I was recently interviewed by Gale Straub for one of my favorite podcasts, She Explores, and you can listen to the episode here:
https://she-explores.com/podcast/because-trails-inspire-sirena-rana-dufault/
Doing book research on the Arizona Trail near the Utah border
From the She Explores Website:
In this episode, you’ll hear:
– How Sirena started hiking at the age of 19
– The impact a car accident and the onset of Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, had on her life and hiking
– Tips for women whose romantic partners aren’t as interested in hiking or backpacking
– The benefits for Sirena of hiking solo
– How to stay connected when you’re off the grid
– What fibromyalgia feels like for Sirena and why she chooses to hike through the pain when she can
– Why section hiking a long trail is a great alternative to thru hiking
– History of the Arizona Trail
– How hiking trails connect communities to hikers and vice versa
– How Sirena started a career in trails
– The work she does through her consulting company, Trails Inspire
– Why promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is a key element of her company’s mission statement and how she’s already put that mission into practice
– The book Sirena is working on for Wilderness Press
– Why Sirena recommends hiking the same trail more than once
I have been on the road for what seems like most of the year, most recently I attended Outdoor Retailer in Denver and before that, the Arizona Governor’s Conference on Tourism. For more info about what I was up to at the Governor’s Conference, click here to read an article I wrote about the experience.
Sirena with Debbie Johnson, Executive Director of the Arizona Office of Tourism
I’m excited to announce that my book project, Day Hikes on the Arizona National Scenic Trail, will be supported in part by the Arizona Office of Tourism, and I will be doing a series of articles, social media posts, and presentations for AOT while I am doing the research for the book. I’ll be sharing tips on the best places and seasons to experience the Arizona Trail and its Gateway Communities in advance of the book’s publication by Wilderness Press in Spring 2020. A Grand Canyon-sized thank you to AOT for this collaboration!
Outdoor Retailer Summer 2018 – rockin my new Purple Rain Adventure Skirt
Outdoor Retailer was a whirlwind of activity as usual. I was on a panel about the 50th anniversary of the National Scenic Trails Act with the Partnership for the National Trails.
Trails 50 Panel: Luke Kloberdanz from Ice Age Trail, Taldi Walter from REI, Sirena from Trails Inspire, Brandi Horton from Rails to Trails, Amanda Jameson from Granite Gear Groundskeepers
I attended Spark 2020, a conference before OR which brought together leaders in the effort to provide diversity, equity and inclusion in the outdoors. It was a great way to start the event and I’ll have an article out about it on the Gossamer Gear blog soon. Big thanks to Gossamer Gear for sending me to OR, it’s always such a great experience!
Spark 2020 Conference
Loved seeing the Outside Magazine cover every time we went into the show! With Amanda “Zuul” Jameson, Jenny Bruso from Unlikely Hikers, Ambreen Tariq from Brown People Camping
Made the cover photo and the video for Day 1 at Outdoor Retailer along with Teresa Martinez from the Continental Divide Trail Coalition, Amanda Jameson, and Teresa Baker, from African American Nature and Parks Experience who received an award for her Hike Like A Girl campaign.
Group shot before heading into the show
Picnic with Jennifer Pharr Davis and family
I got to meet with my publisher, Wilderness Press, and talk about plans for my book, Day Hikes on the Arizona National Scenic Trail. It’s great to be a part of their team!
Meeting with Tanya about my upcoming book with Wilderness Press
Georgina Miranda from SheVentures and Karla Amador from 52 Hike Challenge
I haven’t been getting out much, but I finally got out to canyoneer down Willow Canyon with my buddy Russ the other day. This canyon is a gem and so close to town!
Canyoneering Willow Canyon – photo by Russell James Newberg
Looking forward to more book research for the rest of the summer and fall, working on writing projects and hopefully getting out for some backpacking as well. Thanks for reading!
Sirena's Wanderings 