Two Sisters Adventure Company

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 programs 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.

Both sisters credit their love of the outdoors to a childhood spent navigating the Triangle’s waterways with their mother.

“The Triangle’s home for us; Durham is home for us. The places we’re taking people are very personal for us because they’re the places we grew up going to. So we have a lot of really cool stories to share and personal history everywhere we’re taking people,” said Natasha.

“Both of us are just super passionate about the outdoors and sharing the outdoors, and that’s because my mom raised us that way.”

Natasha has a degree in outdoor leadership from Western Carolina University and has been a guide and kayaking instructor since 1996. Her sister, Rainbow, also attended WCU and received a degree in recreational therapy with a minor in special education. Both of the sisters’ backgrounds strongly influence their roles within the company.

“I found recreational therapy because it was something that I had been doing my whole life and I didn’t even realize I was doing it,” said Rainbow. “It’s about finding what makes somebody tick, finding what gets someone excited and using that feeling to effect whatever change that person wants or needs in their life.”

“With summer camp I focus very much on being a holistic person, on not putting too much pressure on yourself to be perfect — and not just the kids, but the adults, too. Letting the summer campers see that we’re all human.”

Summer camps are designed to further break down boundaries and make every child feel welcome by building confidence and a sense of community through handson learning. Camp themes include finding nature in urban environments, teen camps where campers are actively involved in choosing their preferred activities, art-focused camps where campers spend the week exploring local works of art, and “Bugs, Bugs, Bugs,” a camp for the littlest participants to learn more about — you guessed it — bugs! Camp scholarships are available through the Two Sisters Share the Adventure fund, which extends to every program or paddling trip offered by the company. Payment plans are also available.

Two Sisters Adventure Company exists because, despite years of experience in paddle sports, both sisters have never felt fully embraced by the outdoor community. As time went on, they realized that their mission — removing boundaries to all people, including those who have been historically underrepresented in the outdoors — was important to many.

The pursuit of a more inclusive environment really resonated with Hannah Barg, an environmental educator who is currently studying experiential and outdoor education at Western Carolina. After following the company on Instagram, Barg and their partner booked a guided paddle trip down the Eno River.

“There are a lot of people who don’t feel welcome in the outdoors,” said Barg. “I know that because I work in the industry and I’ve felt left out. Paddling sports in particular can be so exclusive and very maledominated and competitive.”

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Two Sisters Adventure Company leads a sunset tour on the northern end of Falls Lake.

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“If you look at the big outdoor companies’ Instagrams, you don’t see people of all body types and abilities doing paddle sports, but it’s a really accessible sport. You can make it work with certain adaptations.”

Barg told their roommate, Elizabeth Miller-Derstine — a documentary film student — about Two Sisters Adventure Company, and soon after a documentary short entitled “Ebbs and Flows (like the river goes)” was born. The film, which is just over 9 minutes long, highlights just how far Natasha and Rainbow have come in getting themselves out of the box and finding their place within the outdoor community.

Mia Rossy-Abernathy, who recently moved here from New Jersey, found Two Sisters Adventure Company through a local Facebook group and set up a private kayak trip at Jordan Lake.

“I had a flawless trip that day — we worked on perfecting my stroke, discussed staying within our limits and even saw an elusive blue heron. After that trip I booked two more private trips. On the most recent one I brought my 11-year-old son with me to explore the lower Eno River. Rainbow was our guide and pointed out plant life, corrected our strokes and explained some basic etiquette when out on a shared waterway. It was magical!”

Sharing her love of the outdoors gives Natasha Teasley a sense of purpose. The best thing about guiding trips, Natasha says, is watching people arrive, all nervous and apprehensive, and then seeing the relaxation wash over them the minute they get on the water.

“To me, it’s one of the most beautiful things that I can see. It’s more beautiful than the sunsets we take in, watching people become their true selves,” said Natasha.

To support Two Sisters Adventure Company’s mission of making the outdoor experience accessible to all, visit twosistersadventure.com. t

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ABOVE AND LEFT:

A group of teens explores the headwaters of the Neuse River during a paddling trip with Two Sisters.