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Community Worth Knowing  is our curated list of outdoor groups and accounts for outdoorsy women and women+  in the Seattle area and PNW. Find welcoming, inclusive communities to hike, ski, climb, paddle, and adventure together—across all seasons. ADAPTIVE SPORTS • Outdoors for All Foundation - (co-ed, youth, adult) https://outdoorsforall.org/ ALL SEASONS • Bronze Chapter (co-ed, all seasons) – https://thebronzechapter.org/ • Girls with Grit (all seasons) – https://linktr.ee/girlswithgritnw • Hiker Babes Seattle (hike and snowshoe) – https://www.instagram.com/hikerbabesseattle/ • Outdoor Asian WA (co-ed, all seasons) – https://www.instagram.com/outdoorasianwa/ • Outdoors for All Foundation (co-ed, Adaptive sports, all seasons) – https://outdoorsforall.org/ • SheJumps (all seasons) – https://www.shejumps.org/ • Shred-It Sisters - (mtn bike & snow) https://linktr.ee/shreditsisters • Vertical World (co-ed, indoor climbing) – https://verticalworld.com/ • Sisters in Action Sports (all seasons) – https://www.sistersinactionsports.org/ • Wild Women Escapes (all seasons) – https://www.wildwomenescapes.com/about/ BIKE • Crank Sisters - Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance – https://www.evergreenmtb.org/about/crank-sisters • Shred-It Sisters - https://linktr.ee/shreditsisters CAMPS, CLINICS & RETREATS • AdventurUs Women (all seasons) – The AdventurUs • Deep Rooted Retreats – https://www.deeprootedretreats.com/ • Girls with Grit (all seasons) – https://linktr.ee/girlswithgritnw • Bronze Chapter (co-ed, all seasons) – https://thebronzechapter.org/ • Rippin Chix (snow) – https://www.rippinchix.com/ • SheJumps (all seasons) – https://www.shejumps.org/ • Seattle Dive Tours - (co-ed) Seattle Dive Tours • Wild Women Escapes (all seasons) – https://www.wildwomenescapes.com/about/ CLIMB • Vertical World (co-ed, indoor climbing) – https://verticalworld.com/ • Sisters in Action Sports (all seasons) – https://www.sistersinactionsports.org/ EXPERIENCES • Good Day Sauna – West Seattle & events (co-ed) https://www.gooddaysauna.com/ • Center for Wooden Boats (co-ed & Women on the Water) – https://www.cwb.org/ FISHING • Girls with Grit (all seasons) – https://linktr.ee/girlswithgritnw • Puget Sound Women on the Fly (fishing) – https://www.pugetsoundwomenonthefly.org/ HIKE • Hiker Babes – https://www.hikerbabescommunity.com/ • Hiker Babes Seattle (hike and snowshoe) – https://www.instagram.com/hikerbabesseattle/ • HumanNature Forest Bathing – (co-ed) https://www.forestbathingfinder.com/guide-profile/humannature/ • Snoqualmie Ranger District (USFS) (co-ed, hike and snow) – https://www.fs.usda.gov/mbs SNOW & WINTER • BIPOC Mountain Collective (co-ed, snow) – https://www.bmcseattle.org/ • Edge Outdoors (snow) – https://edgeoutdoors.org/ • Girls with Grit (all seasons) – https://linktr.ee/girlswithgritnw • Hiker Babes Seattle (hike and snowshoe) – https://www.instagram.com/hikerbabesseattle/ • Lap and Yap Club (snow, touring) – https://www.strava.com/clubs/1913814 • Mt. Rainier Nordic Patrol (co-ed, snow) – https://www.mtrainiernordicpatrol.com/ • Outdoor Asian WA (co-ed, all seasons) – https://www.instagram.com/outdoorasianwa/ • Outdoors for All Foundation (co-ed, all seasons) – https://outdoorsforall.org/ • Rippin Chix (snow) – https://www.rippinchix.com/ • SheJumps (all seasons) – https://www.shejumps.org/ • Shred-It Sisters - https://linktr.ee/shreditsisters • Sisters in Action Sports (all seasons) – https://www.sistersinactionsports.org/ • Snoqualmie Ranger District (USFS) (co-ed, hike and snow) – https://www.fs.usda.gov/mbs • The Change Collective (co-ed, snow) – https://linktr.ee/the.change.collective • the Service Board - https://theserviceboard.org/ • Wild Women Escapes (all seasons) – https://www.wildwomenescapes.com/about/ • Women Who Love X-Country Skiing (snow) – https://www.facebook.com/groups/492056405530712/ WATER • Bronze Chapter (co-ed, all seasons) – https://thebronzechapter.org/ • Center for Wooden Boats (co-ed & Women on the Water) – https://www.cwb.org/ • Lake Union Crew - (co-ed) https://lakeunioncrew.com/adult/ • Montlake Rowing Club -   http://www.montlakerowing.org/ • Seattle Dive Tours -  (co-ed) Seattle Dive Tours • Seastr PNW - https://www.seastrpnw.com/ • Surf Vamps – https://www.instagram.com/surfvamps/ YOUTH PROGRAMS & EVENTS • Center for Wooden Boats (Women on the Water) – https://www.cwb.org/ • Crank Sisters - Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance – https://www.evergreenmtb.org/about/crank-sisters • Outdoors for All Foundation - https://outdoorsforall.org/ • SheJumps (all seasons) – https://www.shejumps.org/ • Sisters in Action Sports (all seasons) – https://www.sistersinactionsports.org/ • the Service Board - (co-ed) https://theserviceboard.org/ VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES • Center for Wooden Boats (Women on the Water) – https://www.cwb.org/ • Outdoors for All Foundation - (co-ed, youth, adult) https://outdoorsforall.org/ • Snoqualmie Ranger District (USFS) (co-ed, hike and snow) – https://www.fs.usda.gov/mbs ACCOUNTS we really like Andrea Kelly - Size inclusion consultant for the apparel industry - https://makeplusequal.com/ Books: Outdoorsy Women Book Club - https://www.instagram.com/ruggedoutdoorswoman/ Deb Armstrong (Ski tips Instagram) – https://www.instagram.com/armstrong.deb/ Deb Armstrong – Ski Strong (YouTube) – https://www.youtube.com/@DebArmstrongSkiStrong Grounding Wellness - wellness support to parents–to–be, new parents and perinatal care Stephanie LaDuke Heather Yancey Fitness - https://www.heatheryanceyfitness.com/ Mama Me Adventure Club – https://www.instagram.com/mamameadventure.club/ Outdoor Fun with Kids (WA) – https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.fun.for.kids.wa/ SaunterMama – https://www.instagram.com/sauntermama/ Weeden Wanders – (trips + Hyak touring get togethers: Lap N Yap) https://www.instagram.com/weeden_wanders/ PRODUCTS we like: women-owned business Alpine Fit - T echnical outdoor apparel - https://alpinefit.com/ Emma Ouimette - Custom sunnies & parties https://www.emmaouimette.com/shop Kula Cloth- Reusable antimicrobial pee cloth - https://kulacloth.com/ Tara Shakti - Retro inspired ski/snowboard apparel - https://tarashakti.com/ Let us know: Are you looking for something we don't have listed? Are you part of a group that we should include? Contact us: hello@WomensOutdoorConnection.com

I didn’t think he’d die. On Monday, February 1, 2010, at 9:17 a.m., my husband Tyler died from a stroke. He went to the hospital on Sunday, January 17. A week later he had surgery and never woke up. Tyler was 49. Our sons were 9 and 17. We met when he was 20 and I was 19, at the top of Alpental on a spring ski day. Tyler and I dated on and off for years. I was young, and commitment took time. In 1990, when my stepdad died, we came back together. He and Tyler had a special bond, and losing him pulled us back together in a way nothing else had. We married in 1992. This week, it's been 16 years. It feels like yesterday. It also feels like a lifetime ago. Those early years after he died were heavy in a way I didn’t know existed. There was a cloud over everything. I stopped making plans because I didn’t know what kind of day it would be — for me or for my kids. I was always waiting for the next thing to go wrong. Another rug pulled out from under our feet. People around me still had problems. But my perspective shifted completely. A friend worried about her son vaping. I worried about how my sons would make it through. Not every day was sad. Most days were just… good enough. And a good enough day was a blessing. One day, during a normal conversation with my insurance agent, I admitted that when my sons called me, I usually answered the phone the same way. "Are you okay?" He paused and said something like, "That’s terrible." He meant well. But he didn’t understand. It wasn’t pessimism. It was worry. It was how I had learned to listen. When you’ve already lost the person you thought you couldn’t live without, your body stays on alert. You don’t wait for good news. You check for survival first. There were days I had nothing left. No energy. No focus. Just getting through the day felt like work. People meant well. They offered advice. But no one really knows what helps. There are no clean answers. Everything felt hard. Parenting was hard. I made mistakes. I recently listened to Eckhart Tolle talk about unhappiness. One thing stuck with me: the situation was painful enough. The constant fear and what-ifs made it harder. The situation was brutal. My husband was gone. I was raising two boys alone. That part was real and unchangeable. But the constant mental noise — the fear, the what-ifs, the waiting for the next disaster — that was exhausting in a different way. Most of the time I couldn’t think about the future at all. It was too much. And without realizing it, I learned to live closer to the present moment. Not because I was enlightened, but because I had no other choice. Some days I was just watching. Like a bird always looking around. Alert. Aware. Grounded. Drifting off into my thoughts felt dangerous. Eckhart talks about how life isn’t here to make us happy. I agree with that, even though I wish it weren’t true. Believing life should be fair or safe only made things harder. Letting go of that expectation didn’t fix the pain, but it changed my fight with reality. I don’t believe that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I hate that phrase. It’s bullshit. Some things don’t make you stronger. They just change you. They narrow your world for a while. They strip things away. They lower the bar from happy, to okay, to good enough. And sometimes, good enough is exactly enough. My sons and I did come out of it. Each in our own way. There are still hard days — thinking about Tyler, or about how they remember, or try to remember, their dad. Hard days never go away. I don’t think they’re supposed to. But there is also life. Real life. Quieter. More careful. Less careless with what matters. Over time, my family, friends, and the ski community helped rebuild something I didn’t know could be rebuilt. Not all at once. Not perfectly. Just enough. That’s part of why connection matters so much to me now — why helping other women find their people, their place, their way back to themselves feels important. Sometimes, showing up is enough.

Thursday, December 18 5:30–8:30pm Moss Bay Hall, Kirkland RSVP:   Eventbrite link Let’s gather before winter fully arrives. Free to attend — just RSVP so we can plan materials and seating. Food and drinks are buy-your-own, and a couple of the craft projects will have a small materials fee. Join us for a relaxed, come-as-you-are evening designed for outdoorsy women to connect, get creative, and some winter magic together. Whether you hike, ski, walk, paddle, climb, or simply love being outside in your own way, you’re welcome here. Crafting is optional. What’s Happening Simple Winter Crafts (all optional) See pics below We’re keeping things creative but easy — no mess, no pressure. • Woodburning Ornaments. Led by a Crystal Bailar, a talented pyrography artist. Make your own winter ornament. Tools and guidance provided. Nominal fee (tbd) • Watercolor Mini-Project with Anne Woodford. Anne is joining us with a simple, winter-themed watercolor activity. Perfect for beginners or anyone craving a little calm creativity. Nominal fee (tbd) • DIY Tote + Hat Press Station. We’ll have a small make-and-take station with the hat press and flat press — fun designs, easy process, something you can bring home. Partner Groups Come meet a few of our outdoor community partners — including Kula Cloth  — and discover new groups, clubs, and experiences for the coming season. Give Back: Coat + Gift Drive We’re collecting donations for Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission . If you’d like to contribute, please bring: warm coats Hand warmers Gloves, hats, (new) socks Toiletries, small gifts for women and families Totally optional — every bit helps. Event Vibes + What to Expect This night is all about connection, creativity, and winter energy. • Women-focused event; all ages welcome • Buy-your-own food + drinks (Moss Bay Hall’s menu is great) • Come solo or bring a friend — it’s easy to mingle • Craft stations are drop-in style; do one or do all • Cozy seating and plenty of space to chat About the Space Moss Bay Hall  is warm, inviting, and perfect for gatherings. There’s plenty of room for crafts, partner tables, and conversation. WiFi is solid, bathrooms are accessible, and parking is nearby. Free on the street and a paid lot behind the restaurant (Kirkland Marina) RSVP so we can prep supplies We want to make sure we have enough craft materials ready. RSVP:   Eventbrite link Can’t wait to kick off winter with you. — Andrea Women’s Outdoor Connection www.Mosstangle.com Wood Burning samples from Crystal. She will provide the tools, blank wood ornament. Designs TBD. Space for up to 12 to do this project. She also offers classes and will do a Woodburning Party. Our host- Moss Bay Hall We will use this area in the back. Very roomy. Entry on Central Way. Parking on Central Way and behind the building in Marina (paid) lot

The Change CollectiveCo-Ed. BIPOC snowboarders and skiers. The Change Collective < Back The Change Collective

Surf VampsWomen. Surfing, paddleboarding, skateboarding Surf Vamps < Back Surf Vamps

AdventurUs WomenWomen. Adventure travel and retreats. Hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, and paddling. AdventurUs Women < Back AdventurUs Women