We had the good fortune of connecting with Ivey Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Ivey, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
“Go out in the woods, go out. If you don’t go out in the woods, nothing will ever happen and your life will never begin” -Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves
Reading Estés book, WWRWW, was pivotal for me. She put into words a concept my heart had only just begun to whisper of. In order to know myself, in order to truly live, I needed to step into the unknown, embrace discomfort in a way I never had before, and walk the path less traveled.
Her words help me navigate self-doubt on a daily basis. I know that failure is always a possibility-that the probability of it is high-and that is okay, because every time I take a risk, I am “going out into the woods” and the point of doing that isn’t to become the best or the happiest or to win anything; the point is to fully live.
What should our readers know about your business?
The mission of She Treks is to connect, empower, and inspire women and gender minorities through lightweight backcountry travel. She Treks guides participants on all-inclusive backpacking trips, outfitting them with the best ultralight and lightweight backpacking gear, for an unforgettably lightweight experience.
Why lightweight?
Everyone carries shame. Most of us are struggling with the same fears, embarrassments, disappointments, feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, side by side, but totally alone.
For me, backpacking bridged the gap between myself and the person next to me. When I first stepped foot on the Appalachian Trail, I met a bunch of people who were just like me-maybe not at first blush-but as soon as they started sharing their stories openly and honestly, I realized I was never alone in the shame I carried.
Everyone struggles with a burden, and the driving force behind She Treks is to bring people together to experience the healing and expansive spirit of traveling through the wilderness on foot, carrying less.
My journey to “lightweight” backpacking was a long one, about 5,000 miles long. I spent years nerding-out over gear, testing out backpacks and sleeping bags, buying gear and then selling it on eBay, only to try another, lighter piece of equipment on my next long hike. An expensive habit, but also a rewarding one. Because when the time came to purchase gear for my company, I knew exactly which brands to go to.
And it is important to me that She Treks trips are lightweight, because I don’t want some bulky, mammoth of a backpack getting in the way of my participants and a long weekend of exploring.
We all carry something. For me, it was the weight of a sexual assault, the burden of addiction, and the numbness that goes hand-in-hand with believing I had to “go it alone”.
Backpacking gave me freedom and purpose, and I want nothing more than to share that gift with other people.
Life is full of opportunities to make meaningful friendships, to discover our inner strength, to become inspired, but it’s hard to see those choices when our head is bowed from the weight we carry.
A trip with She Treks gives people the chance to check shame at the door and exchange it for something lighter-at least for a weekend.
She Treks, Ltd. is a brand new company. Summer of 2022 will be our first year of operation. I am just beginning my journey as a business owner, and every day I have to recommit to my mission and remind myself of why what I am doing is important.
I am leading 4 unique trips this summer and I cannot wait to get out there and show participants the magic of the West Elk Mountains!
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Crested Butte is an amazing place; town is situated at the north end of the Gunnison Valley, surrounded by 12,000ft+ laccoliths, and miles of wilderness.
If you enjoy mountain or gravel biking, hiking, trail running, paddle boarding, swimming in lakes and rivers-you’ll never get bored.
And what better way to really immerse yourself in a space, then to go backpacking for the weekend? Not everyone gets to experience Crested Butte’s landscape in such an intimate way.
Spending a couple of nights out in the mountains, laughing with new friends and old, hiking to sweeping vantage points and wandering through valleys filled with wild flowers, I can’t think of anything better.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wanted to start my own guiding company after I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2017. I had an idea I thought was great, but I lacked the confidence and stability needed to build a company.
I have so many people to thank for inspiring me, boosting my confidence, and helping me build the solid foundation I stand on today, 4 years later.
First, I want to give a shoutout to all the thru-hikers I meet on trails. Each one of you makes a conscious choice to take the road less traveled, to walk away from “normal”, “acceptable” living, to hike for weeks or months (or years). You hike to heal, you hike to become. You remind me that there is no recipe for life; sometimes, in order to find fulfillment, we have to blaze our own way.
Second, I want to thank all of the female business owners I have had the privilege of working for since I moved to Crested Butte, CO. I watched you doing something I once only dreamed of, and it gave me the confidence to try. “If they can do it, why can’t I?”
And finally, I want to give a shout out to my partner, Logan. You believe in me; it really is as simple as that.
You believe in the choices I make and the paths I take-even the long ones that take me across states and out of cell service.
Your trust in me is the most priceless gift I have ever received; it gives me the freedom I need to find myself, over and over again, and room to pursue my dreams.
Website: https://shetreks.co
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shetreks.co/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivey-smith-6636a6231/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shetreks.co
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrHJfTl2-b_sQIb0U-NSrcA
Other: personal instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shetreks.me/
Image Credits
Mountain Magic Media Photography: Lydia & Terren