ADVENTURE AWAITS
Two Sisters Adventure Company WRITTEN BY DENA DAW PHOTOGRAPHED BY JONATHAN FREDIN
Rainbow and Natasha Teasley remove boundaries to the outdoors for everyone with paddling trips and backpacking/camping adventures.
MAKING THE OUTDOORS ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL IF YOU’VE EVER FELT LEFT OUT of outdoor recreation activities because of real or self-perceived limitations, you are not alone. The largely male-dominated outdoor community can be intimidating, but Two Sisters Adventure Company — a womanowned and operated local business — is here to change that. In addition to providing paddling classes and self-guided or staff-guided trips of local waterways, Two Sisters Adventure Company also offers summer camp pro64 MARCH 2022
grams designed for kids 6-18 and partners with Catawba College in running GALS NC — a free two-week backpacking/camping program for high school students who identify as female or gender nonconforming, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and other groups underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). “Our mission is to remove boundaries to the outdoors for everyone,” said owner Natasha Teasley. “A lot of us have internalized
boundaries, thinking that our bodies aren’t right for the outdoors because of our shape or size, skin tone or gender identity. So our focus is on trying to make everyone feel welcome and safe and part of the outdoor community.” Natasha runs Two Sisters with the help of her mother, Cathy, and her younger sister, Rainbow. Although Natasha is the sole owner, Cathy “Mama Bear” Teasley acts as the lead guide and logistics manager, while Rainbow Teasley serves as both guide and camp director.
