made it. I showed up that afternoon in short running shorts, a pair of hot pink nike free sneakers and without food or water. He took me up a scree pitch and offered to leave me at the saddle while he went to the summit. My ego got in the way and I made it up tot he summit. We spent the next several years hiking and camping together and amid those years I realized my passion for the outdoors and implemented nearly every of the below suggestions to make friends that I now am fortunate to hike, camp, trail run and travel the world with.
Be the friend you want to have - Talk to other hikers and campers
This is my favourite way to make new hiking friends. Especially when backpacking! You already know they like backpacking or hiking, you can generally judge their speed (and snacks) and see if its a match, you know you researched and planned similar trips during the same time of year… and you have time to get to know them over a series of hours or days of loose non-comital interaction. Start a conversation over dinner - offer up stories of some of your favourite hikes and see if they are open to talking about theirs.
This is also how I find a lot of my hiking trips - especially with older hikers who have decades more experience under their belts.
If you want to hike with them again - ask for their number or their social media handle (sometimes a little bit less invasive) - and if they say no, oh well! Chances are you will never see them again and who cares!
The above photo is of two of my favourite people I have met backcountry camping - Sarah and Caitlyn are teachers from BC who go on an annual girls trip as a final hurrah to their summer break. Summer 2021 was in Tombstone TP, Yukon where it rained… and rained… and rained some more. We spent a lot of time with them in the cooking shelters hanging out - and then they pulled out a camp game (pigs) and we spent countless hours rolling toy pigs for points and ultimately exchanged information and have several trips planned for this upcoming summer! Bring a game to play, be social, say hello, trade snacks, make new friends around a campfire.
Slide in a few DMs
I have met most of my outdoorsy friends (and even my partner) via instagram. If I am traveling somewhere I have never been before, more often than not, I will search the geotags for areas I am interested in. If I see a profile show up more than a few times on photos of things I am interested in - I will check out their profile, make sure they actually live where I am looking, and shoot them a message. Something short and simple “Hey, it looks like you’ve been some really great places in (insert destination) - I am heading over your way in a few weeks, if you are interested in getting out for a hike let me know - I will pack the snacks!”
My biggest piece of advice with this is to look for someone who seems to have a similar skillset, interests and experience to you - a professional mountaineer will have no interest in spending their free time teaching me crevasse rescue. And make sure you are trying to add value. Mention a few cool objectives you have done, if you have an extra backpacking permit - invite them, if you know a great place to get some post-hike tacos - mention it.
Also : have a public profile. Full stop. This is the important part. I will rarely reply to people with private profiles let alone meet up with them. Social media is meant to be social! It also helps vet people on their skillsets, interests, location and generally safer.
And don’t be upset if you don’t get a reply - not everyone checks their DMs. Don’t let it discourage you.
Mitch slid in my DM’s
Find an Online Community
I use Facebook for two things: to check marketplace for some great deals and to peruse my local hiking pages for trail conditions. But with those trail conditions I also see an avalanche of people posting hikes they are doing, backpacking trips they are planning… and looking for friend(s) to do them with. Hiking British ColumbiaScrambling in the Canadian Rockies, Camping/Backpacking/Hiking - In Colorado, Backcountry YYC (for wintertime), Bay Area Explorers (Hiking, Backpacking, Climbing) and Bay Area Hikers are all Facebook groups that I am a member of. If you are not looking for something location specific there are groups such as Outdoorsy Gals that may suit your needs better.
You can effectively search a hiking or camping group in any geographic region and something will pop up. It normally takes less than a few visits to get a vibe for the group and if it feels like the right place - respond to a few posts or put up one of your own!
Meetup.com
This is a little bit like the OG of non-dating online spaces to meet friends - it is made specifically to help people find others with the same interests. One of my former colleagues ran a meetup group called Slow and Steady Hikers (which were never slow but very steady) - she met an amazing group of likeminded hikers and even her husband! You can filter by experience level, age, gender, and more.
Websites
One step beyond Facebook and Meetup.com - there are a plethora of websites that house their own forums to meet likeminded (or maybe more accurate like gender, race or sexual identity) individuals. I have linked a few below but can almost guarentee with a little dive into google you will be able to find a space that makes you feel welcome. And if not, consider building your own - you never know who else is out there making the same google search.
REI Conversations - a series of forums on the REI website that connect hikers.
Join a gym
Join a gym, a climbing gym, a run club, a cycling club etc… especially in colder or more temperamental whether a lot of outdoorsy people will stick closer to home. This is a great place to hone in on your skills and meet some cool new people to adventure with!
Go to in person events
Meeting people online and planning a hike can be not only intimidating but also potentially unsafe(skip to the very bottom for some tips on mitigating this one). An intermediary is meeting like-minded people at social events in a town or city nearby. Most outdoor retailers offer local in-store events (I have linked a few below), they range form safety classes, to movie screenings to talks from leaders in the industry to informational seminar style evenings. Several also lead local run groups or fitness classes. A great way to meet outdoorsy people indoors.
Note: these are generally free or extremely inexpensive.
Take a class or guided trip
On a guided backpacking trip in the Yukon, Summer 2021
If you are looking for some intensive, professional instruction, check with any guide services near you - anything from Backcountry first aid to Mountaineering 101 to Avalanche Safety Training to an Introduction to Rock Climbing course. A really great option if you want to gain confidence in your skills and meet other people with similar skill levels and values(not everyone is willing to invest in learning things the right way).
Guided trips: I have personally done trips with Venture Patagonia (Chilean and Argentinian Backpacking and Tours, Patagonia), Wildland Trekking (Grand Canyon Backpacking, Arizona), Discover Banff Tours (Heli-Hiking near Canmore) and Terre-Boreale (Heli-Backpacking, Yukon Territory). You can book either private or group trips. They are a great middle ground between taking a class (you have a guide who you can ask questions to and who can help you) and a more independent backpacking trip with likeminded individuals.
Carrie, owner of Venture Patagonia and I, Patagonia, Winter 2022
Go On A Group Trip or Retreat
Group trips are really great ways to make friends with similar interests in a very non-intimidating way. There is a higher price point to this option - but view it as an investment, you have someone to take care of all of the logistics, you get a cool experience and if you don’t find your new hiking best friend - oh well! You still got a great week and some fun photos for your social media!
TrovaTrip - A lot of my friends have been hosting and attending these guided group trips over the past few years and have made great connections.
Nordic Retreats is something I have looked into often - it was born out of the dream to connect like-minded women to create, collaborate, and inspire each other. They offer small female only group trips focus around activity (surf and yoga) and photography.
Book a cabin - I visited Whitecap Alpine, a helicopter access lodge just outside of Pemberton, BC a few years ago and we were provided with food, helicopter transportation, an ACMG hiking guide for daily hikes and access to their private alpine sauna. The group we were with (there were eight of us in total) ended up spending a lot of time together and by the end of the trip were like a little family.
Alpine Huts : I stayed in huts all along both the O-Trek in Patagonia as well as the Haute Route in France and Switzerland and met so many interesting people over meals and drinks! Check out your local Alpine Club and book a night in one of their cabins.
Reach out to your extended circle, dig into your past
Rebecca and I went to the same University for four years and never met. But then connected via social media and have so many shared interests and love adventuring together.
I will be the first to admit that I was not always the nicest girl in high school and because of that (also moving around the world, traveling full time and generally changing and evolving as a human)… I don’t have a lot of those connections any more. I have, however, connected with a number of people that I was not friends with in high school. A former classmate became my condo board president, one worked with me later in life… an ex-boyfrends ex-girlfirned and I had (surprise surprise) a lot of similar interests. If your mom is anything like mine she has been trying to connect you with her friend’s kids forever - maybe take her up on it.
Some of my favourite adventures partners have started as friends of friends, roommates of someone I know or otherwise previously “one step removed” connections.
Erna and I on a three night backpacking trip, summer 2021
Build your own!
I like to joke that Erna, my mother, never really viewed me as her child but rather that one day she got tired of not having someone to hang out with and decided to build her own best friend. With some (a lot of) work and 20 years of patience - she got me! And I will put this as a disclaimer… Erna is an exceptional badass. She is one of my favourite people on this planet and the most fun camping partner I know. Primarily becuase in our relationship I am more akin to the slightly anxious, uber-safe, grandmother figure and she is more of a rebellious teenager. She runs up chossy rock slabs screaming back “I used to climb trees” as I watch in horror from below. She will be the first to jump into an alpine lake, to return to camp with a gouge from a disagreement with a tree or rock and brush it off as no big deal and to use an extremely generous five second rule.
Go camping with your parents, with your siblings, with your children. Teach them about the things you love, take a class together, learn from them. And if they arent interested - go one step out. My second-cousins in Austria and I hike and ski and adventure together so much that I felt the need to apply for my Austrian citizenship!
Your family shares your DNA - it is not unlikely they will share your interests as well.
My cousins Clemence and Michael and I hiking in Austria, autumn 2021
Go solo to make friends
I know, this one sounds a little bit counterintuitive. A few years ago I was exhausted with my friends bailing on our plans, getting busy or not wanting to go last minute. Instead of being upset with them and sitting at home stewing in frustration - I said f* it and started hiking by myself. Hiking turned into backpacking and it was healthier for my friendships and made me a lot of new friends along the way. As a solo hiker (and especially as a solo female backpacker) people are genuinely curious and will engage in conversations. In fact, my first solo backcountry camping trip I planned it to be near a cabin that I knew was booked up. When less than ideal weather rolled in the people who had booked the cabin invited me in and we ended up playing cards well into the night. The following morning we had coffee on their porch and have kept in contact ever.
As a disclaimer, going solo requires you to be more conscious and aware of your surroundings. And if you feel as though your safety is at risk - there is no shame in turning around.
From a solo backpacking trip in South America where, two days in, I already had a community of other solo hikers.
Be safe : a few tips for meeting strangers from the internet
Much like online dating. The vast majority of people who you meet online, have lengthy conversations with and then decide to meet in person, are looking for the same connection you are -in this case a hiking buddy! But on the off chance their intentions are less pure. Be safe. Here are seven quick tips for meeting someone online:
Trust your instincts. If something feels off, it probably is. Remember that this person is a stranger and even if you are really excited, try not to give them the benefit of the doubt with red flag comments or behaviours.
Ask a lot of questions. Try to understand their interests, experience and skill level before meeting them. Being outdoorsy or adventurous means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Chat about hikes you have done, your ideal speed and distance and elevation gain.
Do a little research on the person. A simple Google search will do - just try to ensure they are who they say they are.
Meet at a well-populated, public place first. The first time you meet shouldn’t be on the trail. There aren’t enough safety precautions in a meetup of that nature. Instead, meet at a public place for coffee or walk around a public local park. This will help you gauge compatibility and decide if you want to spend a full day with them.
Go on a short, popular hike. Now that you have met them in real life, take it slow, go to a busier trail that you are familiar with. You are still getting to know them and it is safer to have people around just in case things go sideways.
Tell someone where you plan to meet and hike with this person. Send someone all of the information you have about this person. Their phone number, social media handles, license plate… everything. I always share my GPS coordinates with my parents - if this is not something you do - consider turning on find my friends to someone you trust while you are out with someone new
Have an out. Drive yourself at least the first handful of times hanging out. Meeting at the trailhead ensures they don’t know where you live and gives you autonomy over your exit plans.
Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission on any purchase made - at no additional cost to you. As always, all ideas and opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own. Thank you for your support!
