5 minute read
Sisters On The Fly find freedom in the outdoors
Sisters on the Fly founders Maurrie Sussman and Becky Clarke.
BY APRIL NEALE
There was a time—if you are female and reading this—when life was carefree, fun, and never self-conscious about superficial woes we tend to accumulate as grown women. One day, you are with your girls on thrilling adventures; the next, it’s a blur of boyfriends, marriages, and kids. Life just happens. Sisters On The Fly, a women’s group of 20,000 members strong and growing, is a subversive delight. This beacon of adventure and freedom is where women “go back to the future” and reclaim that feeling we all had in girlhood, rediscovering life’s thrilling escapades thanks to sisters Rebecca “Becky” Clarke and Maurrie Sussman.
Over 25 years ago, a big fish story sparked an idea for Maurrie and Becky that had been planted by their adventurous mother, Mazie. “Both our parents were very encouraging of us to do things. Our dad was a Marine fighter pilot, often away. And our mom, her sister, Martha, and her two daughters—we used to do a lot together because all the fathers were traveling,” shared Maurrie. “We lived in Portland then and had amazing times together. We spent the whole summer moving to the beach at our grandparents’ home in Lincoln City.”
At their aunt’s cabin, the girls enjoyed the freedom of summertime—jumping on the sofa, hiking, camping, fishing, and spending time on the beach beside a bonfire or cookout.
“We had the perfect growing up—helped by the fact that the dads weren’t there to disrupt it. We loved our dads, but they’re different than moms,” Maurrie said. These cherished memories of their PNW childhood adventures laid the foundation for this membership group, encouraging women to embrace various activities and camaraderie.
Years later, Sisters On The Fly was born on a fishing trip with Maurrie’s son Austin, who was serving as their outfitter. “He was complaining because we’d catch a fish, and then we’d want to stop and look at the buffalo and all the fun things on the river. He would say, ‘Well, you haven’t caught all the fish. And we said we don’t want to be a boy catching every fish in the river. We want to enjoy each fish, kiss it, and put it back in the water,” laughed Maurrie. They started inviting girlfriends, and then decided to name the group after its origin story and their relationship. Maurrie described the pair as “service brats who never met a stranger” and said their girlfriends were always to travel with them. The group simply made sense.
Beyond the fishing connection, there is so much more to this women’s group, including their most recognizable feature—eye-popping restored campers shaken out of every corner of the USA, refurbished to reflect each member's personality.
"Right now, I've got three trailers—a 1943 Franklin, magnificent now, but it took a few years. A ranch manager lived in the trailer, and he built a shrine inside it. So, how could I get rid of that? It has Hispanic flair. My first trailer, Lucy, is the yellow trailer. I will never get rid of her. You go thrifting and find whatever your theme is. I’m a cowgirl, so everything I do is Western. And Becky’s is a little more sophisticated in decor than I am, and all of her trailers are all done beautifully. One member did hers in leather—inside the ceiling and everything. You paint the outside. It reflects you; you don’t stay in your trailer; you sleep in it. That’s it,” said Maurrie.
Out of the many thousands of members, some are married and have kids, some are divorced, and some are widowed.
For all of them, Maurrie emphasized, taking the old trailers and going on all these trips is really about freedom.
“We could go the back roads, do all this stuff, and the men, dogs, and kids weren’t invited—that was a big deal. We aim to get you out where you don’t have to care for anybody. And if anybody needs care, we’ll take care of you. We cook together, and any idea is good for an event. Climb a tree, balloon rides, dancing lessons, sage bundle making, whitewater rafting, jump out of an airplane, we want to share all experiences,”Maurrie explained. “The thing is that there’s no ‘no’s.’ We don’t believe in ‘you can’t.’ You can do anything you want to do.”
Once a member, you can access the entire membership roster, all scheduled events worldwide, and private social media pages. This makes it easy to learn, book or attend events, and meet Sisters in neighboring regions or across the country.
