Meet Lindsey Barr | Hiking Guide Service Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lindsey Barr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lindsey, what’s your definition for success?
For me personally, success looks different on a day-to-day basis. Over the last few years, I have faced both physical and mental health challenges which have led me to re-frame the way I view success for myself. I no longer feel like I have to be The Best – just the best version of myself on any given day. It means listening to my body and knowing when to push myself and when to allow myself to rest, and being at peace with the outcome looking different from one day to the next. A day in the office can be successful without checking off every item on my to-do list, or a trip can be successful without completing the planned itinerary. But as long as I know that I did my best physically and/or mentally, I feel successful!

When we talk about success with our hikers, we start by first talking about their goals for their trip. Did they hope to learn how to backpack on their own? Sleep in the woods for the first time? Tackle their fear of going to the bathroom in the woods? At the end of the trip, our conversation focus on how well we met the goals they started with. A lot of people think that if they’ve had to modify their itinerary or end the trip early, it was unsuccessful. But that isn’t necessarily true.
As long as we met the goals they set at the beginning of the trip, they were successful!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I own Blue Ridge Hiking Company, a hiking and backpacking guide service based in Asheville, NC. I came to Blue Ridge Hiking Company in 2019 as the Manager, and was tasked with overseeing the expansion of our services to include both a retail location in downtown Asheville and a bunkhouse and basecamp for our trips on the Appalachian Trail in Hot Springs, NC. At the beginning of 2023, the former owner offered me the opportunity to purchase the business. The biggest lesson I’ve learned from 4+ years of management and a year+ of business ownership is that you have to stay true to yourself. I keep our mission to make the trails enjoyable and accessible for everyone in mind any time I make a decision, and always try to do the right thing (not just the profitable thing). I believe this is one of the primary reasons we have very little turnover among our guide and admin team – it’s a welcome relief to work for a business that puts people over profits.

There are several main things that set us apart from other guide services:
– We believe the trail is there for everyone, at every phase of life. We offer many trips focused on serving populations traditionally not seen by the outdoor industry – women, queer hikers, hikers over 60. We want anyone who wants to get on trail to feel comfortable and empowered hiking with us.
– We’re locally owned and offer trips only in Western NC, so our clients benefit from our local knowledge base. Our guides live and recreate in the same areas where we guide, so our clients know we’re offering them the best experience possible based on that local knowledge.
– Our private trips are fully customizeable! If folks want to hike with young kids, or if they want us to help check off that bucket list trail, we can plan a trip for them.
– We use lightweight and ultralight backpacking gear from cottage industry brands. It lets us support other small brands, and makes backpacking more accessible for our hikers by reducing the weight they carry (typically no more than 25-30lb, including food and water).

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In addition to the countless outdoor recreation opportunities, I love Asheville’s arts, live music, and food scenes.

My dream week in Asheville would be jam packed full of adventure! The itinerary starts with a variety of hikes, including the sweeping views of Black Balsam Knob, the waterfalls of Panthertown Valley, and an overnight in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (to see spring wildflowers, Blue Ghost and Synchronous Fireflies in June, or fall foliage). It would include a day of whitewater rafting on the Tuckaseegee, French Broad, or Nantahala River. We’d have a sunset picnic at a Blue Ridge Parkway overlook one evening.

We’d spend a day wandering through the art galleries of the River Arts District, and top it off with a mushroom coffee from The Pot Stirred and a movie at Grail Moviehouse. I’d make sure to include at least one evening of live music at either The Salvage Station or Fleetwood’s.

For a morning treat, donuts at Hole or Vortex. We’d eat vegan food at Plant, a local farm-to-table meal at Rhubarb, and Indian street food at Botiwalla. And dessert at Old Europe, The Hop, and Meadowsweet Creamery can’t be missed! I love cooking (especially on the grill during the summer), so we’d probably also head to one of our weekday tailgate markets to pick out locally grown ingredients for a few meals at home. There’s no shortage of excellent local breweries – Highland and Ginger’s Revenge being among my personal favorites. And for a nice change of pace, I’d include a stop at Nolo (a non alcoholic bottle shop) to pick up the ingredients for a great mocktail. I also love Dobra for an afternoon tea and Odd’s Cafe or High Five for a cup of coffee.

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 left my engineering career in 2012 after recognizing that I needed a change in my life. I had worked part time as a guide in college and had been a lifetime outdoorswoman, but had no formal training in the outdoor industry. In addition to my family, who supported me in working toward my goals of having a second career in the outdoor industry, a few people believed in my potential and gave me the opportunities that directly let me to where I am now – Chuck Millsaps, Minister of Culture at Great Outdoor Provision Company, and Jennifer Pharr Davis, former owner of Blue Ridge Hiking Company.

Website: https://blueridgehikingco.com/

Instagram: @blueridgehikingco

Facebook: facebook.com/blueridgehikingco

Other: email: trips@blueridgehikingco.com

Image Credits
All images can be credited to Blue Ridge Hiking Company