Upcoming Presentations and Recent Articles and Adventures

So much going on! Instead of my usual triplog format, I thought I’d give folks a update on where I’ll be doing presentations and links to recent media I’ve been featured in.

Thursday, April 26th at 7:15 pm – I’ll be doing a brand-new free presentation “From Suburbanite to Adventurer” at Summit Hut’s location at 5151 E. Speedway. I’ll be telling the story of how I got into hiking and the outdoors, sharing stories from my adventures and giving tips on planning your own! This talk is part of their Shop and Talk Shindig with raffles, giveaways, beer and wine from 6 – 8 pm.

1990’s modeling photos of a much different Sirena- if I can learn to be outdoorsy, anyone can!

Saturday, April 28th – I’ll be at the Continental Divide Trail Kickoff event in Silver City, New Mexico giving a talk on Desert Hiking Tips at 1 pm, and I am also part of the Thru-Hiker Panel at 3 pm. All presentations are at the Western New Mexico University campus, in the Student Memorial Building 3rd Floor Seminar Room.

Gateway Community of the CDT

Saturday, May 5th – I will be a guest on the popular radio show Rosie on the House, talking about my adventures, Trails Inspire and the Tusayan Community Trails Plan. Click here to find broadcast times in your area or to listen to the show after it’s aired.

Sunday, May 6th – I will be a panelist at the REI Force of Nature Celebration Reunion Party from 10:30- 12:30 am at Lost Dutchman State Park. The event is free but registration is required. The Force of Nature initiative celebrates women in the outdoors and I’m excited to be a part of this event. From the description:

“It’s a social opportunity to meet women who share your interests in the outdoors, learn about women-focused programs and organizations with a women’s panel discussion from women leader’s in the Phoenix outdoor community and relax with good company! REI will provide activities, free entry to the park for those registered, and of course some rad giveaways. This event is free to attend. All that is required is a sense of adventure and the readiness to be inspired!”

Hope to see some of you at these events, all are free to the public!

Here’s a couple of  articles that have featured either me and/or my company Trails Inspire:

I’m excited about my interview with one of my favorite website/podcasts She Explores: Blaze Your Own Trail

Thrilled to be chosen as one of the Arizona Daily Star: Badass Women of Tucson

The most popular podcast for long distance hikers, The Trail Show, featured The Loop as their April Trail O’ da Month: The Trail Show #70: The Loop

Hike The Loop

I also wrote a piece about my experiences and diversity in the outdoors for Gossamer Gear’s blog,

Dad and me in Cienega Creek

As far as adventures go, Hike The Loop was a complete success! I hiked 80 miles in 5 days along with award-winning author Liz Thomas on Pima County’s urban trail system. We had so much fun exploring the parks, art, food and communities on The Loop and our hike into the Completion Celebration was fantastic. We invited the public to join us on the last four miles and they had a wonderful introduction to the trail system. Visit the Trails Inspire blog for detailed media coverage from the journey.

Check out the Facebook Live videos and the Trails Inspire Instagram for lots more photos and videos of Hike The Loop! Here’s my favorite, an interview we did with three women who joined us on the public hike. This is what Trails Inspire is all about:

I climbed Baboquivari Peak again with my dear friends Dave Baker, Wendy Lotze and Gary Hervert. That place is magical and challenging and I am fortunate for any time spent there.

Wendy approaching Baboquivari Peak

Baboquivari Peak Summit

The biggest news, however, is that I finally got the section of Grand Canyon done that I had to get helicoptered out of in 2016 after tearing my calf muscle! I spent a wonderful week solo from South Bass to Hermit. I’ll get to writing it up sometime soon, still going through the many photos and videos.

Walking past the evacuation site from 2016

Not only did I get that section done, it connected a big chunk of my line through Grand Canyon, 65 river miles from Nankoweap to Elves Chasm. Piece by piece, I’ll get the whole thing hiked someday.

Do Epic Shit

So there it is – lots of travel, spreading the word about the outdoors and working on my trail project in Tusayan. The Community Trails project is currently in the public comment period until May 7th and you can see the Master Plan that I developed and leave your comment about the plan at this link.

It’s been a crazy-busy spring, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Glad that the company is doing so well and that I’m getting all these fantastic opportunities! Hard to believe ten years have passed since I started blogging at the beginning of my first Arizona Trail hike way back in 2008. Thanks to my readers for your support through the years!

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Hike The Loop with Trails Inspire

The Loop is a system of paved, shared-use paths and short segments of buffered bike lanes connecting the Rillito, Santa Cruz, and Pantano River Parks with the Julian Wash and Harrison Road Greenways. It extends through unincorporated Pima County, Marana, Oro Valley, Tucson, and South Tucson. The Loop connects parks, trailheads, bus and bike routes, workplaces, restaurants, schools, hotels and motels, shopping areas, and entertainment venues. It is 131 miles total linking 30 parks and is the longest public multi-use path in the U. S. Click on the map below to enlarge or this link for an interactive map.

Starting on March 13th in partnership with Pima County, my company Trails Inspire will be covering all the river parks and greenways in the system, hiking approximately 80 miles in five days. The hike will end at The Loop completion celebration on March 17th at Kino Sports Complex. Trails Inspire is a consulting company that promotes the outdoors via photography, freelance writing, public speaking and trail design. I’ve logged thousands of miles hiking, backpacking, rafting and canyoneering in the Southwest and consider the Grand Canyon my second home. This journey will be a little different than what I’m used to, especially in regards to on-trail ice cream and taco stops 🙂

Sirena Dufault along The Loop, Tucson

I am excited to be joined by Liz Thomas, who is among the most experienced female hikers in the U.S. and known for backpacking light, fast, and solo.  She is affectionately known as the “Queen of Urban Hiking,” having pioneered and completed routes in 5 cities.  She is an award-winning author, public speaker and advocate for public lands. She will also be giving a talk on thru-hiking at the Tucson REI on March 16th from 6:30 – 8:00 pm.

Liz Thomas on her urban thru-hike of Chicago

During the hike, we will be posting on Trails Inspire’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, as well as The Loop’s Facebook page, doing live feeds and sharing the art, parks, and other points of interest we discover on their journey across Tucson with the hashtag #HikeTheLoop. Each day, we will highlight the food that makes Tucson a UNESCO International City of Gastronomy. We will also be promoting diversity with our message that the outdoors is for everyone.

The hike will end at the Completion Celebration at Kino Sports Complex on Saturday, March 17th. Sign up to join us as we hike the last 4.2 miles from Augie Acuña Los Ninos Park at 5432 S. Bryant Avenue into the Completion Celebration, arriving at Kino Sports Complex. Jasmine the adorable Mini-Donkey will even be along for the hike and event! There will be entertainment and activities for adults and kids alike and a ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 11:30. Transportation will be available at 1 pm to shuttle people back to their cars. The hike is free but registration is required through REI at bit.ly/CompletionCelebrationHike.

There are also completion celebrations for The Loop taking place on the 17th at Brandi Fenton Memorial Park from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm and Steam Pump Ranch in Oro Valley from 9:00 am to 11:00 am.

Born out of the disastrous floods of 1983, The Loop began taking shape when Pima County taxpayers started investing their Pima County Regional Flood Control District dollars in building soil-cement banks along the metropolitan waterways to guard against future flooding. The County took the opportunity to build along those overbank areas a river park system that has become one of the most popular recreational facilities in the region.

We hope you’ll follow along on social media as we Hike The Loop and join us for the completion celebration on March 17th! See the video below for a taste of what The Loop has to offer.

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