Explorer Chicks of Charleston

Benvenuti in Italia

This is the trip to Italy that you’ve always dreamed of – the Dolomites, wine, epic sunrises, lakes, and food. Call the craggy Italian Alps sirens home as you explore jaw-dropping trails and impossibly cute mountain villages on this 8-day women’s hiking adventure in northern Italy.

We’ll meet in Venice before heading out for views of stunning glaciers, dramatic spires, and towering vistas complete with secret WWI tunnels. Our debut hike to Tre Cime di Lavaredo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (aka photogenic panty-dropper) where we’ll stay in a luxurious mountain “hut” and eat our body weight in alpine cooking.

You’ll learn how to traverse via-ferrata style as we sling our powerful bodies across vertical rock walls to climb Monte Paterno. From there, we’ll shuttle to the iconic trailheads of Cinque Torri and Puez-Odle Nature Park, where we’ll spend the night sleeping in an authentic family-run hut high up in the mountains where even Starbucks can’t reach.

Also, no, you don’t have to hulk your beefy Samsonite up the mountains. Throughout your adventure, you only have to sherpa your daypack. We’ll shuttle your main luggage from hut to hotel since you’ll have your hands full moonlighting for National Geographic.

We’ll have down time in villages that can only be described as bucolic AF––including Cortina d’Ampezzo, Corvara, Ortisei, and the stunning South Tyrol wine region which we’ll explore by e-bike. Amidst all the hiking, including an epic sunrise climb, we’ll build in time for slow mornings and plenty of relaxing. There’ll be wine tastings, an alpine spa visit, a hands-on Italian cooking class, and epic sailing on Lake Garda. Did you just become the most interesting woman on the school board? Yes, you did!

Summits And Sips

Imagine finally treating yourself to a girls’ weekend. Only instead of sitting on someone’s living room floor fielding texts from your partner (“WHERE IS MY PRESCRIPTION NASAL SPRAY”) you’re hiking the Appalachian Trail. Eating picnics you didn’t have to pack. And tossing back Virginia wine with women who make you laugh until a you pee a little. Trade the daily hustle for mountain magic with the ultimate long weekend hiking in Shenandoah National Park.

This is a more laid-back hiking adventure––active without being hardcore. We’ll explore sections of the Appalachian Trail by day, including Mary’s Rock, Whiteoak Canyon, and Hawksbill Mountain. And we’ll savor golden sunset hikes to Bearfence and Stony Man before our evening PJ parties.

Our SHE-nanigan Shuttle will be conveniently parked to save us from sweary uphill climbs, whisking us away to our trailheads, an afternoon wine tasting, and our picturesque lodges with local, chef-made meals. This much beauty and sisterhood in one long weekend will feel illegal. But we promise the park rangers won’t kick us out.

Get all the cowbell your heart desires in the undulating Alpine valleys and mountain passes of Slovenia. Slo-what-now? Slovenia is the sweet spot between Austria, Italy and Croatia. This week-long women’s hut to hut hiking, rafting, paddle-boarding and e-biking adventure includes all the good stuff. Ancient capital city exploration. Hiking hidden paths in the Triglav National Park. Trekking in the heart of the Julian Alps. Wild foraging and picnicking. And a winery bike tour! All in the company of your new BFFs forever. You’ll sleep in mountain huts and hotels. You’ll eat rich, comforting foods. And you’ll go home wishing your partner could talk dirty to you in Slavic.

HIT THE ANCIENT STREETS OF LJUBLJANA

This capital city is so beautiful and filled with history – that it doesn’t feel real. Wander the older-than-Rome winding paths. Fantasize over which poets strolled along the river banks. Wink at a street busker. Sigh as lovers canoodle by the overlooking castle. Slovenia feels like the place where things happen, and you’re here for 8 magical days to see it all.

HIKE HUT TO HUT IN TRIGLAV NATIONAL PARK AND THE JULIAN ALPS

Clamber through remote mountain passes to the cadence of delightfully foreign moos. You’re seeing the hidden splendor of the Alps on a 3-day hut-to-hut hike! Traverse forest paths, wildflower meadows, and rocky trails. Gawk up at Mt. Triglav, Slovenia’s highest mountain. Sample fresh dairy from farming pastures near Lake Bohinj.

TREK THE SEVEN TRIGLAV LAKES. EXPLORE LAKES BOHINJ AND BLED

Enjoy some mostly downhill walking as you explore the Valley of the Seven Triglav Lakes. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for marmots before journeying to Lake Bohinj, where you’ll stand-up-paddle in the morning sun. Next up, Lake Bled, the ultimate panty-dropper for nature lovers. Take all the photos from the best camera angles, brave a swim, and soak in some history as we explore a scenic drive on a road built by Russian prisoners during WWI.

EXPLORE SOČA VALLEY AND GORISKA BRDA, “SLOVENIAN TUSCANY”

Wander along verdant gorges, hanging bridges and turquoise river pools in the stunning Soča Valley. We’ll meet with a local wildflower expert to forage and prepare a meal of wild edibles. We’ll then hop a rafting boat down the Soča River to enjoy a leisurely float before preparing for WINE COUNTRY. We’ll E-bike, wine and dine in Goriska Brda, weaving through orchards and olive groves, sampling ripe fruit from the tree, and trying the local wine.

ADVENTURE HIGHLIGHTS

• Hike Mountain Hut to Hut in the Julian Alps and Triglav National Park
• Push yourself in a challenging alpine environment with optional summits
• Wake early for a sunrise SUP sesh on Lake Bohinj
• Set your sites on the iconic Lake Bled with a hike above it all
• Go for a swim in Lake Bled while viewing the breathtaking scenery all around you
• Hike along the turquoise waters of Soča River
• Forage wild plants and prepare a picnic with a local wildflower specialist
• Leisurely raft down the Soča River with its beautiful crystal clear alpine waters
• E-Bike the rolling wine hills of “Slovenia Tuscany” with fruit orchards, olive groves, and hilltop villages
• Visit a local lavender and herb farm before winetasting at a local winery
• Sip coffee from the porch of Mountain Huts
• Kick back in 3-4 Star boutique hotels throughout your adventure with fabulous views that pair well with a cocktail
• Relax with a comprehensive itinerary that makes the logistics, transportation, navigation, meal planning, lodging, and everything in-between easy.
• Geek out with encouraging and supportive Explorer Chicks on a private, women-only, small group adventure tour.

Hit your bucket list with all the feels on this women’s guided hiking and backpacking weekend! During your Yosemite Half Dome Hike adventure, tour Yosemite National Park as you climb the famous cables of Half Dome with ladies who do their own stunts. Live out every last one of those John Muir nature quotes in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park. Mountains calling? Check. Between two pines? Check. Walk with nature? Double-check.

GUIDED BACKPACKING IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK BACKCOUNTRY
Romp through the backcountry on a demanding, yet epic backpacking trip. Meet your new woman crushes in the Yosemite Valley as the landscape gives way to mountains, waterfalls, and a piney perfume that’ll make Yankee Candle totally jelly. Mother Nature swiped ALL THE WAY right. Leave the phone on airplane mode to immerse yourself in stunning national park backcountry over the course of four epic days. Climb steep, challenging trails to look down upon the Valley with a panoramic view that includes Mt. Starr King, Half Dome, Nevada Falls, Illilouette Falls, and plenty of ant-sized tourists with tiny selfie sticks.

HALF DOME: HIKING TO THE TOP
Fuel up for the real MVP—the famous cables of Half Dome! Blast that hiker booty (and bring plenty of water) while ascending 500 feet up a .5 mile of steps carved into the rock. Then, the real fun begins. It’s a 400-foot gain up the top of Half Dome with some points at 70%+ grades. Pace your footwork on wooden slabs spaced out on the climb as you get the upper body workout of a lifetime. Worth it? HELL YES!

BACKPACKING EQUIPMENT PROVIDED
Don’t have backpacking equipment, but can Beastmaster the stairs? Perfect. Explorer Chick has you covered with:

• a backpack
• sleeping bag
• sleeping pad
• shared tent

All you need to do is show up for this Yosemite Half Dome Hike to backpack like a boss and get that National Parks bucket list checked.