Explorer Chicks of Columbus

OVERVIEW

Are you into endless views? Old-growth forests? Mist bouncing off a 100-foot waterfall hitting your face? Then spend a long weekend with a small group of women hiking the best trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (including parts of the Appalachian Trail).

Channel your inner goat girl as you stroll through iconic scenery and listen to stories of the women who helped shape the Smokies. Take a brief break from the trail living out your pottery fantasies throwing clay on the wheel and sculpting your very own mug. Then kick back like a queen with nightly glamping near Gatlinburg, TN.

BOOTS = HIKING

Get your blues and greens in on three stunning hikes that don’t even look real. The views from Charlies Bunion and Ramsay Cascades are complete madness. Wind your way through pine trees and over classic creek crossings that make you momentarily consider a coonskin hat. (But not really, because animals ♥️)

ROOTS = HER-STORY

Did you know a woman was the first settler to move to the Smoky Mountains? You didn’t? That’s because Martha Jane Huskey Ogle’s husband called dibs on the fame. Learn about the deliciously woman-heavy history of a wilderness that man tried real hard to claim as his own. Your Explorer Chick guide will drop all the juicy gossip, connecting you to the goosebumpy sisterhood who walked before you.
Deep dive into Appalachian crafts straddling a wheel and molding a coffee mug with your very own hands. Local artists will guide you through the entire pottery process and only help when needed. After 10 weeks of drying, firing, and glazing, your mug will show up at your doorstep. Surprise! Relive the SHE-nanigans of your Smokies trip.

YOU FEELING MAX COMFY WHILE GLAMPING

Put your feet up in total Insta-worthy digs at our adorable glamping site minutes from Gatlinburg. You will sleep in a tent that has been tastefully decorated and luxuriously appointed with WiFi and temperature control – with meals freshly prepared at camp by your Explorer Chick guides. You only have one task after hiking: RELAX.

ADVENTURE HIGHLIGHTS:

• Hike the Appalachian Trail to the sweeping panaromic views from Charlies Bunion
• Get up close and personal with the Smokies tallest waterfall, Ramsey Cascades
• Learn how to work clay on a wheel as you create your one of a kind glazed coffee mug
• Kick back at camp with breakfasts and dinners cooked by your Explorer Chick guides.
• Sleep easy at our Glamping site with canvas tents outfitted with all the creature comforts.
• Relax with a comprehensive itinerary that makes the logistics, transportation, navigation, meal planning, lodging, and everything between easy.
• Geek out with supportive and encouraging Explorer Chicks on a private, women-only, small group adventure tour.

## Moab Booty Buster

Bust your booty on the best trails in Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. We squeeze a week of activity into a long weekend on this 4 day women’s hiking trip to Moab, Utah.

Your weekend has been carefully curated and “in the field” tested by your Explorer Chick team! We’ve spent YEARS playing in this outdoor mecca in the desert. You’ll squeeze in some serious ground over the course of a long weekend working on those hiker booty gains.

Explore six arches in one hiking trail to discover the namesake of Arches National Park. Witness the power of wind as you trek among iconic red rock formations where over 2,000 arches have been documented. Descend down layers of red, pink, brown, and white sandstone to enjoy a well-earned lunch on the White Rim of the Colorado River.

Wander through red rock slot canyons, among sandstone hoodoos, and across wind-eroded plains in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Feel like you’re on a desert planet as you admire the vast and desolately beautiful landscapes.

Catch an unforgettable sunrise at Deadhorse Point State Park as you sip your coffee and munch on your breakfast. Next, gear up and hit the trail in Canyonlands to conquer the steepest trail in the park. (You’ve got this!)

You better believe we wouldn’t let you miss this! Your reward after a brief hike? One of the most famous geological structures in the world. Gaze in awe at some of Mama Nature’s best work before taking your turn to pose in the photo op sweet spot.

Every day, expect to be challenged by a new trail, and a new horizon, and new friends. Your thighs will sing every day as you walk a new hiking trail, admire a new desert horizon, and conquer a new national park!

Your heart will swoon every night as you kick off your dusty hiking boots, share bad jokes, and enjoy fresh-made meals in the Explorer Chick lodging. We’ll enjoy the occasional meal out and even squeeze in some time for you to meander and shop in the funky town of Moab. Your weekend of epic Moab hikes begins with an easy rendezvous at a Salt Lake City airport hotel—we take care of all the transportation from there!

(Phew, did we mention this is all going down in four days?!)

Unreal hoodoos? Check. Slot canyons? Majestic overlooks? Check. All this and more (like heated tents with electricity) await you during our Women’s Hiking and Glamping in Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon weekend adventure!

BRYCE CANYON HIKING AND BEGINNER-FRIENDLY CANYONEERING

Escape to prehistoric Utah where you’ll hike stupid-pretty trails in Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. Wade through the Virgin River below 1,500′ canyon walls in the Narrows. Spend an entire day exploring Bryce Canyon National Park. Ghost the tourists as you wander deep into orange hoodoos. Explore areas of Zion so remote, they can only be reached by rappelling, scrambling, and down-climbing on a beginner-friendly canyoneering route.

ZION NATIONAL PARK’S SCOUT LOOKOUT

Beastmaster up the West Rim Trail to Scout Lookout and enjoy some of the best views in Zion National Park. You’ll hike through Refrigerator Canyon, and shimmy up all 21 of Walters Wiggles to Scout Lookout with panoramic views of Zion Canyon and Virgin River. Afterward, dry your pits as you descend the trail to an easier hike around the scenic streams of Upper and Lower Emerald Pools.

GLAMPING

Every night you’ll rest your head in Insta-worthy glamping tents bordering Zion National Park. Kick it by the campfire under a diamond sky with goddesses who aren’t afraid to get dirty.

Over the course of two days, join other women and learn how to backpack in beautiful Red River Gorge, Kentucky. This Red River Gorge Beginner Backpacking Workshop for women is a hands-on, fully immersive experience in the great outdoors. Never slept outside before? No problem!

Yes, your dreams of hiking to a faraway, remote land to spend a few days camping and living in the wild surrounded by mountains can come true! We want you to be able to backpack freely in the wild at your every whim armed with the skills, knowledge, and experience to do so! So welcome to your outdoor classroom: the Red River Gorge Geological Area.

AKA: This is ain’t no free class at your local outfitter. This is REAL backpacking with you doing all the things: packing, hiking with a full pack, cooking, setting up camp, hanging a bear bag, filtering water, asking a million questions, and if you’re real lucky pooping in the woods ?—with a supportive group of women and one of our expert guides. That means when you inevitably mess up, no need to feel embarrassed. When you question if you’re doing something correctly, your guide can help you. Let’s learn together in the outdoors, so when it’s time for your big adventure you’ll already have legit, backcountry experience.

It all goes down in beautiful Eastern Kentucky. With the Red River Gorge hiking trails leading to an abundance of natural bridges, sandstone cliffs, rock shelters, and sandstone arches, we couldn’t think of a more beautiful location to teach you how to backpack in the wilderness.

The best part? We’ll lend you the essential gear to get started! Every Explorer Chick will be provided with a:

• Backpack
• Sleeping bag
• Sleeping pad
• Shared two-person tent
• Shared cooking equipment
• Water filtration

Yep! Give backpacking and camping a try before thousands of dollars into it. Try out our gear to learn what features you like and dislike. Ask your guide about other brands. Seriously, this workshop is all about learning while connecting to other adventurous, rad women!