Sisu Magazine Issue Four: Plans Change

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SISU Pronounced see’-soo. A Finnish term embodying the spirit of grit, guts, and perseverance. Sisu represents a human being’s ability to face any adventure riddled with hardship, hopelessness, and impossibility, yet they still choose to stay the course.

It’s not a temporary state of courage, it’s a way of life.

SISU MAGAZINE A collection of uninterrupted stories, brilliant photographs, and stunning art that evokes the indomitable human spirit that exists in all of us. An exploration into the experiences and perspectives about the outdoors, told by our contributing writers, photographers, and artists who represent a bold, insightful collective voice.

Overco ming t h place on you e expectatio rself a ns you is neve nd r all fee easy. Only in your advent lg u r the fa ood, when y etrospect do re ct tha o e u settle s it ty You kn in with ow this ou did the r igh becau se you t thing. ’re still alive.

Vayo P u gy o

CONTENTS

Dhuk

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6 opening paths in the woods

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Geotagging by Meghan O’Dea

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ask jenny

Social Media Loser by Jenny Bruso

a two-wheeled experiment for entrepreneurs A Cycling Revolution For the Working Class by Jennifer Gurecki

an indoor girl on the 14 outdoors Once Upon a Time by Melanie Briggs 59

16 how kittie knox changed bicycling forever The Reason Bicycling is for Everyone by Joe Biel 60 28

Brimmer

gear to get you started 5 Brands for 5 New Adventures by Erica Zazo

please send more orders Inside a Knitting Factory in An Ancient City by Jennifer Gurecki

bike Camping made easy A Few Faves from the Head Honcho of Swift Industries by Martina

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poetry in motion The Treesome by Athena Fliakos

30 The pitch

New Origins of Coffee in Nepal with

Bhavana Coffee

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Vayo Pugyo Dhukhyo

Cycling and

how not to be a bullying bitch in the outdoors Where Race and Travel Intersect by Kiona

Suffering Through Nepal by Jennifer Gurecki

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68 What’s in Their pack

Type 1 Kit for

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queen of the mountains

A Nepali Woman Reaching New Heights by Jennifer Gurecki

from the perspective of Nepal Sustainable and Ethical Adventure Travel by Mary Jackson, Ph.D..

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not for his mouth

Following in His

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DIY

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who’s in charge

A Project with Topo Designs Get Dialed for Winter by

Lynsey Dyer

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marketplace

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eat, drink, + be merry

Shop It Pumpkin

Bread by Vanessa Barajas

Mother’s Footsteps

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Behind the Brands

We Love

Type 2 Fun with Jen and Roz

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between the seams

that’s what he said

Sisu Does Satire

by Andrew Pridgen

e re’s also th e h t , n io t ic s... It can lings of add u e e r f o f d d n a a b y p is ra ’d e see online Beyond the w t a h runners you w il f a o r t t e lo h a t t f o reality tha wasn’t, all ’d be more e it r e If h . t it d h n s a ll y u t b be a lot of ed and swea c a f d e r ny e b Ask Jen would be seeing Page 12 cellulite.

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STAFF follow @sisumagazine #gritandguts

SUBSCRIBE Never miss an issue. Subscribe at

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jennifer Gurecki CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lauren Bello Okerman COPY EDITOR Lacey England COPY EDITOR Kelly Klein

SisuMagazine.com

CONTRIBUTORS CONTACT For general inquiries, write to hello@sisumagazine.com

SUBMISSIONS If you’d like to contribute, email us at submissions@sisumagazine.com

SPONSORS To enquire about advertising or sponsorships, get in touch at sponsor@sisumagazine.com

STOCKISTS

Vanessa Barajas Joe Biel Melanie Briggs Martina Brimmer Jenny Bruso Lynsey Dyer Athena Fliakos Mary Jackson, Ph.D. Kiona Meghan O’Dea Andrew Pridgen Erica Zazo

photography

If you’d like to stock Sisu Magazine, write to stockme@sisumagazine.com

letters to the editor

Julianne Gauron Roz Groenewoud Laxmi Magar

Send your letters to editor@sisumagazine.com and snail mail or gifts to 3983 S. McCarran Blvd. #481 Reno, Nevada 89502

©2019 Sisu Magazine, All rights reserved. Printed on 100% recycled paper.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the editor, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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d e d u l c n o c y l l a n i f s a " i w e r u l i a f l l a g n i l that b b o w a a from n a h t r e h t a r " . l will e e h w g in l b b o w - france s elizab eth caroline willard America

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tor, Tem perance Women’s Reforme Suffragis r, t, and A Learned uthor of to Ride t How I he Bicyc le: Reflec an Influe tions of ntial 19t h Centu ry Wom an

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FROM THE EDITOR

This was a particularly difficult issue for Lauren and me to put out. It may have been that it competed with summer travel plans, or perhaps we’re a tad bit tired now that we’ve reached our one-year mark.

There’s the obvious sheer number of stories that we included, a departure from our initial vision of a tight and lean fourth issue. The deviation ensued when I found myself in Nepal with Roz Groenewoud and Julianne Gauron. I met too many fascinating people and my curiosity got the best of me; nothing could be left out. I suppose that’s the nice thing about being the Editor in Chief—you can make those executive decisions. I paid the consequences with a long list of interviews to transcribe, facts to check, and stories to write.

The formation of Issue 4 paralleled our experience cycling through Nepal. Nothing went according to plan (you will read all about this in the photo essay Vayo Pugyo Dhukhyo). While this could have been a devastating realization, we chose to embrace the uncertainty. This decision required that we revel in our naiveté as well, which is something that I’ve found has suited me for quite some time. The truth of the matter is that if we knew everything, we would never be able to execute because we would be so overwhelmed and crippled by the details.

I share this nuanced space of risk and vulnerability with the individuals whom you’ll read about in this issue. From Laxmi, our guide who has chosen a life unheard of for women in Nepal, to Caleb, who relocated his entire family to revolutionize transportation for the working poor, to Jennifer, who is opening up the world to Nepali coffee, there is a common thread that runs throughout stories in Issue 4: No plan survives contact with reality.

While it’s easy to get trapped in the pain and suffering of change, you must also savor the sweet moments in between. That’s in part what keeps you going, whether it’s climbing 8,000 feet as you cycle through the hills of Nepal, launching a new business in an unexplored market, or changing long-standing practices and policies that marginalize and diminish us. The other key ingredient is a community of support, and we found that in our partnership with Liv Cycling. They helped to bring Issue 4 to life, and they championed us despite all of our challenges and changes.

I hope that Issue 4: Plans Change inspires you to embrace uncertainty and challenge the accepted way of existing in this world. If we are able to meld and shift and grow and push, will be stronger and better prepared for the incredible transformation that’s happening around us.

Jennifer Gurecki Editor-In-Chief

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FROM THE creative director Changing plans is likely part of any successful creative process, especially if you are doing a significant amount of creating. Many times our best work is quite derivative of our original intent, and most of the time far exceeds expectations (all of this provided you can roll with the punches and hang on through the tight corners). The lesson: Let go and hang on at the same time.

Inside Issue 4: Plans Change, you’ll see artifacts found, created, and sought out from Editor Jennifer Gurecki’s travels through Nepal––a journey she imagined would happen one way, but progressed quite differently. She found herself in places, mentally and physically, that she didn’t expect. She did, however, end up immersed in the essence of the place, sort of like Alice on the other side of the Looking Glass.

In this issue of Sisu Magazine, we experience her trip via her documentation through the lens of a Lomo wide format instant camera, interviews with unexpected acquaintances, found art work, and unusual stories of the road. It’s clear that when Jen stopped expecting, she started finding.

Nepal is is full of color and texture. The brightest and most familiar of sights are the strings of iconic prayer flags that bless the countryside. Imbued with layers of symbolism, the flags are decorated with imagery, mantras, and the repeat of five of colors, representing the elements of the earth and sky. Though they often appear to be ancient, the commingling of brand new and threadbare prayer flags flown together actually represent the acknowledgment of a never-ending cycle—the permanence of change. As the new flags fly bright and bold, the older flags fade with their prayers and blessings blowing into the wind. This most beautiful icon of change is captured on this issue’s cover, joined with instant and analog photography, sometimes double or over-exposed, a snapshot of the perfection of flux.

Join us in celebrating this creative lesson, to embrace change as a given, and let it teach us to follow paths to places we never expected.

Lauren Bello Okerman Creative Director

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Opening Paths In The Wo

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How geotagging keeps some people in and other people out

philipp litvin

Meghan O’Dea | @live.true.stories

Caminante, no hay puentes, se hace puentes al andar. (Voyager, there are no bridges, one builds them as one walks.)” - Gloria Anzaldúa

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hat’s a line from the groundbreaking, multilingual work “Borderlands // La Frontera,” a reflection on Anzaldúa’s queer Chicana feminism, as well as the poetics and politics of living in the liminal space between countries, cultures, and intersectional identities. It predates social media and the trend of geotagging the location of your latest summit selfies and lakeside hangouts by almost twenty years. Yet she manages in that one line to capture the complexities of how we navigate the intersection of identity and geography that now come with sharing location data online—especially when you aren’t white, straight, or cis-gendered.

The debate around geotagging has exploded along with an increased participation in outdoor 6

recreation and travel world wide. Even as the National Parks Service faces funding cuts in the same ballpark as the annual GDPs of Sweden, Austria, and Hong Kong, outdoor recreation has never been more popular. American outdoor enthusiasts went on 10.9 billion adventures in 2017 alone, and for 13.6 million people, those excursions were their very first forays into the wilderness.

Of those newcomers to the outdoors, vast numbers are minorities who are embracing hiking, camping, and RVing in a way previous generations of Black, Latinx, and Asian Americans did not. A smaller, but not insignificant fraction, are coming out of the closet as queer or trans people who happen to love rock climbing, rafting, surfing, and mountain biking

as much as anyone else. That’s not to leave out, of course, the significant number of disabled outdoor enthusiasts whose identities overlap with a variety of races, genders, and sexualities.

For all of those people, as well as their white, cis-gendered, heterosexual, and able-bodied neighbors, sharing location data is one way that anyone new to outdoor recreation can find out where to go and how to get involved. If you don’t grow up hiking, camping, and trekking to swimming holes, not knowing where to have a safe, fun, scenic experience can be a deterrent. Location data shared readily online can feel like an inclusive invitation, whether you’re hoping to “travel like a local” while you’re far from home, or find a corner of your stomping grounds you haven’t seen before.

That becomes even more true when you see familiar faces in a post about a place.

After all, of those nearly 14 million people heading outside for the first time, and even more who are repeat recreationalists, a vast number aren’t well-versed in the essential tenets of sustainable travel, regardless of their identities. They might not know why you shouldn’t step off trail in fragile ecosystems or why stacking rocks for the ‘gram isn’t a good idea. And even more haven’t given much thought to the potential impact of geotagging, whether for good or ill. That’s not only led to a controversial debate about the role of location data in enjoying and preserving online spaces, but crackdowns and consequences, too.

Accounts like Public Lands Hate You deride the impact that Instagram-driven tourism has on destinations like the super-bloom in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, where photo-hungry visitors trample the same flowers they’re ostensibly there to appreciate. That’s led to the application of call-out culture to the geotagging debate, including threats “Exposure to the outdoors occurs through made even to fairly privileged influencers like the parents or family members. If one has parents who white, straight-presenting Brianna Madia. She took had never thought of the outdoors as recreational a brief social media sabbatical earlier this year or had the time or money to recreate outdoors after followers due to immigration, of Public Lands socioeconomic “If one has parents who had Hate You began status, culture, etc., targeting her for then the next most never thought of the outdoors a years-old photo accessible place for as recreational or had the time of one of her dogs exposure is social standing off-leash media,” Kiona, or money to recreate outdoors in Arches National the editor and Park, and a more mastermind behind due to immigration, socioecorecent shot in the intersectional nomic status, culture, etc., which she was travel site How casually bathing Not to Travel Like then the next most accessible in a mud hole in a Basic Bitch, the remote desert explained.

“Role place for exposure is social where she and her modeling, having media.” husband live in an representation, and iconic orange van. giving tips on where to go and how to do it” is key to getting more It’s not just a few online activists pushing back People of Color outside, she said. against location data, either. Last winter, even the tourism board overseeing the perennially popular Simply by being visible outdoors, People of Jackson Hole area of Wyoming took an unusual tack Color are building bridges as they walk. That’s even when their latest ad campaign recommended visitors more true when they’re tagging the places where “Post the photo. Trash the tag.” That’s a recent trend they’re going outside, anchoring those bridges in in wokevertising in which big companies follow in the real-world places where other people might see footsteps of digital sustainability activists working their adventures and be inspired to join in on the to align geotagging with the erosion of fragile fun. That fresh surge in outdoor participation has, ecosystems and in opposition to the principles of however, led to various crackdowns on the practice Leave No Trace, the organization most associated of including location data in social media posts, a with sustainability in the outdoors. habit that can help popularize places to degrees that become problematic.

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The intensity of the reaction that a seemingly harmless geotag can garner online these days has an outsized impact. That response scares off newcomers to the outdoor community who might be unfamiliar with sustainability guidelines. That’s especially true for minority communities who haven’t traditionally had much presence in the outdoor space and are at an informational disadvantage. In an industry that’s long been associated with white middle class males and their athletic prowess, it can be intimidating, threatening, or otherwise marginalizing to try to navigate the complex conversations around the pros and cons of geotagging.

paul jarvis

On the flipside, however, location data can not only present a threat to fragile ecosystems easily stomped by errant hiking boots, but also to vulnerable populations taking a risk by venturing into spaces where they might stand out even more than usual. After all, when you geotag in the moment, you aren’t just sharing a beautiful destination, but also your whereabouts—a direct contradiction to the stranger danger lessons many of us were taught as kids.

But the pressure to share location data isn’t always rooted in the majesty of a beautiful sunset or even the desire to increase visibility for minorities in the outdoors.

It also comes directly from how social media platforms are structured—with algorithms giving preference to popular destinations, place-based hashtags, and the high levels of post engagement that come with sharing content from buzz-worthy destinations.

I’ve experienced this personally from years of sharing my own adventures online—a picture snapped in Los Angeles’ freshly trendy and gentrifying DTLA neighborhood gets a lot more likes from strangers than one taken in under-the-radar, less populous Bloomington, Indiana. Articles I pitch on destinations with low search volume from fellow Google querants are less likely to get picked up by editors than articles on destinations currently in favor with adventure travelers.

“It’s one thing for a dude to post his ‘I go to this hot springs way out in the woods and here’s the GPS coordinates’ photo,” Quince Mountain said. He’s a Beargrease and Kobuck 440 competitor, one half of the international Bravermountain mushing team with his wife Blair Braverman, and has the distinction of being the first openly transgender survivalist to appear on the show “Naked and Afraid.“

The internet, for better or worse, isn’t structured in a way that gives preferential treatment to places no one has heard of. You’re almost certainly more likely to see articles about destinations like Lake Havasu and the Grand Canyon than, say, my personal favorites like the Ocoee River in Tennessee and Letchworth State Park in western New York. In the end, that means there may be little difference between my comparatively unsung choice to geotag my favorite swimming hole in North Georgia and a far more influential online personality like Brianna Madia refusing to share the location of her favorite campsites off remote forest roads in the Utah desert.

“It does put him at certain risk for someone with cruel intentions to come find him there,” Mountain said of his hypothetical male hot springs visitor. “But for a woman to do the same thing, she may feel an additional level of risk because the very act of being a woman on social media, unafraid to share images of her enjoying herself outside in a swimsuit or whatever... seems to bring out resentful, angry people who see her not as a person but as a symbol. I don’t think anyone has a responsibility to advertise their location publicly, ever.”

The other side to this coin is that not everyone has the same name for the same place—or the same relationship with them. Jaylyn Gough, a Navajo woman who attempted to thru-hike the Nüümü Poyo Trail last year in affiliation with Native Women’s Wilderness and Indigenous Women Hike, finished the trail this year in honor of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women. If you don’t recognize the name of the 100+ mile trail through the High Sierras that Gough tackled, that’s because it’s better known by the name it was given in 1914 as the John Muir Trail.

Sharing Gough’s GoFundMe to raise funds for her hike and cause, Indigenous Women Hike (IWH) wrote on Facebook, The Nüümü Poyo trail comprises “ancestral trade routes and homelands for hundreds of tribes... but was colonized and given the name of John Muir. Tribes like the [Paiute], Yokut, Miwuk, Kudzidika, Mono, and many more...will have their own names (in their language) for the trail and specific areas.”

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"... because the very act of being a woman on social media... seems to bring out resentful, angry people who see her not as a person but as a symbol.

I don’t think anyone has a responsibility to advertise their location publicly, ever.”

The post featured an image of a sign on the trail carved with the words “John Muir Wilderness,” crossed out in a graphic program with a red X and text reading “Nüümü Land.” This original form of geotagging—in which a member of IWH was asked to snap of a photo of a visiting family with the sign for their vacation album—came with an impromptu history lesson. The poster told the passing group the indigenous name of the trail and its history.

The latter was made all the more poignant by the acknowledgement that many of John Muir’s beliefs were, in retrospect, quite racist, and certainly contributed to the removal of indigenous people from what became public lands in California.

When the hashtag #JohnMuirTrail has 64,000 posts on Instagram but #Nüümü Poyo has just 41, it’s a stark acknowledgement of how the name on the map, or the online location tag, can impact the narrative people associate with a place, as well as the sense of who it belongs to and who and what it’s for. Just look at the largely successful campaign to restore the name originally given Mt. McKinley by the indigenous Koyukon people. Today, we simply say that we have visited Denali.

Or, perhaps, consider lingering divisions hinted at by the separate names given two adjacent state parks in my hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Both were built at the same time by separate Civilian Conservation Corps teams, one white and one predominantly African American. Yet even today, Harrison Bay is more upscale—focused on boating, with amenities like a marina and nice restaurants— while Booker T. Washington features a community pool and more of a community recreation center feel. Even in an era of integration, there remains a whiff of the separate-but-equal lingering around the two parks rubbing shoulders off the Tennessee River.

steve harvey

You can see first hand the subtle demographic divide that lingers when you scroll through the geotags and hashtags for each respective park.

Part of that self-segregation comes down to parents and grandparents bringing the next generations to the same parks where they played as a kid. Yet it’s a poignant reminder that it wasn’t so long ago when whites wouldn’t share the same swimming pool with people of color, nevermind admit they were cooling off in the same man-made reservoir behind Chickamauga Dam as their Black neighbors.

These real-life splits between communities translate to online spaces, too, and affect the way we navigate digital geography.

In an era when social media increasingly dictates where we feel compelled to go and when, and when we have more diversity than ever in the selection of influencers we can look to for travel inspiration, it’s no wonder that geotagging has become such a hot issue. To some, location data is just another way to keep followers flowing into their feeds, ensuring they stay on the crest of the digital media wave that funds their recreational travels and professional careers.

That can be a huge opportunity for minority influencers who have found digital spaces give them a little extra elbow room to cultivate an online voice, share what the outdoors means to them, and help show other people of similar identities that travel doesn’t always have to look like a thin slice of luxurious global privilege.

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“There is this whole world of people of color who love adventure and nature. It’s a small world, and we’ve started to collectively try to influence and grow awareness around diversity in the outdoor space,” Lauren G., the writer and adventure blogger behind The Outdoorsy Diva, said.

I met Lauren, of all places, while covering a NASCAR glamping experience in Sparta, Kentucky.

It was my first time at an auto race, but not Lauren’s.

When she was invited to attend her first NASCAR event a few years ago, she could tell people were surprised, and even a little worried. That’s when she knew she had to go as a kind of ambassador, proving that not only can Black women attend a NASCAR race, they can have fun and even turn the event into a professional opportunity.

“I will never keep a location secret or not disclose where I am because my whole mission is to encourage other people who look like me to try new things and get outside, to travel, to do those out-of-the-box type of activities that they ordinarily would never have done or even known about without seeing someone like me,” she said. In fact, Lauren invited a fellow woman of color, her best friend and former college roommate, to the NASCAR race where I met her. Ostensibly they were celebrating a decade of friendship, but in the process they were also fearlessly spreading joy.

Lauren isn’t alone in her desire to represent women of color in the travel space, whether at an in-field glamping experience on the speedway or deep in the backcountry. “We absolutely love

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geotagging,” Tinelle “Tin” Lewis, one of the cofounders of Black Girls Hike Global, said. “Our planet has so many amazing outdoor spaces to visit.

Geotagging is a great way to expose more women of color to the great outdoors. Matter of fact, if the place is beautiful and close enough you might just see us next weekend with our backpacks and boots on ready to explore!”

For the privileged who have always been able to take time outdoors for granted, it might seem curious or even antagonistic to hear something as seemingly inconsequential as a geotag broken down in these terms. Yet there’s more at stake than simply going to see the geysers of Yellowstone or spending a pleasant afternoon biking your local rail-to-trail conversion when you’re a minority wanting to enjoy the great outdoors.

Scientific studies increasingly show huge health benefits to time spent “forest bathing” in nature. There are, to Lauren’s point, professional opportunities to be found outdoors, from travel writing to guiding to owning campgrounds, lodges, and outfitters. And then there are simple pleasures to be had from spending lingering afternoons by the river, forging friendships at the crag, and finding out what unexpectedly delightful and surprising things your own body can accomplish after a few, or a few hundred, miles on the trail.

Regardless of intent, geotagging is a tool like any other—one that can be used as a cudgel, or as a constructive instrument. Location data can be used to build gates to be carefully kept by a privileged, often self-ordained few. Or that information can be used to craft bridges between one destination, identity, and experience, and the next. The first step is simply to start walking. To draw on Anzaldúa’s insight once again, look to her words: “A no dejar que el peligro del viaje y la inmensidad del territorio nos asuste— a mirar hacia adelante y a abrir paso en el monte. (Let’s not let the danger of the journey and the vastness of the territory scare us—let’s look forward and open paths in these woods.)”

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ASK JENNY bruso Questions and answers about life, the outdoors, and whatever from the creator of “Unlikely Hikers,” an online community for the underrepresented outdoorsperson JENNY BRUSO | @jennybruso

Dear Jenny Bruso, Instagram makes me feel really bad about myself. I think I need help, but I’m too embarrassed to talk to any of my close friends about it. My self-esteem is deeply affected by how well my posts do or don’t do.

Worse, I feel like it’s having an effect on my outdoor life. While I’m trail running, I often think about Instagram captions and I’m not as in the moment. Sometimes, I can’t sleep at night because I can’t get off of my phone even though nothing I’m looking at is that important or interesting. The way I pick up my phone and start scrolling without thought makes me feel like an out of control zombie! Sometimes, I’ll go to the bathroom at work just to check.

I think I’m addicted. I’m hoping you’ll tell me that isn’t possible…?

I’ve tried leaving my phone at home when I go out for a trail run, and I always feel better, but my boyfriend and mom worry when I don’t update them with the play-by-play when I’m out alone. What can I do? Why am I having this problem while everyone around me seems to have control of it?!

influence what stays at the top of our feeds based on how quickly engagement happens. Lack of immediate engagement makes posts fall away. Posts in the feed aren’t in sequential order to keep us checking for what might pop up next. Our brains become addicted to the little dopamine blasts they get every time we have “good” notifications. When we don’t get them, we experience withdrawal, which can feel like a void or depression even if we’re not actually seeing anything “bad.”

This is about as science-y as I’m going to get about this because even if that helps make sense of some things for you, it doesn’t do much for healing or having better boundaries. It isn’t as simple as just putting our phones away. Many aspects of our culture are dependent on our phones these days, like alarm clocks, the apps we use to arrange transportation and appointments and, of course, there’s the immediacy of text communication, etc. We are expected to be plugged in.

This email should’ve come with a trigger warning because It Is So Not Just You going through this. I’d wager that you have folks in your life who are also dealing with this in some form or another. Many people are.

I talked to a therapist friend of mine about your letter, and they told me that nearly all of their clients discuss social media in many of the ways you’re describing, especially when it comes to lack of impulse control and worsening self-esteem. They explained that it’s unlikely these feelings are coming out of nowhere and can be indicative of preexisting self-esteem issues, trauma, or addictive behaviors. Could any of that be true for you? If you think you need help, I really hope you’ll follow through. Therapy is normal.

I wish I could make everyone go! And it should be free! It doesn’t deserve the stigma it can have within certain upbringings and cultures. The idea is deeply entrenched in American culture that if we’re not in control of everything all the time, we’re weak or failing. It makes it difficult for us to get the help we need.

Social media is designed to be addictive. Algorithms

Beyond therapy and feelings of addiction, the reality

-Social Media Loser Dear Loser,

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Beyond therapy and feelings of addiction, there’s also the reality that a lot of what we see online is bad for us... It can be a lot of bullshit. If it wasn’t, all of the trail runners you’d be seeing would be red-faced and sweaty and there’d be more cellulite. is that a lot of what we see online is bad for us. Social media, especially Instagram, is like this non-stop highlight reel of everyone living their best lives. I’d say it’s worse when it comes to outdoorsy social media, but I may be projecting just a little. It’s often about getting the perfect shot and “good vibes” and looking a certain way while doing whatever one likes to do. It can be a lot of bullshit. If it wasn’t, all of the trail runners you’d be seeing would be red-faced and sweaty and there’d be more cellulite. Photoshop and other apps are making it easier to erase or blur the things about our bodies and faces we don’t love.

And that’s fine, do whatever you want with your body, post only positive captions if you want, pretend you’re laughing at something hilarious even though it’s only you out there taking selfies. We’re all ultimately responsible for our own behavior, though it’s also true that this performance can negatively impact the person posting and those scrolling.

I have to have really strong boundaries with social media because being online, especially on Instagram, is a huge part of my job. I’ve found a few things that work for me. I rarely stick to all of these and I’m imperfect with most, but they keep me accountable to myself: •

Turn OFF all push notifications. You don’t need to know the very second a single person engages with your accounts.

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Don’t go on social media first thing in the morning or last thing at night so the mind worms don’t wiggle their way into your first and last thoughts of the day.

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Create boundaries and stick to them as best as you can. What if you only went on from 9am9pm? Work on shrinking that window, or break

it up into blocks, like 10am-1pm and 4pm-7pm.

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Set a timer for scrolling. Even 5 minutes will feel like a lot of time when you schedule it.

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Try leaving your phone in another room when you don’t need it. This is a great practice when eating meals or spending time with others. How often do you go on your phone just because it’s within reach?

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Don’t sleep with your phone in the same room.

Get an actual alarm clock!

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Does what you post make you feel bad? Explore that discomfort. How might you change the way you post to feel more true to yourself?

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When you see something that evokes bad feelings, break them down. Are you comparing yourself? What are you projecting onto this person about your own life that has nothing to do with them? What are they doing that might be “for the ‘gram?”

Loser, you’ve done something really good already: You told someone. This was your start. Please continue. There will be a lot of people who read this who need help, too. Thank you for starting the conversation. You’ve got this.

Love, Jenny Bruso Do you have questions for Jenny? Hit her up on Instagram at @jennybruso for a chance to have your questions answered.

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an indoor girl on the outdoors MELANIE BRIGGS

Once upon a time ..., I slept with a married man.

Judge me as you will.

Or don’t judge me at all, because you don’t know his arrangement with his wife, or because it takes a lot of energy that could be put towards other things, like taking action to stop the irresponsible policies of a reckless unintelligent head of state (of your choice), or because things are rarely easy enough to assess in the space of a sentence.

But do as you will. I offer neither a defense nor a shred of remorse in return.

I’ll share the story with you, though, because someone ought to know that he and I happened, and the sooner we all come to terms with how untidy our humanity is and how messy it is, it might be easier to move on. And we all could use a good dose of that kind of self-love.

He was my first boyfriend when I was 15 (he wasn’t married then, stay with me on this). We lasted at least two weeks. So, you know, obviously we were a big deal.

No one’s clothes came off during those two weeks. I was young when I was 15, which is one of those ages that yawns wide on either side of childhood and adulthood. You can skew in either direction, and I skewed young. I still do, frankly.

I’ve only just reached the point, in my 40s, that I feel like I’m old enough to get married. In another 10, I might be ready to have kids. Stay tuned, shit could get real in my 50s.

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But back to infidelity.

After our tragic breakup, it was a full 25 years before I saw him again. He was a senior and he graduated shortly after our brief commitment, so he disappeared into the ether of The Rest of Our Lives and things carried on, as they do. College, jobs, 401ks, mortgages, and, for one of us, marriage and kids. You know, all the things you’re supposed to do. And then there we both were, in a bar in a city where neither of us lived, with college debt in our pockets and gray hair coming in at our temples, and we both breathed a sigh of relief that we could finally finish what we started in the early 90s.

You don’t always get that chance.

And we needed it. You’re lying to yourself if you say there aren’t certain people in the world that we naturally gravitate towards. It’s as if our magnetic fields are pulled into each other’s orbits, and then we mess with each other’s tides for the rest of eternity. There are. Without being too dramatic (though it’s probably too late for that), he and I were those people to each other.

Which may be how we ended up in the same bar in a city where neither of us lived.

I was certain the minute I saw him that we were finally going to finish things. I don’t know what he thought, but we were in the French Quarter walking on cobblestone streets flanked by 18th century architecture and we may as well have been strolling inside of a snow globe for how Not Real it all seemed.

And I’ll tell you right now, if we don’t have those moments every now and again, the ones that feel like shaken snow globes, our hearts would wither. They help us remember what it feels like to be alive (the combination of adrenaline and oxytocin should probably be classified as a Schedule 1 narcotic and regulated by some bureaucracy, for our own sanity).

It was a rather unceremonious deed. No one had the decency to set off fireworks, even in New Orleans. Things went quickly. We needed to wake up in our respective hotel rooms, in case coworkers attending the same conference and staying in the same hotel should notice anything. We couldn’t linger over the situation.

And frankly, we had lingered for 25 years, so it seemed reasonable that we should hurry things along.

That’s as close to Penthouse-level details that I’ll get. Not because I have a thing about privacy (I just told you I fucked a married dude), but because they aren’t the important part.

The important part is that magic is real.

Sometimes everything comes together exactly at the right time in the right place, during the right phase of the moon, when they have no reason to, and it’s too perfect to be an accident. It’s magic, or maybe voodoo in this case (given the location), or the Universe with a capital U, or just something that we don’t encounter everyday.

It happens because we need a little magic sometimes, something to capture in a snow globe so we can pull it out and shake it up when we need to. Because without it, we might get lost in mortgages and judgments and other things that don’t really deserve our energy, and that’s when it’s all over.

And that’s the story of

Once Upon a Time When I Slept With a Married Man.

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How Kittie Knox Changed Bicycling Forever

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Joe Biel | @beaugheale and @Microcosm_Pub

L

et me tell you about my hero. Kittie Knox is the reason that bicycling is more than just another leisure sport for the wealthy. As a Black teenager, she created the world that she wanted to see from the seat of her bike. Today, you can see the results of Knox’s success in the hundreds of cities around the globe where a bicycle is used to have a happier commute, as a social galvanizer among disparate individuals, as a political leveraging tool, or for tall bike jousting.

When police began raiding and hassling transient bars for liquor violations in Knox’s neighborhood, it was Black leaders, including Knox’s father, who held a protest.

The Black leaders demanded more police protection from the white people’s “disorder.” (Let’s think about that for a minute. It’s hard to imagine Cambridgeport of the 1880s where Black leaders felt like the police were in service to their communities rather than existing as a threat.)

Much has been written of the bicycle as the great liberator of wealthy women from restrictive clothing.

But as you will see here, it was working class women like Knox who changed the paradigm and made the bicycle into an actual liberator of women. While the upper classes clung to long, awkward skirts and tried to prevent women from embracing social bicycling at all, Knox was out there showing them how it was done and what the future would hold.

In the 1890s, white families worked upwardly mobile—though unskilled—factory jobs. Black families were not offered this luxury. Black workers typically were porters, waiters, and servants. Knox’s brother was a steamfitter, a skilled profession. Her parents separated when she was very young and her father died when she was only seven years old. Teenaged

Ideas of feminism have evolved in tremendous ways over the past 130 years since her day and Knox’s version essentially won history—not for accepting the norms of her time but for rejecting them in favor of her own view of the world. Naturally, this made for an unpleasant and bumpy journey as she offended each and every stalwart. But that’s what is involved in political change—not everyone is going to like it.

K

ittie Knox was born in 1874 near the African American community in Cambridgeport, a suburb of Boston. Her mother was white, from rural Maine, while her father was Black, relocated from Philadelphia to become a tailor and cleaner. Her father was a lifelong activist. In 1850, as the country braced for its first race war, he petitioned Massachusetts for the right of Black men to join the state militia.

Knox’s neighborhood was a cultural melting pot of poor Blacks, Irish workers, recent immigrants, poor whites, and absentee landlords. Next door to her childhood home, a Black barber shared a property with a Russian-Jewish cobbler, adjacent to an Irish bar and liquor store. Throughout the next decade, southern Italian and eastern European Jewish people began to displace the formerly affluent residents of Boston’s South End, creating greater cultural acceptance for disenfranchised people through the city.

Boston held a long legacy of abolitionist thinking, particularly in Knox’s neighborhood. The Civil War had ended a decade before Knox’s birth and middle class lifestyles suddenly felt attainable for Black families.

Knox became a dressmaker and seamstress.

In 1893, the U.S. was hit by an one of the worst economic depressions in its history and suffered high unemployment. Conditions were poor ever prior to that. In Knox’s neighborhood, the average working person earned $500 per year (less than $14,000 in today’s dollars). In today’s dollars, skilled female garment workers like Knox earned only about $112 per week.

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The Bicycle Boom

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n 1860 the Bicycle Boom began in France on penny farthings—bikes with a large front wheel and tiny rear one. In 1876 Alfred Chandler branded himself as the U.S.’s first cyclist. Bicycling was a highly adventurous and dangerous sport. The pedals were mounted directly to the wheel and brakes had not yet been invented so the rider’s muscles had to be stronger than the machine’s propulsion. Then the rider had to jump off to stop. Of course, one rock or an uneven road was sufficient to send the rider flying—particularly since the bikes were able to reach tremendous top speeds under the legs of a competent pilot.

In 1890, when the “bicycle boom” hit full steam, many cycling clubs rapidly sprung up all over Boston, where cycling was most popular. These cycling clubs would travel to nearby towns for riding competitions, social fun, politicking, and advocacy. Each club’s membership was adorned with a signature hat and they had mascots and floats, like parades for modern sports teams. During the off season, the members bowled, played billiards and baseball, and danced together.

In 1893, a new bike would cost about $2,500 in today’s dollars or twenty weeks of Knox’s salary.

Somehow she managed to scrape the money together and purchase one, as well as the leisure time to ride it relentlessly. She joined the Riverside Cycle Club, Boston’s Black club.

At a time before cars, cyclists would often go on long rides from their homes to the open suburbs and countryside and back through streets clogged with wagons, carts, horses, and trolleys. In 1893, Knox made the news for the first time. The Indianapolis Freeman, 800 miles away, took note of Knox’s “graceful” competitive cycling at Martha’s Vineyard.

Knox was still a teenager. She was on her way to stardom. Her homemade outfits resembling a twist on the classic garb of a teenage boy turned heads and when people saw her magnetic personality and stunning appearance, the public took more and more notice of her. She placed in the top 20% of every ride that she ever competed in, many of which were at least 100 miles long. She was a faster and more skilled rider than most men. More importantly, Knox made cycling appear fun rather than a complicated social activity for the wealth with a lot of rules. As you might imagine, this upset the men—and moreso the women—who benefited from cycling remaining

18

as an exclusive club sport for the wealthy.

Cycling was socially complicated. Even in Boston, cyclists had to negotiate their social hubs along the divisions of gender, religion, ethnicity, and class. In a city full of recent immigrants, most Boston cyclists were upper middle class professionals. So for those in the working classes, cycling was a road map to social acceptance among the wealthy elite.

The League of American Wheelmen was created to unite all of the individual cycling clubs into one national organization for maximum advocacy weight.

Early league members included the wealthiest people of the era, including oil magnate John D. Rockefeller.

The League collected dues from members and issued cards to participate in their national events. The dues were used to finance a number of national campaigns that still continue today, like the right to use the road in the first place, the right to bring bicycles on transit, and the right to ride without harassment from law enforcement.

For the most part, the League was successful on only two campaigns: the right to ride at night and the right to ride on Sundays. It’s fairly amazing that in most places, bicyclists are still having the same fights as they were 130 years ago. It might be time to re-evaluate the strategy but at least we can ride on Sundays now.

The Color Bar

W

hile the end of the Civil War was expected to heal the lingering pains of racism in the U.S., all was not going as planned. Civil War Reconstruction hit a new low in the late 1880s when Jim Crow laws were introduced to maintain institutional racism. The Federal Election Bill (FEB), drafted by a representative from Knox’s district, proposed that federal supervisors would ensure local elections were conducted fairly. The FEB’s true purpose was to ensure that Black men would be allowed to vote in the south as the law now allowed. The FEB failed by a single vote. Seemingly in response, lynchings hit an all-time high in 1892.

In Boston, interracial marriage was socially acceptable, with poor white immigrants and Black laborers often marrying and having children. In 1877, 38% of Blacks in Boston married whites.

But while mixed race children like Knox were

She was a faster and more skilled rider than most men.

More importantly, Knox made cycling appear fun rather than a complicated social activity... this upset the men—-and more-so the women—who benefited from cycling remaining as an exclusive club sport for the wealthy.

common and accepted in Boston, the cycling community had a difficult time accepting people who were not white. The League of American Wheelmen had membership all over the country.

Starting in 1892, William Watts, an attorney and former Confederate colonel from Louisville, began lobbying for the League to exclude its few hundred Black members from the organization—one of whom was Kittie Knox. The first two votes failed to secure the necessary two-thirds majority to change the organization’s bylaws but this only served to further ignite the powder keg. Matters of race were becoming so divisive that clubs disbanded when the second vote to remove Black riders failed. By 1894, the issue had hit a fever pitch and the 36,567 members voted to alter the constitution to say “none but white persons can become members of the League.”

The next day, the Massachusetts state legislature introduced a resolution to denounce “the color bar,” employing states’ rights to overrule it within their own borders. The League of American Wheelmen had an office in Boston that also vocally opposed the national color bar and the Riverside Cycle Club protested the League’s decision.

The League was a social organization for amateur cyclists, meaning only that members did

not compete as professional athletes. There were many affiliated cyclists without membership cards who tagged along to their events. The benefits and meaning of League membership were nebulous camaraderie at best.

Even though the color bar was written by a lawyer, Watts had made a crucial mistake of language.

There was the sticky matter of Black cyclists like Kittie Knox who had joined the league before the color bar was passed. They were not excluded by the new rule, though the organization’s view of them was clear.

Watts’ primary argument in favor of the color bar was that it was the only way to grow League membership, as he claimed the presence of Black cyclists kept white members from joining. In reality the opposite was true: The League’s membership dropped by about a third—more than ten thousand cyclists—during the year after the passing of the color bar.

A “Masculine” Woman

T

he invention of the modern “safety bicycle,” in 1885 drew women to cycling in massive numbers. The new design with two equalsized wheels resolved the dangers of the penny farthing, which was inclined to face plant cyclists

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onto the pavement. Prior to 1888, women tended to ride tricycles instead of penny farthings. Aside from the physical dangers and skills involved, the choice of three wheels was also considered to be one of elegance and femininity. But women were quick to abandon three wheels. The safety bicycle invention made the tricycle so thoroughly obsolete that no one was even manufacturing them anymore by 1892.

With the advent of mass production and the bicycle craze in full effect, the price of bicycles plummeted and virtually everyone could afford them for basic transportation. What was once a hobby of the well-todo became a completely pedestrian activity.

Bicycling wasn’t equally accessible to everyone, however. Women cyclists of the era wore restrictive, long, and expensive Victorian skirts. Recent legislation for women to receive the right to vote had failed. Now men were trying to eject women from previously co-ed cycling clubs as well. Splintering and tension started to coalesce around bicycling.

The Wheelwoman was a Boston magazine dedicated to dictating conservative moral norms and publishing snide remarks about the audacity of women cyclists. The editor, Mary Sargent Hopkins, saw her audience as middle class women and wanted to help them attain “physical perfection” and “erase the tired look in their eyes and the tense lines around their mouths.” She believed that women should be adorned in silver and gold and carry a mirror and powder box in their tricycle bags. Mary even believed that women empowering themselves through cycling would heal their husbands of their worst traits writing, “When woman reigns supreme over the kingdom of home, clothed in the royal garments of understanding, she will no longer tolerate or condone uncleanness in husband, brother, or son.”

Mary had discovered bicycling in 1884—before the craze captivated the nation. Hopkins was in her forties during the beginning of the craze and went 20

on long-distance tricycle tours with large groups of women. She would arrange for wagons to bring them picnic luncheons that they would enjoy while a cellist entertained them. As cycling was mainstreamed, Hopkins and her husband moved from Brooklyn to the epicenter in Boston and she launched The Wheelwoman.

Hopkins attempted to frame herself as the foremost expert on women’s cycling. In her cultured society that meant proper skirt length, using the correct fork at dinner, and employing manners and attitude that she deemed appropriate. She went on speaking tours to address the “horror of the bloomers” on women and to insist that women should stick to tricycles. During one of these talks, she admitted to heading outside one night with her husband’s bicycle—under cover of darkness—and finding that she didn’t much like it. Thus no other woman should either.

Mary Hopkins was a holdover to the conservative values of the previous era. The Wheelwoman published an apocalyptic visioning of the pitfalls of women participating in such wholesome activities as wearing pants and riding on two wheels. Similarly, another publication, Wheelmen’s Gazette published an illustration of a man on a safety attempting to kiss a woman on a safety, losing his balance, and crashing onto the ground. While you might see this as a humorous cartoon about a daring man, there was also a certain subtext at the time that this crash was actually the woman’s fault.

Mary associated with the upper crust, with an office down the street from the suffrage movement office—a movement born of wealthy women not allowed to have jobs or hobbies outside of the home.

Hopkins is the most likely link between bicycling and the movement for women’s right to vote. Hence Hopkins is likely the influence for suffragist Susan B. Anthony’s famous quote, “Bicycling has done more to emancipate women than perhaps anything else in the world.” Ironically, Hopkins’ vision for women’s bicycling didn’t seem to adhere to that quote whatsoever.

As opposed to the diamond frames of today, women’s safety bicycles featured smaller front wheels than rear ones to accommodate a woman’s skirt.

Mary told The New York Times, “If there is one thing I hate... it is a masculine woman. It has made my heart sore to see the women who have been putting on knickerbockers, riding the diamond-frame wheel, and racing and scorching with the men. It has made wheeling just another way for women to make a fool of herself, bringing cycling into disrepute, and making herself the laughing stock of the people. She has made a hallway sort of creature of herself. She can’t be a man, and she is a disgrace as a woman. If a woman wants to dress like a Turk, she should put on the veil as well, so that no one will know who she is.”

According to Lorenz J. Finison, author of “Boston’s Cycling Craze, 1880-1900: A Story of Race, Sport, and Society,” Hopkins’ views were both cultural and generational. He explained to me, “I suspect that Mary Sargent Hopkins was reacting against influences in her life to defend the status quo. Both of Mary’s husbands were dissolute characters. Her aunt was a freethinker in the 1830s. A lot has been written about the bicycle as the great liberator of women in this era but that’s not entirely true. Mary was the major writer and publisher on women’s bicycling at the time and she featured one article after another defending the fact that women should never abandon the long skirt and other conservative values of the era.”

After tricycle sales tanked, women stopped going on Mary’s beloved tricycle tours and her influence began to slip. As the times changed, Mary reluctantly did too. She participated in a women’s group who attempted to make the transition from tricycle to safety bicycle together. She started wearing shorter skirts but abhorred to find that she was no longer the cutting edge of women’s cycling fashion and expertise that she craved to be.

Naturally, as teenaged Kittie Knox took the limelight, Mary Hopkins found a new target for her classist and sexist ire, becoming perhaps the biggest critic of Knox and her activism, attire, and cycling flair.

Hopkins cited grounds for disapproval that Knox rode a men’s bicycle, preferred bloomers to a skirt, and was bringing notoriety to the sport in a bad way. She wrote of one of Knox’s public demonstrations, “The whole affair was unpleasant and was given a great deal more prominence by the newspapers than it deserved.” And indeed, as Knox excelled, the mainstream newspapers spent more time commenting on her appearance than

her performance.

Finison explained why Hopkins took such an oppositional stance to Knox: “It took a long time for women’s fashion to change. Hopkins was the most influential writer and publisher on women’s bicycling in the 1890s and carried a large influence with older women. While it scandalized the older generation, pushing a heavy, broad-framed bicycle through the mud was just something that young women like Kittie Knox weren’t willing to do when they could ride a diamond frame. Look at pictures of women after 1900 and you’ll still see long skirts and women’s drop frame bikes.”

”If

there is one thing I hate... it is

a masculine woman... It has made wheeling

just

another

way

for

women to make a fool of herself, bringing

cycling

into

disrepute,

and making herself the laughing stock of the people. She has made a

hallway

sort

of

creature

of

herself. She can’t be a man, and she is a disgrace as a woman. ”

So that’s how Kittie Knox, a strong, capable, and confident woman came to embody the perfect enemy of The Wheelwoman. You can read issues in the UMass library but it’s like a torturous issue of Women’s Health dictating how to trick a man into marriage when you really wanted Teen Vogue to tell you about radical history and the empowerment of carving your own path. If Mary Hopkins had her way, a bicycle would still cost what a car does and it would be reserved for the most wealthy elites to look down and judge the rest of us.

Class War Escalation

I

n the 1890s, Black social class was largely determined by attitude, stability, occupation, and aspiration.

In many ways Kittie Knox was more marginal as a woman than she was for being Black. The times were changing though. The rush for women to trade in their restrictive long skirts in favor of bloomers to ride their safety bicycles was threatening to men in and out of the 21

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cycling community, who dubbed them “the bloomer girls.” Hopkins went as far as saying that the bicycle was not “for disgusting exhibitions, unwomanly garb, and monkey-like attitudes.” It’s hard to tell if that final jab was nested in the racist attitudes of her social class and era or if she just hated monkeys. (But it was probably the former.)

Scorchers—fast riders—were looked down upon as members of the lower classes. The Wheelwoman published a guest editorial saying, “I have lifted up my voice with considerable vim against the menace to life and limb and the ‘scorcher.’ The police, however, have done and are doing much to correct this evil, and I trust the day is not far distant when one can go about our streets free from the terror of this individual.”

She went on to say “Wheeling should be for health and recreation, excess in speed or distance should be carefully guarded against, for it will certainly do more harm than good, and bring condemnation on the wheel itself.”

On the same day as Knox’s victory at Waltham Cycle Park, the East Boston Carnival Committee hosted a parade with hundreds of cyclists and floats. The Irish Catholic carnival committee forbid the participation of the Mavericks, who were Protestant, as they didn’t want trouble. The Boston Board of Aldermen granted the Protestants the right to hold their own bicycle parade separately, lest the more privileged group be left out of the fun. Despite protection from the state militia, the two groups skirmished and riots broke out.

One Irish Catholic man died from a gunshot wound.

Mary Hopkins responded to this tragedy by making fun of Irish stereotypes and dialects in her next issue and public lectures. Mary’s audience was made up of middle-class Protestants who found her inappropriate humor quite amusing and edifying of their dominant worldview. Just like today, using one’s privilege to make fun of others’ tragedy was a socially acceptable behavior. Hopkins’ behavior continued to drive a wedge to divide a splintered cycling community.

W h i l e Despite the Mary Hopkins tragedy, Knox Her agile, expert ridership was described abhorred was bolstered long-distance by her victory in the national press a "far ahead of her cycling, she in Waltham. par ticipated Winning first lighter hued sisters”" and "“when she appears in it herself prize convinced and never her to make the in the street she receives more attention once spoke trip in a few days ill of Annie to the League " than a half dozen star racing men.”

Londonderr y, of American who cycled W heelmen’s a r o u n d annual meeting. the entire world in 1894, presumably because She knew that she would be unwelcome there but Londonderry was a white woman who had become also that her presence would be important and that a self-made wealthy entrepreneur. Londonderry was she would be supported by parts of her community. popular in the press and good at marketing herself so it’s likely that Hopkins was afraid that by bad-mouthing a popular white woman, her slipping influence might Cold War at Asbury Park disappear completely.

The clubs had been debating whether to have the League’s next annual meeting in Boston or Asbury Park, NJ. Boston had greater amenities for cycling and was, by all accounts, more deserving. However, if the In July of 1895, Kittie Knox won first prize in a event was held in Boston, Black cyclists would be able costume contest in Waltham for her homemade gray to participate. So the membership chose New Jersey knickerbocker suit—a major compliment to her skills as instead. a seamstress. Knox had sewn an outfit similar to what a young boy would wear and improved on its practicality Asbury Park was a planned resort community with for cycling. The audience hissed disapprovingly as she 3,000 year-round residents on the Jersey Shore. The accepted first prize. They felt that the winner should upper-class resort was not a welcome destination for be a white girl in an expensive long skirt.

Kittie Knox, even without the color bar. In an effort

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to keep out riff raff and make the resort attractive for elite whites, the city didn’t even allow trains to stop within city limits on Sundays. But an upper-class resort required a number of visible Black laborers that rivaled the population. And they visited local restaurants and the beach as well.

Knox made the trip to Asbury Park by train and boat.

She triumphantly rode into town with 30 other Boston cyclists. Newspapers wrote of her arrival as a full member of the League. After all, she had joined before the color bar had passed. Knox knew that her appearance would be controversial but maintained her pride. She biked up to the clubhouse, performing fancy trick maneuvers until she was asked to stop. Reporters had a field day depicting her riding abilities. The Trenton Evening Times insulted Knox’s outfit, saying “riding habits so loud that the Pilgrim Fathers must have been shocked... [Knox] was scorned and frowned upon by visitors from Dixie.”

When Knox showed up the next morning and presented her League membership card for a participant badge, she was told that she was “in the wrong house.”

Rather than make a ruckus, Knox held her head up high and walked out with her bike. The San Francisco Call reported that 99% of people interviewed were sympathetic to Knox about her rejection.

Leaders argued vehemently about whether or not Knox could participate. Grudgingly, her membership card was honored and her badge granted. Her agile, expert ridership was described in the national press as “far ahead of her lighter hued sisters” and “when she appears in the street she receives more attention than a half dozen star racing men.”

That night at the dance, Knox was the most popular

woman on the dance floor. She attended the ball wearing a large leghorn hat, a pink waist, and a black skirt. The New York Times wrote, “Young fellows made her quite the lion of the evening ball last night by dancing with her and she enjoyed the sensation she created as the only colored person in the building.” Upon Knox’s arrival on the dance floor, the racists fled the hall like a bomb had gone off and Knox had more room to dance, impress boys, and steal the show once again.

But all was not well. Knox was refused service at many restaurants and hotels in Asbury Park. The Boston Journal wrote, “The insult to Miss Knox should be so thoroughly resented by those in authority that all promoters of the feeling against her should be disciplined by the organization.” But it was clear that Knox’s presence had shifted the conversation, challenged hardened views, and accomplished what it needed to. She was a better rider and had made her case for a seat at the proverbial table.

A Crazed Decline

E

ven during the bicycle craze, Knox was a true pioneer, sparking a public debate about the color bar and exerting her right to be recognized and admitted as a member of the League. Her presence pushed the League to confront the issue in its Bulletin.

“Can a negro be a member of the L.A.W.,” a member asked, “as it appears Miss Knox of Boston is?” In response, the League explained, “Miss Katie J. Knox joined the League, April 1, 1893. The word ‘white’ was put into the constitution, Feb. 20, 1894. Such laws are not and cannot be retroactive.”

Within another week, Knox had thrust issues of race and gender into the national spotlight as papers all over 23

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the country wrote about the conundrum that she had illuminated. Did fair and equal treatment under the law allow Black people carte blanche to join organizations open to the general public? Would delicate, wealthy white egos be tarnished forever?

After the initial meet-up of the League, in which Knox’s participation was challenged due to her race, she visited the Philadelphia Meteors, a Black Ethiopian cycling club. The Meteors took her to the Tioga Races and to see fireworks. Her time in Philly makes it is clear that Knox wasn’t a bicyclist just to be competitive. She participated in cycling to become part of a community and to have fun. Knox was the favorite topic of the press but she preferred quietly globetrotting and relating with like-minded people over being a celebrity or building her brand. Knox’s trip after Asbury Park warmed my heart because it shows that she valued making friends, building a cultural network of home stays and community, and creating a tradition of shared cultural values similar to what my friends and I value today.

Knox eventually went home to Boston and was chosen as the ride leader for the League of American Wheelmen’s Massachusetts division summer meet, a multi-day ride through the country. A magazine article from this time noted Knox’s behavior during dinner in a restaurant one night with 50 other riders.

The writer was impressed by Knox’s enthusiasm and ability to handle long distances without ruining her mood, conversational skills, and while still having fun. Like all articles about her at the time, they also

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mentioned how attractive she was. And the fact that she was Black in a sea of white men. On that trip, Knox socialized as an equal in camp and while riding with the men.

In August of 1895, the Partridge White Ribbon Open Century was almost canceled by a thunderstorm.

Nonetheless, a handful of riders—including Knox— joyfully completed the 100-mile ride, albeit covered in mud. Knox was the only woman to finish. It seemed for a minute like cycling might have accepted her as one of their best and brightest.

And then it happened again. Knox was refused participation in the next century, despite the event beginning in Boston. The event was run by the Boston Wheelmen, a new club that had formed in her hometown that had decided not to allow any Black participants. When the Boston Standard contacted the captain of the Boston Wheelmen, he explained that he opposed the decision but a majority of members had demanded it. He said that he felt overwhelmed by the strength of their views and numbers. Fifteen Black men were also turned away, though not before they had submitted entries and made arrangements to ride.

Black cyclists felt like their country had promised them equality, and responded to this discrimination by organizing in dignified ways through their neighborhoods and churches. Members of the Colored National League launched an investigation into the exclusion of the Black cyclists from the League of American Wheelmen. A member of a different Black club from the West End, Meander Bicycle Club, testified to the Colored National League about the degree with which Black cyclists had been excluded. The Colored National League and Meander Bicycle Club discussed discrimination and expressions of rights as U.S. citizens. Questions arose about whether exclusion from a cycling club qualified under public accommodation laws. The group lacked the political

strength that even the League had but it was important for these groups to organize as it would slowly change public views.

Once again, Kittie Knox made her mark on history.

Commonwealth was a new cycling club that was created when some men in the Massachusetts Bicycle Club had refused to ride with women. The club was divided in two, one coed and one for men only. On September 29, Knox rode with the coed Commonwealth century to Newburyport. Other Massachusetts cycling clubs responded to Knox’s participation in Commonwealth by enacting their own color bars. Knox was continually forcing the issue but it just made people dig in their heels instead of accepting that she was a valid and excelling member of their community.

Lines were increasingly drawn in the sand. The Boston Globe ran an article about a civil lawsuit for Knox’s retracted invitation from the Boston Wheelmen ride. In November, Century Road Club of America advertised a century “without a color line” and entries were processed by Charles Percival, a vocal supporter of Kittie Knox. But foul weather delayed the ride and when it did happen attendance was poor due to mud, rain, and fog. The pacemaker broke down and riders got lost, ending up 30 miles off the route. The end of 1895 was full of heartbreak, particularly when the civil suit against the Boston Wheelmen was dismissed and the filing parties were forced to pay legal fees for both sides.

Continuing to stir the pot in 1896, Knox’s Riverside Cycling Club attempted to organize their own century ride and Black cyclists formed plans to meet in Washington, D.C. to create a separate Colored League of American Wheelmen. The founding convention was going to feature a parade and a race for Black riders only. But the organizers were not able to find a track that would rent to a group of Black cyclists and the new organization fizzled before it ever materialized.

Soon after, the Riverside Cycling Club stopped meeting and organizing as well. It wasn’t just the Black community where cycling was fizzling out. Recreational bicycling news stopped filling up papers, which began to focus on professional racers. Bicycle sales dwindled and crashed as the market was thoroughly saturated.

Bike manufacturers were no longer able to financially support the League’s efforts. It was officially the end of the cycling craze.

All but Forgotten

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nox visited Paris to ride her bike and socialize in 1896. She performed in a theater production in New York City later that year, Isham’s

“Octoroons.“ Producer John W. Isham was a Black man who was frequently assumed to be white.

He successfully put on many plays to advance the narrative of the Black experience into the American consciousness. Knox was one of many women chosen for her attractiveness as well as ability to sing and dance.

Like bicycling, Knox disappeared from the press after that and then from the world. She died of kidney failure from chronic nephritis in 1906 and was buried in an unmarked grave. To the press she was a cycling superstar, but she was also a very young, poor mixed-race woman in a racist country. She never had children. Her mother died shortly thereafter, followed by her brother’s suicide. Over 100 years after all of their deaths, Knox’s importance to the history of bicycling was unearthed when Lorenz J. Finison began to research his book “Boston’s Cycling Craze, 1880-1900.” Finison read articles and reviewed old newspaper reports, wondering why he hadn’t learned about Knox previously.

Despite being forgotten, Knox’s reverberations continued to be felt after her death. Even when her legacy was temporarily lost, her impacts are not.

Cycling re-emerged in Chicago during the Great Depression and this time the movement was much like Knox’s vision. Cyclists in the 1930s and 40s were social and recreational. They bonded together under a common experience on two wheels as fuel and car tires were rationed for World War II. As people tightened their belts in the U.S., bicycles were again a preferred form of transport and the League came back to life as a social club in 1942. In the spirit of Kittie Knox, women began to take a prominent role in club leadership and century riders began to wear casual clothes instead of specialized outfits. Still, while the issue of the color bar didn’t come up in the League newsletter or any magazines, the photos from this era exclusively feature white people.

Then to Now

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ittie Knox had been born into a world that promised big. She paid her dues in every sense of the meaning and tried to take everyone up on the promises made to her. She pushed back when things were not as advertised. She knew how to pick a fight and was comfortable doing so. And more importantly, she has influenced the shift of bicycling from an elite upscale sport to a hobby that can be enjoyed by people from all backgrounds and experiences. As a result, she’s a powerful icon and inspiration to re-calibrate bicycling advocacy today.

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Sometimes I close my eyes and imagine a historical biopic where Kittie Knox was a bit more militant, akin to Malcolm X, the charismatic Black leader who led his followers to defend themselves against white aggression “by any means necessary.” I picture her working alongside a more peaceful advocate, Major Taylor, who repeatedly states, “if you give me what I want you won’t have to deal with her,” akin to the dynamic between Malcolm and Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s. Indeed, these dynamics are what influences leaders and changes the world. You need the loud firecracker and the person of influence who understands the issues sufficiently to take a seat at the table.

Knox followed in the activist footsteps of her father and their community. She was a better performer than the men, especially in her dramatic, off-beat, homemade outfits. But at the end of the day, that wasn’t enough. Even when numerous notable Boston celebrities spoke up in favor of Knox’s participation in the sport, built on a long history of abolitionist spirit, that wasn’t enough either. It would be another 80 years before the color bar was outlawed by the Civil Rights Act and stripped from U.S. culture and even then, the attitudes didn’t change. Even when businesses and employers were forced not to discriminate against Black people, they couldn’t be forced to respect them. These shifting attitudes were changed only as generations died off and new ones recognized the errors of their parents’ ways. Well, that and massive lunch counter protests and marches on Washington built from cornerstone coalitions. These things will continue their dramatic shift but Knox isn’t alive to see her vision through.

When you go on a bike ride to the corner store or to nowhere in particular with your friends, that’s Kittie Knox. When you can buy a bicycle for less than a week’s wages, that’s Kittie Knox. When you go on a ride wearing street clothes instead of dayglo or spandex, that’s her too. When you attend a bike fun event and meet people from other cities and the only thing that you have in common is your love of the bicycle as cultural ambassador, think of Kittie Knox.

The historical record of the League’s activities no longer resides in the organization’s offices but in the UMass library in Boston. However, you still won’t find mention of Kittie Knox in it. And while you can find archived versions of Mary Sargent Hopkins’ sexist The Wheelwoman magazine at UMass library, you won’t find any copies at the Library of Congress, as they have “lost” all of their originals.

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When you go on a bike ride to the corner store or to nowhere in particular with your friends, that’s Kittie Knox. When you can buy a bicycle for less than a week’s wages, that’s Kittie Knox.

When you go on a ride wearing street clothes instead of dayglo or spandex, that's her too.

If nothing else, at least we still have one more teenage girl as a role model. I think we owe her at least that much. So if you’ll excuse me I have a Civil Unrest Bicycle Club ride for disabled people to attend.

Joe Biel is a self-made autistic publisher and filmmaker who draws origins, inspiration, and methods from punk rock. He is the founder and CEO of Microcosm Publishing and co-founder of the Portland Zine Symposium. He has been featured in a diverse range of publications from Time Magazine to Utne Reader. He is the author of Good Trouble: Building a Successful Life & Business on the Spectrum, Manspressions: Decoding Men’s Behavior, Bicycle Culture Rising, and more. He also is the director of five feature films and hundreds of short films, including Aftermass: Bicycling in a PostCritical Mass Portland, $100 & A T-Shirt, and the Groundswell film series. He lives in Portland, OR and

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please send more orders A glimpse inside a knitting factory tucked away in the ancient city of Bhaktapur jennifer gurecki | @yogurecki

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here is an ancient city that exists in Nepal, rivaling the beauty of the mountains that surround it, yet you don’t have to travel long distances along death-defying, whiteknuckle-inducing roads to find it.

Bhaktapur, the third of the medieval city-states in Nepal best known for its Newari architecture, lies less than an hour outside of the chaotic capital city of Kathmandu. Along narrow alleys adorned with traditional wood carved windows and doors, artisans throw pots, teenagers sit in smoky cafes as oxen pull carts down the cobblestone roads, and tourists stumble over their dropped jaws. In one of these alleys lies a three-story building tucked behind a weathered wooden door, and if you listen closely, you’ll hear women laughing.

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Inside this building women are knitting Sherpa Adventure Gear beanies, and there’s a good reason why they are so happy. “If you are happy, it comes out happy. If you are angry, it comes out angry. That’s why we have to make them happy. It’s very important to us,” Sabi NarayanKayastha, the manger of the factory, explained.

Rossna Shilpakar, one of the women who works at the factory, was quick to back up his claims. She said she sees how valuable her time in the factory has been to make new friends, chit chat, and laugh. “Life is good all of the

time,” she said.

Rossna and the other women sitting next to her have been encouraged to work. Women participating in the workforce is not necessarily perceived negatively by Nepali society; by all accounts, women working in Nepal is an accepted practice. But as with everything, just because it is favored it doesn’t mean that in practice it is easy. Only 22% of working-age women are employed, yet Nepal’s unemployment rate hovers below four percent. As recently as 2015, 48% of women older than the age of 15 didn’t have any formal education, and only 25% of women receive a higher education, including technical and vocational education programs.

Child marriage and the practice of chhaupadi—the banishing of girls who are menstruating—contribute to their lack of education and ability to join the workforce. Many women continue to act as the primary caregivers in their home; a traditional 9 to 5 office job that requires them to commute long distances also is unrealistic.

That’s where companies like Sherpa Adventure Gear—who prioritize employing local women—come in. The factory, which works with a handful of brands including Sherpa, employ women who either work in the factory or work from home. During

The factory where Sherpa Adventure Gear manufactures a selection of its beanies is unassuming. there isn’t a sign telling the world that it exists. It sits next to a collapsed wall that exposes a living room with furniture and photos half hanging on, the remnants of the intimate lives of a family who lived there before the earthquake in 2015.

the busy season, women can earn about Rs14,000 per month ($123 USD), which is the average wage women earn in the country. (It should be noted that men on average earn Rs5,000 more, or $44 USD. The pay gap is rampant and everywhere.) It wasn’t until the international market opened up that these women were able to make a living off of a skill that has been passed down from generation to generation. “Knitting has been passed onto us from our ancestors; it is part of the culture that connects us to our family and friends,” Rajani Shresdha, a 29-yearold mother of one son who works at the factory, said.

She, like all of the other knitters, are paid per piece and can work from home if they want. “But if they have a headache in their house, then they come here,“ NarayanKayastha said.

It takes about three hours for one beanie to be knit, and the entire piece is handmade except for the embroidered Sherpa Adventure Gear patch that is hand sewn on the outside. “Women have more passion, more tolerance than a man. It’s very difficult and a man cannot do it. If I had to, I would need one month to make one,” NarayanKayastha said laughing.

For many of the knitters, this is the only employment available to them, and they share a common trait with other women around the world: They want their children to have a better life than them. They value education. They want to contribute to their own personal success, as well as their family’s. Rita Ssilpakr, who is 36 years old, married with two boys, and shares a home with her in-laws, has been working at this factory for 10 years. She started working because she felt awkward having to ask to borrow money from her family members and husband. She

has a clear message for other Nepali women: “Since we womens [sic] are not much educated and used to be in housing [sic], I would advice [sic] all the womens [sic] to work and utilize their time and earn a living.”

Rita’s co-worker Subarna Suaal, who is 37 years old and lives with her two children and a husband, has only been working at the factory for one year.

“When I knit I feel empowered; I feel creative,” she said. “My mother died when I was a child, so I couldn’t continue my study. If I didn’t knit, I would have to stay at home.”

While all of the women interviewed for this story had a slightly different take on their work as a knitter, there were two common themes: 1) They value independence, and this work grants that both to them and their children, and 2) They want to work more and they all asked, definitely and boldly, for you to please send more orders.

What is apparent after spending a morning at the knitting factory is that Sherpa Adventure Gear isn’t uplifting women from a life of despair. They’re making sure that they don’t fall into one. Access to employment, in a safe place that encourages friendship, laughter, and family is what women need more of. And companies like Sherpa Adventure Gear are committed to creating those types of jobs. While the immediate impact of buying that beanie may be difficult to quantify, what it represents is priceless: A future generation of young girls who will be educated and independent, something their mothers are working very hard to make a reality.

The knitters gather in circles, sitting on square cushions shielding them from the concrete, fingers wrapped with yarn and quickly moving, laughing and chatting as they knit the beanies for Sherpa Adventure Gear.

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THE PITCH

bhavana coffee

An interview with:

Jennifer Lan, Founder of Bhavana Coffee | @bhavanacoffee From its direct translation of “feelings” in Nepali to its Sanskrit interpretation of cultivating, Bhavana evokes a sense of creation and curiosity. We sat down with founder Jennifer Lan to find out why she is so determined to bring Nepalese Coffee to the US.

finding new origins of coffee in nepal

What does Bhavana Coffee do?

We help local farmers move their coffee out of Nepal.

You can’t export coffee unless it’s fully paid for, so we manage the financing that so that the farmers get paid.

And then we get paid when the roasters receive their coffee.

had resources to get it started. But at the same time you could come up with a million reasons why it wouldn’t work. I thought, “This is a great idea, but am I the right person to do it?” Because I didn’t have the background in the industry, I didn’t know anyone else to pass this project onto, so I just did it myself.

How did a two-week holiday in Nepal turn into a full fledged business?

I didn’t get the experience that I wanted to in my first two weeks so came back for one month. I wanted a simple volunteer opportunity—to get tied in and have useful skills. As I started to look into it, I found out that it’s much more difficult without the proper connections to know if what you’re doing is really benefitting the communities.

How have roasters and coffee shops in the US reacted to Bhavana Coffee?

The first year was really interesting. Some people who I tried to market to in the US didn’t understand why I was talking to them. When I would email and mention Nepal they would be like, “Is that autocorrect—do you mean Nicaragua?” But at the same time people saw that it was really rare to find a new origin of coffee. To find a country that is actually starting in this industry is pretty exceptional. On top of that, especially in America, people don’t know much about Nepal, so there is interest.

Someone suggested that I look into coffee industries and I found that NGOs were starting coffee cooperatives. But there are so many challenges to starting businesses—market access, logistics, etc. So I started to ask a lot of questions of baristas, farmers, and roasters in US and Nepal.

Nepal has never been colonized so coffee didn’t have a strong presence as a cash crop. I found out so many things and got a positive response and saw an industry that was burgeoning, people were passionate, and they 30

Another challenge that I had when I was sharing what we were doing in Nepal is that sometimes you have to explain to people why they should care. There are a lot of things that are “bad” according to the US: poverty, not a lot of industry, people leaving the country, labor done by hand, limited infrastructure. You could say that it’s really behind. But that’s not the message I want to share. There is so much emerging industry and

the people are excited and things happen so quickly here. Things move forward every single day. That is something that I like to pass on—this feeling of excitement.

What impact have you seen in the local Nepali community?

A big part of the economy is remittances—a huge percentage of labor force leaves country in order to survive. Their dream is to go work in the Middle East in a construction position. It doesn’t create a lot of happiness; it’s about creating basic needs. One of the farm managers we work with used to work in the Middle East and his daughter was diagnosed with a terminal disease and had to come back. He was in a bind with high medical bills but couldn’t earn the income like he did when he was abroad. Luckily a coffee farm started in area and he got a job as the farm manager. He’s been there for 10 years, living with his family in Nuwakot. He has three daughters and he feels really well taken care of. Having an industry at home really means a lot to people.

What has it been like as a foreign woman working in Nepal?

When I first got here, I saw that it was a transforming society, with a new government. It’s one of the newest democracies in the world. It seems liberal but in practice you’re entrenched with so many different groups who have so many different cultural practices. Not every one of these 80 groups agree with this fledgling government. Working in Nepal as a woman has been really interesting. Because I came in as a foreigner it gave me an edge and an easier entrance. But I’m the only woman in meetings. I can only image how more difficult it would be if I were a

Nepali women. They are valued, their thoughts are valued, but they are not promoted as leaders. No one says, “There is a place for you.”

What’s next for you and Bahvana Coffee?

Originally my focus was to be the voice and connect the two markets. Now that I’ve flipped bases and live in Nepal full time (with her Nepali husband), I don’t have capacity and ability to market in the US. Being here has let me think about a whole new host of things because I’m here—being involved in a farm project and promoting specialty coffee roasted in Nepal.

I would like to shift outside of Kathmandu and move into tourist market near the Everest region. Everything outside of Kathmandu is instant Nescafé. It’s not cheaper or easier, and it’s just as possible to have real coffee. I would love to be able to provide that. As Nepal opens up and people aren’t just coming here for the two-three weeks of trekking there is an opportunity for coffee tourism.

Finally, I’d love to be a small shareholder in a larger farm project—to own a farm. Because there is an expense to start a farm, usually you need people who have the capital. There is a great demand on behalf of the smaller farmers who need equipment and resources. The smaller farmer stands might plant anywhere from 30 to 1,000 trees and then you can bring the cherries straight over to the processing center. From a collection point of view really beneficial because it will create an entire system.

Learn more about Bahvana Coffee on their website BahvanaCoffee.com.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Vayo Pugyo Dhukhyo : e n o u g h s u ff e r i n G : Words by JENNIFER GURECKI | @yogurecki Photography by JULIANNE GAURON |

@julianne_snow

JENNIFER GURECKI | @yogurecki ROZ GROENEWOUD | @rozgroenewoud LAXMI MAGAR | @magar_lux

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ith legendary peaks like Everest, you can only imagine what the hills might be like in Nepal. This was not obvious to neither myself nor Roz Groenewoud prior to cycling the lower trans-Himalayan route from Kathmandu to Pokhara, but it became clear as day the minute we clipped into our pedals and began the daily ascent of 8,000 plus feet. What ensued was a hodgepodge of suffering and extreme Type 2 fun, peppered with a solid bout of heat exhaustion and childlike giddiness when the mountain tops peeked out from beneath the clouds. Along the way we stopped in quaint villages and bustling towns, meandering through river valleys and along ridge lines, exchanging “Namaste” with nearly every person we locked eyes with. Nepal lands on most people’s bucket lists and for good reason: The people are unassuming and friendly, the landscape is breathtaking, and the history and culture are rich.

Julianne Gauron

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Julianne Gauron

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e knew that nothing would go perfectly as planned. It’s inevitable, as everything seems to unfold when you find your feet firmly planted on the ground as opposed to your fingers pecking away at emails in preparation. It’s only when you arrive in the country and have face-to-face conversations with the locals that everything materializes. But we didn’t realize just how much would be different.

Nothing really went as we expected. Our third rider, Julianne Gauron (the photographer of many of these photos) fell ill before we left and doctor’s orders required her to stay out of the saddle. Then Roz and I met up with the team at Portal Bikes, and we learned that our initial route that favored road bikes—a 14-day trip that started in Kathmandu and took us south to Chitwan National Park and the birthplace of Buddha, before wrapping up in Pokhara—wasn’t ideal for a few reasons. For starters, there was the 90 degree heat and high humidity, both of which we thought could be mitigated with early morning rides. What we didn’t grasp until we were in Nepal was the palpable thickness of this combination; it was like moving through molasses.

The second hiccup was not the vehicles we’d ride alongside, but the unique experience they would create.

While we both cut our teeth road cycling through Africa with narrow to non-existent shoulders as semi-trucks, buses, and cars darted past us, what we didn’t know about Nepal was the honking. Drivers speak to one another by laying on the horn, which is never a simple beep, but more of the makings of an off-beat band, each with their own sound and rhythm. This cacophony, we were told, meant that we should wear earplugs and have a support vehicle follow us in case we were caught by surprise. No thank you.

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fter hours of deliberation, we opted to ride the lower Great Himalaya Trail. Known as the “cultural route” in Nepal, our ride would take us through the lesser-known, remote country side, spanning jungles, green rice terraces, rivers, and villages off the beaten tourist path.

We were told by our friends at Portal Bikes, and confirmed by our guide Laxmi Magar, that this route would have a fraction of the cars, and the weather would be far more temperate.

The road conditions were questionable, but roads were marked on a map and we assumed that they couldn’t be worse than the ones we navigated across Africa. And given that both of us have spent a good amount of our lives in the mountains, we felt confident that we could manage the hills on the route. We assumed wrong—we shouldn’t have been so confident.

“Flat” in Nepal defies physics. It is not what most of us, who were not born in a country home to Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, would consider climbing. Pair “flat” with the moments of “rest” that you are meant to experience while cycling through hills and things get very exciting/exhausting/embarrassing. No one told us about Nepali flat, but clearly it was something that everyone knew but us.

Julianne Gauron

Roz and I spent a fair amount of time pushing our Liv Avail AR bike uphill (a word that I still use very loosely). We careened down rocky roads (also open to interpretation), proving that suspension wasn’t mandatory. We pedaled painlessly on the most inviting smooth gravel (wishing there was more). And we let it all go on 10 kilometers of tarmac that was likely the best road in all of Nepal (we earned that shit).

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he number one adventure rule is to not die. I almost broke this rule on day five. I had convinced myself that the clear signs of heat exhaustion— feeling like you’re going to shit your pants and vomit all at the same time— were my body’s reaction to me brushing my teeth with tap water. There are only so many days you can hike your bike, pedal in granny gear, and withstand the humidity and heat as you climb nearly 1,000 meters a day in only 60ish kilometers, before it takes a toll on the body. More than 600 people in the United States die from heat stroke every year, and the nausea mixed with the most awkward tingles and shivers down your spine as you sweat buckets are the first sign that it’s time to stop. If only it were that easy. The downside is that sometimes making the right decision for your health and the group means you beat yourself up for missing those precious clicks. I felt like an asshole for days and couldn’t stop blaming myself that I missed those 45 kilometers. In retrospect it was the best decision I made.

julianne gauron

What is it about reaching the summit or finishing the ride that creates so much self-inflicted anxiety, and often disappointment? Why did I feel an incredible sense of loss and regret, running through different scenarios that could have led to a different outcome, even though I knew that I likely saved my life and didn’t put Roz and Laxmi in jeopardy? Overcoming the expectations you place on yourself and your adventure is never easy. Only in retrospect does it all feel good, when you settle in with the fact that you did the right thing. You know this because you’re still alive.

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ou really have to appreciate how your tripmates tolerate you when you are at your absolute worst. Like when you are consistently 45 minutes behind because you aren’t as strong or young (Roz says age has nothing to do with it, but I’m not letting her take that away from me). Or when you fall off your bike and have to sleep it off in a small shack full of chickens and really good snacks next to a river in the heat of the day (that wasn’t me this time). They are there to celebrate you when you win at riding your bike up a hill, down a hill, or through a really flat section that isn’t actually flat because you are in Nepal. Despite the early mornings, heat exhaustion, hike-a-bike, gear failure, route changes, sweat, and smells, our friendship endured. And we added a third, our guide Laxmi, who said that she forgot laughing until she met us. We’ll take that as a compliment.

laxmi magar

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jennifer gurecki

jennifer gurecki

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jennifer gurecki

laxmi magar

Roz GroenEwoUd

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jennifer gurecki

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e hauled our Liv Avail AR bikes to Nepal for our cycling trip, but you can keep your airport experience hassle free by renting a mountain bike from Himalayan Single Track.

Not only do women make up 50% of their workforce, but co-owner Jenny Caunt also helped to found the Ladies Mountain League, an informal group of women who share skills and build community through their love of cycling and outdoor adventure. Since 2015, Ladies Mountain League has helped more than 35 girls learn how to mountain bike. Almost half of them now own their own bikes thanks to Himalayan Single Track’s lending program that allows the girls to pay for their bikes over time. In the future, Caunt plans on sponsoring women who compete professionally. “If you send men to compete, you don’t get anything back from them. The women support each other so much and it’s so rewarding,” she said. Find out more at HimalayanSingletrack.com and LadiesMountainLeague.com.

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Julianne Gauron

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e were terrified to cycle through Kathmandu, as people (read: Westerners) don’t often write rave reviews about this three-million strong urban landing spot.

But what they don’t realize is that the only reason people are here is for work. Tourism accounts for more than seven percent of Nepal’s GDP, which means we are responsible in part for creating what we hate. If you find value in the richness of urban centers, it’s here. You just have to look a little harder. When we finished our ride, we felt like we were coming home when we arrived at the Kathmandu Village House, a place that welcomed us like we were old friends.

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n retrospect, we should have travelled with at least three bikes for the terrain we encountered, but alas, we had only our Liv Avail AR. It did the trick surprisingly well, although it was definitely one of those “don’t try this at home” moments. We took those beautiful bikes on roads that would have broken a lesser bike in half. And by roads, we mean all types of roads. Cobblestone. Pit-holed pavement. Smooth dirt. Dirt so fine the dust stuck to your teeth. Rutted roads. Rocks. More rocks. The most pristine tarmac known to any human being. Nepal is one of those places where you don’t know what you’ll find around that bend in the road. Perhaps the lack of predictability is exactly why we were so drawn to it. You have to exist a bit more in the moment, check your expectations and ego, and find a way to adapt, rather than expecting everything else to shift around you.

jennifer gurecki

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oz and I are following in the footsteps of women who have found themselves drawn to the freedom and excitement of the bicycle. Tessa Hulls, the visual artist/comic/writer/adventurer who also happens to be an expert on the history of women in cycling, said that women like Maria Ward, Tillie Anderson, Alice Austen, Louise Armaindo, Joyce Barry, Rosa May Billinghurst, Lizzie Baymer, Amelia Bloomer, Elsa von Blumen, Martha Hughes Cannon, Hélène Dutrieu, Flora Drummond, Margaret Gast, Mary Sargent Hopkins, Frances Benjamin Johnston, Annie Londonderry, Kittie Knox, Annie Oakley, Elizabeth Robins Pennell, Dora Rinehart, Tessie Reynolds, Billie Samuels, Alfonsina Strada, Valda Unthank, Maria Ward, Frances Willard, Ginny Wood, and Fanny Bullock Workman (they all deserve to be named in order to recognize women’s contribution to the sport) found themselves at the height of the cycling revolution in the 1890s. It was the pinnacle of transportation technology, and it granted women a freedom of movement that they had never seen before. Hulls said that not only could they leave their houses for the first time with ease, their entire wardrobe changed with the invention of the bloomer by Amelia Bloomer. But when the Model T came along in 1908, it “took away the momentum of the bicycle being an agent of change,” Hulls said. Cycling lost its credibility as a legitimate mode of transportation and was relegated to a lifestyle activity. Women’s accomplishments in cycling were all but erased as they were lost in the shuffle. Roz and I hope that our friendship and story can help change that because our stories of life on the road and in the saddle need to be told.

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What’s In Their Pack?

A Type 1 Kit for Type 2 Fun

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with

Jen + Roz

Liv Avail AR:

We learned was that whether it was navigating broken asphalt or venturing through mountainous dirt roads, the Liv Avail AR is fast on flats, spry on climbs, and confident on descents. It’s got all of the bells and whistles including the latest 3F endurance geometry and lightweight ALUXX frame. Three things we liked the most: 1) The D-Fuse seat post that kept us comfortable in the saddle, 2) The Advancedgrade carbon fork that kept the vibrations in check, and 3) Wide tires that came in handy for off-road riding.

Least important but worth mentioning: It’s sexy AF.

Liv Sumi 3/4 Sleeve Jersey: This jersey is stained with so much dirt and grime that no amount of detergent can fix it. But we kind of like that as it’s a reminder of what it was like cycling through the hills of Nepal. It’s all we wore, day after day, and it seriously performed. The moisture-wicking TransTextura™ fabric was built for speed-drying, which we needed since all we did was sweat in it (and sometimes cry). The 3/4 length sleeves were perfect for sun protection without making us feel like we were dressed for cold weather.

And the zipper stash pocket was perfect for tucking away our mid-morning snacks.

Topo Designs Global Dress and Boulder Pants: When we switched routes and calculated the elevation gain we’d be tackling each day, we paired down our entire kit to fit into one bag and left the panniers in Kathmandu. Thankfully, we had a few pieces of stylish apparel from Topo Design constructed from lightweight, breathable tech fabric with 2-way mechanical stretch. Each piece rolled into the tiniest ball and could be secured with their clever PackFast™ packing band. The best part was that we could wash it in a bucket before we went to bed, and by the morning it would all be dry. These pieces definitely became staples in our technical travel ensemble.

Sherpa Adventure Gear Asaar 2.5-Layer Ultralightweight Waterproof Jacket: Although the plan was to be done with our ride before the afternoon rains set in, we found ourselves on the road into the evening most days. Good thing we packed this ultra-lightweight raincoat from Sherpa that not only had every technical feature we were looking for in a raincoat, but it also balled up into its own pocket. It’s made with Sherpa’s signature Himaltec® laminated fabric that features a hydrophyllic membrane that’s lightweight, breathable, and wind-resistant. It’s also affordable (unlike other technical jackets), and for every product sold, they help provide education and resources for children in Nepal, which we think is pretty cool.

Swift Industries Zeitgeist Saddle Bag:

This was our favorite bag that carried just about everything we needed for seven days in the saddle. It fit a change of clothing, slim sandals, toiletries, and the random odds and ends you need for a multi-day trip. What we loved the most about the Zeitgeist Saddle Bag was how it doubled as a day bag with the hidden clips and shoulder strap. It’s made from X-Pac™ ripstop materials, so we knew we could count on its durability for this trip and more of our adventures to come.

Beyond their sturdy and stylish packs, we also love Swift Industries’ approach to business—they are Seattlebased adventurers who value slow growth and working long, hard hours with their team of seamstresses to get people traveling by bicycle.

Nutrient Instant Coffee: This might be running through our veins at this point, and we’re OK with that. Nutrient makes instant coffee designed to help athletes and amateurs alike harness our bodies natural power to break the performance barrier. Each cup has 50% of your daily need of 13 vitamins so your body can perform naturally. As someone who can’t be bothered to remember to take a multi-vitamin but would never miss her morning cup of coffee, this was perfect. Packed with all of the vitamins we needed for the day, we started every morning with at least two cups of Nutrient coffee. Nutrient gets bonus points for actually tasting good, too.

MANDA Organic Sun Creme: When you spend all day in the sun, you want to prevent the burn but avoided drenching your body in chemicals. MANDA Organic Sun Creme is made from only the highest quality, food grade, all natural and organic ingredients. No harmful chemicals or synthetics are added, making it non-toxic and reef safe (for those of you who like to swim and surf). It leaves your skin slightly white and opaque, but we didn’t care because 1) We had no one to impress and 2) We liked knowing that it contained Thanaka, a traditional powder derived from the bark of a tree native to Myanmar, making it a sustainable and regenerative ingredient. Thanaka has been used for over 2,000 years as a natural sun protectant that preserves and beautifies the skin. And if you take a closer look at the photos, we needed all the help we could get.

Haldiram’s Aloo Bhujia: Because sometimes you don’t want to consume another energy bar and just want to shove large amounts of fried, spiced potatoes down your throat and then wash them down with a cold soda. Or beer. Or both.

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queen of the mountains How one womAn’s dedication to cycling has taken her places few Nepali women have ever reached

jennifer gurecki | @yogurecki

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hat would you do if you were standing on the podium after a big win, and as the men were handed checks with ample zeros printed on them, you we awarded a congratulatory paper certificate? If you’re Laxmi Magar, one of the top women cyclists in Nepal, you’d rip it up, walk away, train harder, and win again.

From the outside looking in, it might appear that this brazen cyclist has risen out of nowhere, but that’s not the case. Despite her seemingly quick rise to the top of the cycling scene in Nepal, Magar has dedicated her entire life to the sport. She got her start on the rough football fields in her home town of Nuwakot. As a child, she would rent a bike for one rupee an hour and find open places to ride. She couldn’t reach the pedals so she would sit on the saddle and her friends would push her. Once her legs caught up with her tenacity, she borrowed bicycles from her relatives. But it was rare to find bikes, she said, particularly for a girl.

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It wasn’t until Magar finished secondary school and began focusing on her studies at university that she found cycling again. She had left home, was living on her own, and couldn’t afford the bus fare. She picked up an old second hand bike and started riding to and from school and work. As she learned how to deftly dart through the Kathmandu traffic, she realized that she could go faster than all of the vehicles on the road. At the same time she started riding with a handful of Sherpas (one of the ethnic groups native to the mountainous regions of Nepal), and she became stronger both physically and mentally.

“People think that I just popped out, but I started my life with zero. It was a tough life but I managed.

It’s the hard work and years I have spent time on a bicycle and my experience and dedication. I left my father’s place. I rented a room and I rode my bicycle to work and at the same time I went to university. I studied, I worked, I raced. People don’t think that I had done training a lot before the race, months and

years, and the cost of maintaining a bike and traveling. When I win, they see just the winning part.”

It was when she started beating the boys that things got really interesting. They believed they were entitled to be in front of her: men lead, women follow. But not in the case of Magar.

The men didn’t quite know what to do with this newfound feeling of inadequacy, so they compensated the only way they knew how: “They made excuses like muscle cramps or I’m so hungry or my bike is giving me problems or I did not sleep well. Excuses,” she said laughing. It was then that she found her stride.

“Now I can find mountains on my bicycle. It’s the happiest thing. I can see the views from the top. Enjoy the breeze. Enjoy everything.”

Well not everything.

Despite the current rise of cycling in Nepal, Magar is still an anomaly. Anyone who has pushed the boundaries and chosen a life outside of societal norms can find themselves lonely, despite the perceived success. “In the context of Nepal, mine is not a regular life––spending life as a racer and athlete. It was not preferable life according to my father, but I chose it, and it became my addiction.

That’s why I didn’t look for the life to settle and make a house and a family and a relaxed life and wait for my husband’s income. I didn’t look for that one. I looked for cycling.”

What she’s found in trying to make a career out of cycling is what many women athletes around the world face: blatant sexism. “There is no equal opportunity.

I don’t think women are treated equally or provided opportunity equally in Nepal or in South Asia. My race experiences are so bad,” she said remembering the times that prizes were promised only to find out nothing would be given after she traveled, competed, and won the race. “I forgot to laugh now because I’m so much sad [sic] with events and treatment from the South Asian organizers.” Magar responded the only way she knew how: challenging the race organizers, demanding a women’s category, and continuing to train, compete, and show up.

Her attitude and absolute dismissal of the status quo in Nepal has earned her a bit of a reputation. She’s the type of woman whom many people misunderstand.

Her quiet yet take-noshit approach has intimidated people in her cycling community.

“Some people know me as Queen of the Mountains,” she said, “and 47

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some know me as a friend.” It’s the latter that is exemplified in the way that she supports other women in pursing a sport that has become her life and her livelihood. She sponsors other cyclists who are serious about the sport. She volunteers her time as a coach and organizes cycling clinics. She’s started a cycling training center in Kathmandu. And in the off season, she dedicates her time as a swimming coach for girls.

If she was in born the Western world, Magar may have already risen to elite athlete status, but because she’s Nepali, she is virtually unknown to major sponsors, the media, and subsequently, the public. Her ability to obtain visas to travel, the low wages, the exchange rate, and the dismissal of women cyclists will continue to present road blocks to her success.

But that isn’t going to stop her. “I am with this mountain biking industry—I’m taking my body and bike to-

gether as a soul and body.” It is precisely that level of dedication and intensity that Magar will need to rise to the top of a sport that is predominately white, Western, and male. One can only wonder what the excuses will be if she ever has the chance to pass them by.

Training and competing as an elite athlete isn’t cheap, and as a Nepali woman, Laxmi doesn’t have access to the sponsors and support that her Western counterparts do. You can change that by sharing her story and purchasing a piece from our Queen of the Mountains apparel line. We’re giving Laxmi 10% of all sales to help her pay for spare and replacement bike parts, travel costs, and competition fees.

Laxmi was Roz and Jen’s cycling guide in Nepal.

Without her, they would not have known which random, unmarked dirt road to turn onto to as they made their way up hills and across rivers. Because of her, Roz and Jen were able to see things that few tourists do, and they did it at a pace that allows you to take things in that you simply can’t when you travel by car.

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If she knew what she was getting into, she might have said no. Roz and Jen look good on paper—a former Olympic athlete and the owner of a ski company—but when it came to crushing Nepali flat? Not so much. What Laxmi could do in a few hours took them all day, and it wasn’t pretty. But as with any Type 2 Fun, when you’re finished you have a greater appreciation and respect for the people who endured the adventure with you.

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From the Perspective of Nepal: Sustainable & Ethical Adventure Travel MARY JACKSON, Ph.D. | @brittlestar_sustainability

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hat comes to mind when you think of Nepal or Mount Everest? Sweeping panoramas of glaciated peaks and prayer flags, incense and monks in burgundy robes, or humans lined up like lemmings en route to the top of the world? Those images are not inaccurate, but Nepal is more than its common perceptions. It is diverse in history, culture, and environment.

Sociopolitical and cultural complexities reflect the topography and ecological diversity of the country, from the grasslands of Terai to the top of Everest. So why do many Western travelers have imaginations of Shangri La? These questions led me to ponder the motivations and impacts of travel to this (once) small kingdom. It was time to interrogate my own participation as an adventure traveler and examine possibilities of sustainable and ethical travel.

Arguably, adventure and exploration are as old as humankind because our instincts have always led us afar from our ancestral homes. Yet adventure travel is a relic of European imperialism and romanticism, which has evolved from colonial quests for domination of place and people, to spiritual or consumerist escapes from the modern world, to an attempt to reconnect with nature. Through this lens, motivations and perceptions are deeply rooted in colonialist ideals.

The romanticization of climbing or visiting Everest, or Chomolungma by the Indigenous name, is not accidental. You (we), the Western climber, armchair mountaineer, or the newer neologism of “outdoorist,�

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...adventure travel is a relic of European imperialism and romanticism, which has evolved from colonial quests for domination of place and people, to spiritual or consumerist escapes from the modern world, to an attempt to reconnect with nature.

are meant to idolize and dream of Everest. It is meant to metaphorically represent your dreams, hopes, wishes, and challenges. Climbing Everest is meant to be your internal mountain to claim and summit as a representation of all that you can achieve. For if you can’t literally claim it as your own, like a man placing the flag on a newly colonized land, it can at least be symbolic of your power. The first ascent of Everest was managed and manipulated by the media––from mapping to climbing Everest––it was a cartographic colonization. If the British could not literally colonize Tibet or Nepal, they could stand atop the highest peak and declare colonial continuance. And what a delightful coincidence for them that this summit occurred on the eve of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.

Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, the heroes of mountaineering, were used by the media to reestablish the then-waning power of Great Britain.

In subsequent years, and through the growth of a booming capitalist economy, the mountain became more of a commodity. It was sold as an experience, to mostly businessmen, to show power and strength. And today, the legacy of power lingers. The common person from any place on the globe, with enough sponsorships or disposable income and a moderate level of experience, can climb atop the world and also show their power, metaphorical or not.

8,306 people have summited Everest and 30-40,000 people trek to Nepal base camp annapurna each year. Overcrowding, overdevelopment, and climate change, among other issues, are continuing to shape the dynamic culture of this place. Tourism is in large part run by the locals who provide tourism infrastructure, the Sherpa (the ethnic group of Khumbu, the Everest region).

Yet Sherpa and their environment have been, and continue to be, exploited by their government and Westerners who climb and adventure in their mountains and research their culture. It has shifted aspects of their relationship with the land, economic incentives, and spirituality regarding the mountains.

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humbu serves as a kind of ground-zero for the adventure industry and its discourse.

It is a packaged deal, an idealized bucket list journey, promoted as a spiritual and mystical place where one can travel like Indiana Jones. Everest is saturated in global media and mountaineering tropes. Yet it is melting, and fast. The colonial idealization of the early years of Everest and the commercialized climbs and treks make this not a wild place of mountains, but a complex and globalized phenomenon. From this vantage, ethical and sustainable tourism in Nepal can also be considered from a global perspective.

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he following seven points are meant as a starting point for travelers to consider and seek to decolonize tourism:

1. Educate and Respect Culture: Learn about the diverse cultures of where you travel. What are Indigenous beliefs of the land? What customs and language can you consider learning? How can you think about spirituality and religion without appropriating?

2. Sustainability: Consider your impact especially in delicate bioregions. Garbage is not always carried out or recycled, and more often that not, may be burned. Don’t bring single use plastic or throw away disposable products. On mountain treks, avoid packaged foods and drinks and eat as the locals eat. Consider limiting plane travel to lessen your carbon footprint. What alternative transportation can you find?

3. Climate Change: Actions at home impact the very glaciers that create the Himalaya. You can see the glaciers melt in real time trekking in Nepal or flying over Greenland. From your plane ride, to the shoes you wear, to who you voted for, contributed to it. Sustainability is not only to be solved by the actions of corporations but also by cultural shifts in how we consume and perceive our relationships with more-than-human nature.

4. Conscious and Critical Media: Do you photograph and describe travels through an idealized perspective? Attempt to not commodify or romanticize, as this constructs a false narrative. Did you really travel if you didn’t post on social media? And most importantly, do not take pictures without consent, whether or not you post them online.

5. Legacy of Colonialism: Know the history of where you are going. How has this country been impacted by colonialism or imperialism (even if it was never a colony like Nepal)? How has globalization helped or hindered this place?

Understand that Nepal, or Cambodia, or Tanzania (wherever you go) is not as one dimensional as an overly-edited, dreamy Instagram post might have you believe. These are homes where people live and work and die. You are a visitor and not entitled to anything.

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6. Outdoor Industry and Gear: Why do you need fancy gear? The outdoor industry needs you to keep buying things and is really good at greenwashing products. Of course we need gear, but consider purchasing second hand or from companies with an emphasis on sustainable manufacturing, repair, and recycling. Better yet, support local manufacturers and purchase gear during your travels. Nepal has their own amazing versions of brand name gear.

7. Alternatives: Overtourism is an issue, from Everest Base Camp to Machu Picchu. Want to climb Everest? Consider the less crowded and impacted North/Tibetan side, or trek elsewhere, like from Jiri or western Nepal. Many areas could benefit from local and sustainable tourism. Seek out these places.

... the way we use nature as separate from, as a resource for human achievement, be it fossil fuels or a rock to stand atop, affect more than ourselves.

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his past season on Everest, many blamed the Nepali government for the record number of deaths. If only they issued fewer permits and, as some have said, weren’t as greedy. That could be true. However, the context of poverty, that colonial legacy, and a global market has much deeper implications. In addition, as visitors who hold dear to our hearts the commodity of adventure, we have a deep role to play. How we define and use mountains as a tool to boost human ego has a damning effect. This is in a sense philosophical and harder to grapple with. But the way we use nature as separate from, as a resource for human achievement, be it fossil fuels or a rock to stand atop, affects more than ourselves. The ways we depict Everest and adventure in media is far more impactful than one can assume. The lack of knowledge of the backgrounds and history of nature and culture can create a muddled idealization of this place. There is not one solution to implement ethical travel, but one thing is certain: As humans continue to commodify all that is not human, those glaciers will melt, Everest will change, and the path to the top will be more emblematic of the failings of humans than of some manufactured power pose.

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Not For His Mouth How one Nepali man is following in his mother’s footsteps to change the lives of local women We stumbled upon Woven in Pokhara, noticing its modern storefront and on-trend accessories lining the shelves inside. We wanted to find out who was behind this business that stood out from the rest of the curio stands hawking fake yak blankets and cashmere scarves. It surprised us to find out it was Anup Khadka, who grew up watching his mother, Ramkali Khadka, the founder of the Women’s Skills Development Organization of Nepal, execute on an extraordinary vision to transform the lives of Nepali women and their communities.

Tell us about Woven.

Woven sells handmade bags, purses, and accessories that are sourced and assembled by the Women’s Skills Development Organization of Nepal (WSDO), 54

a non-profit, fair trade organization that provides employment to over 600 women. We opened our first store in 2012 and now we have seven retail stores in Nepal and this year we opened a store in Cambodia. Our objective is to empower women and to help create a market for locally sourced products that are created by women’s cooperatives in Nepal.

What inspired you to start Woven?

My mother worked for the government of Nepal in women’s development and at that time, being a woman in that position was a very big thing. She had the skills to train women and so she started WSDO to help create jobs for women. She never thought that it would be this big.

She just wanted to help the neediest women. She started with four people and 10,000 Nepal rupees nearly 40 years ago.

I grew up in the same building as the WSDO— our house was attached to it. I grew up with it and enjoyed it. When I was a boy I would look through the gate at my house and see women coming to visit my mother who wanted to work. They wanted jobs, and they used to cry because they didn’t have opportunities. It was really bad in their villages. The ladies wouldn’t work. It’s not like how it is today. At that time, everyone thought the ladies should be at home doing the housework.

When I was older, I worked as a volunteer in WSDO for seven or eight years, and after that I thought of establishing a business that would help the women.

This is my first business, but so far it is going OK. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced starting this business?

The off season is hard, and tourism is not as good

as before. We do not have Chinese tourists like before—they used to be one of the best consumers of our products. Since the earthquake the highways have been closed. Tourists are more interested in our products than the locals. We would be happier if that was different. We don’t do much marketing to be honest; people don’t know much about it. We don’t want to be too commercial. The commercialism will overpower our values.

What’s different in Nepal since your mother started WSDO more than 40 years ago?

Men used to not value women. The new generation is completely different because of education and the internet.

How the internet has gone through Nepal has changed a lot. They can see what is going on in America. They can get the information right now. Before it was impossible and you had to wait for television to get the news. Technology is imparting a new set of values on a newer generation. Every year it’s changing and newer generations are trying to educate their mothers and

fathers. There’s not a lot of tension. We see more girls are working, and more boys are educated.

How has Woven impacted the lives of women?

You cannot even imagine that they do not even have 10 rupees in their pocket. They don’t even have bus fare.

That’s why we go to them. Their lives have changed a lot. There are so many stories. This gives them confidence and independence. But it’s not appropriate for my mouth to describe how their life has changed.

How can Woven?

people

support

Visit our shops in Pokhara and Kathmandu and support the ladies. We have 1,500 women in the pipeline who want to work so we need to make more goods.

You can also find a selection of Woven goods at Coalition Snow’s Flagship Store in Truckee, CA. Details at CoalitionSnow.com.

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A Two-Wheeled Experim ent for Entrepr eneurs How Kathmandu-based Portal Bikes is trying to revolutionize cycling for the working class JENNIFER GURECKI | @yogurecki In a country where it is impossible to find the proper materials, all the way down to the nuts and bolts, why would one entrepreneur start a bike company that only caters to locals? That’s a question that Caleb Spears, the founder of Portal Bikes, is still trying to answer.

In 2006, when Spears moved to Nepal, he found himself frustrated along side the one million residents of Kathmandu who experienced load power outages. Everyone assumed that the country didn’t have the infrastructure or financial means to keep the power on 24 hours day, seven days week. One year, after the holiday season, the power miraculously stayed on. Come to find out there was a new employee—with an electrical degree and no ties to the large energy corporations—who chose to keep the lights on. The things that people thought were never possible all of a sudden were, and it elevated the spirit of the entire city. That was all the motivation Spears needed to start Portal Bikes, a social business whose mission is to develop the most innovative and adaptable bicycles that transform lives and power businesses.

What Spears knew then, as he emphatically knows now, is that the bicycle could be used as a tool for economic empowerment. “People don’t need handouts, they need jobs,” he said with a unwavering conviction. What he saw all around him in Kathmandu were men of the lowest caste who had no way of transporting themselves, their supplies, and their goods around the heavily congested city. Their main mode of transportation was their own two feet, paired with a push cart.

He wondered how he could make their daily lives easier and their existing work more efficient and 56

profitable. As an avid cyclist, Spears knew that there was a faster way to get form point A to point B: a bicycle. And since time is money, with more of it, his theory was that entire families would benefit.

Hundreds of Kathmandu residents have proved his theory, using their bikes to beat the traffic through narrow alleyways, transporting their supplies from one job to the next, and delivering more goods to their suppliers. Despite the success with their early adopters, Portal Bikes is like any start-up––cobbled together by the founders who are constantly shifting strategies to solve problems , and meeting the needs of their community, all while staying cash flow positive. It takes grit, a certain amount of suffering, and a willingness to do what ever it takes. Like packyour-bags-and-defycustoms type of risks.

“For the first few years, every piece we needed I carried over in a suit case and every spare part came from America,” Spears said laughing.

Fortunately, Portal has evolved and improved their manufacturing over the

$400 on an old beat-up motorbike, Spears said. Unless the bikes are given away for free, there’s not a huge market. And while Portal was created to make money, it needed some sort of revenue. So Spears asked himself the question so many founders ask themselves: “How can we pivot to serve the local economy?” This question was answered for him, unfortunately.

After the earthquake in 2015, things rapidly changed for Portal. They knew they had the capacity to build structures—they had the steel, the pipe benders, the know-how—so they trained 18 organizations to build more than 5,000 emergency shelters. They realized that they could alter their make-shift housing plans and turn them into permanent structures, which they did. 175 homes later, there’s still color-coded, Lego-like pipes at Portal headquarters waiting to be distributed to the next person who was ready to build. Portal Prefab and Portal Shelters are helping to fund and keep the momentum going for the 10 local employees at Portal, which is the most important part.

Tenjing Gurung is one of the Nepali team members.

He works at Portal because it’s a way for him to bring his ideas into reality, a way to bring positive change to his community. “I work for Portal because I want to help our locals whenever is possible. At the same time I get a opportunities to learn and explore more about social business. Portal is trying to bring creativity and sustainability in communities… There is incredible value to them,” he said.

years. They currently maintain relationships with manufacturers in India and Taiwan and assemble the bikes in Nepal, a decision that is allowing them to produce bicycles that are more reliable and cost less.

Although things are improving and they are seeing growth, like every venture that begins in a place with limited infrastructure, nothing has been been easy. Despite the affordability and a seemingly huge market of people who need reliable and cheap transportation, it’s been an uphill battle. To state the obvious, people are unbelievably poor. Despite the rise in mountain biking— both with Kathmandu locals and tourists—bicycles are for the working class, the lower caste Indian immigrants; there is a social stigma that is difficult to overcome. And bicycles just aren’t that cool or fast when you can spend

When asked the one question that every entrepreneur dreads—”What will you do if you fail?”—Spears is relatively calm. “It’s our our poor choice,” he said laughing. “I guess we could have gone vanlife-ing for five years, but we did this for seven years instead. The kids will have to run faster or study harder to go to college.” For the imminent future, Spears is looking at how they can tap into the expanding market of mountain biking tourism with guided trips in the Himalaya that will support Portal in maintaining their bicycle production. Spears and the entire team are still committed to creating jobs and helping the lower castes gain a freedom of movement and economic empowerment that they haven’t experienced before. It’s just a matter of how long they are willing to wait out a market that will hopefully soon come to realize that with the costs of fuel and and the stand-still traffic, the bike will prevail as the faster, more economical choice for entrepreneurs who will are ready to take their two feet off the ground and onto the pedals.

Learn more about Portal Bikes at PortalBikes.com and give them a follow on Instagram at @portalbikes.

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“The bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it gets old and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and get a new one without shocking the entire community.�

Ann Strong early feminist cyclist Minneapolis Tribune, 1895

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Bike Camping Made Easy martina Brimmer | @swiftindustries Interested in getting into bike camping but don’t know where to start? Here’s a few faves from Martina Brimmer, the Co-Founder & Head Honcho of Swift Industries.

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Use a combo of Google maps, Gaia Maps, and a gazetteer to build your route and upload it into RidewithGPS on your smartphone.

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Invest in a good travel battery so you can use your smartphone to navigate, but be sure to print out a set of maps in case you gotta go analog!

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Load up and shakedown! Pack up your bicycle and commute to and from work fully loaded up with all your gear. It’s a rad way to make sure everything fits and feels right.

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Leave at least 25% of your space free for food! Whether you resupply every day or once in a blue moon, you’ll need plenty of space to carry your grub.

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Find the best pace for your body. It’s not a race, unless you want it to be.

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Free your senses: Take in the sights, sounds, and smells of life on the open road. It’s the gift a lifetime to slow down and wander.

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Saddle sores are the very epitome of a PITA. Treat your bum like gold! Refresh with bird baths, let yourself air out at the end of the day, and bring along healing salves or chamois butter to lube up.

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Put three large trash bags in the bottom of your bags. They are large enough to be your makeshift poncho, a dry-ish spot to sit after a downpour, or a pack-liner if the rain gods decide to join you for the ride.

swift industries and timothy lake

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gear to get you

started

5 Brands for 5 New Outdoor Adventures ERICA ZAZO | @onecurioustrvlr We all have that bucket list adventure that we haven’t quite tackled yet.

Maybe it’s learning to fly fish at Yellowstone for the first time ever. Or maybe it’s figuring out how to rig your bike to roll into the backcountry for a multi-night camping trip.

brings the sport back to the basics with a kit that includes a simple rod, line, tippet, and fly. Their lightweight, compact rods extend from just 20 inches to 10-13 feet in length and take less than a minute to set up. Beginners can opt for one of their rod packages, which includes everything you might need to get started.

Taking the plunge into trying a new outdoor sport can be overwhelming, especially when you see a bunch of other rad people online or on the trail excelling at the very sport you’re trying to get into.

Here’s your reminder to take a step back. Think back to that first time you laced up your boots to hit the trail, packed your backpack for your first long thru-hike, or rolled out of your driveway for that inaugural long-distance trip. Each adventure started with the same itch to try something new.

Test the waters with the help of these five brands that are making outdoor adventure more attainable, even if you’re a beginner.

Bike Packing – Sierra Designs SierraDesigns.com Beginner bike packers will quickly learn that light gear that can be strapped to your bike is essential. Sure, you can shell out loads of money for fancy add-ons like saddle packs or rear racks, but when you’re starting out, chances are you’re rigging gear to your bike frame with bungee cords.

Fly Fishing – Tenkara Rod Co. TenkaraRodCo.com At first glance, fly fishing can seem extremely intimidating. The gear alone is enough to make beginners question if the sport is worth the hassle. Expensive poles, technical fly reels, pricey waders—the list goes on. Not to mention the learning curve that comes with fly tying, casting, navigating the water, and unhooking your catch.

Tenkara Rod Co. has set out to change that mindset with their minimalist fly fishing setup. Inspired by the Japanese method of Tenkara fly fishing, their gear 60

Sierra Designs, an outdoor gear brand whose roots date back to 1965, has always made products that are functional and affordable. Releasing its newest collection for spring 2020, they’ve designed a key piece of gear—a bike packing tent—that keeps this booming crop of adventurers top of mind.

The High Side 2 is a great option for entry-level bike packing. At only 3lbs 5oz, this lightweight tent features compact poles that break down small enough to fit across handlebars, a two-door vestibule for easy entry and exit, and a higher hoop pole at the head of the tent so you can sit up inside. An extendible awning included with the rain fly will also come in handy for extra shelter and shedding water during rainy trips.

Overlanding – Helinox Helinox.com If you’ve ever dreamt about cruising in a vintage Land Rover Defender or tearing up a backcountry road in a rugged Toyota Tacoma, odds are you’re into the idea of Overlanding. This vehicle-based, self-supported way of travel makes it possible to drive cross-country or deep into the remote wilderness and survive off-the-grid with only your car.

Backpacking – Arrive Outdoors ArriveOutdoors.com Backpacking gear can run anywhere from hundreds, all the way up to thousands, of dollars. On top of that, navigating the myriad gear brands on the market can make for a confusing, stressful, and expensive process for outfitting a backcountry trip.

Thanks to Arrive Outdoors, your gear closet just got bigger. This company makes packing and preparing for your next backpacking trip as easy as ordering a lastminute gift on Amazon.

Scroll through Instagram and you’ll find adventure vans, roof-top tents, and lifted SUVs sporting thousands of dollars worth of equipment. However, customizing your adventure vehicle can be a huge time, labor, and financial commitment. Fortunately, Overlanding doesn’t require those fancy add-ons. For those of us at the start of their Overlanding journey, it can also just mean packing the creature comforts, like an air mattress, etc.

With their warehouse of top-notch brands, including big names like Deuter, Marmot, and Thermarest, aspiring backpackers can curate their own gear setup on Arrive’s online marketplace. Once you have selected their equipment—from sleeping bags and tents to backcountry cookware—you can schedule gear to be delivered directly to you or any address near the trailhead.

Brands like Helinox have made a name for themselves with lightweight, portable camping equipment that also doubles as great Overlanding gear. Helinox’s Lite Cot and Chair Zero, for example, pack down small and are super light and duTrail Running – Salomon Salomon.com rable, making it easy to stow away in the back of a car or The two key elements for a successful trail run are hydration and foot safety. truck. Additionally, Helinox Supportive shoes and a well-fitted running pack can make all the difference for has launched a line of adapta new trail runner. Not sure which brand to pick? Salomon, a leading name in able accessories, including the trail running scene, is a great place to start. drink holders, sunscreen covers, and Vibram chair feet, that make it even easFor women runners, Salomon’s Advanced Skin 8 Set W goes the extra mile. Its ier (and more comfortable) unique design reduces pressure on the chest when cinched down and comes to customize your adventure with soft water flasks for extra comfort. For footwear, the new Sense Ride 2 progear. vides cushion, support, and a durable sole that doesn’t stray far from the feel of a traditional road shoe. The crucial difference is the trail shoe’s ability to handle long miles of rugged terrain.

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poetry in motion Athena Fliakos | AthenaFliakos.com

The Treesome In March when the sun comes close and the snow begins her melt We go to the beach, listen for heron landing the buzzing of things.

A smell so close to the earth, the fallen trees like soldiers fallen for something bigger.

I keep thinking. And that is the problem.

When I cease in the activity of thinking it is all well, the water runs, the shape of oceans we know everything about, without thinking.

As a body I’m restless climbing hills in all weathers, hardly believing that Evil is a thing.

The snow a sparkle in the noonday sun and bluebird, the sky a home for all fathers, feathers of bird skins, shluffing.

The dog lifts her paws and listens for danger.

It would not be a sacrifice to give her life for mine. She makes a point of it to tell me this, writes a boundary around my body to say she is mine alone.

And I am hers.

And life is being given.

Dog and woman And God.

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how not to be a bullying bitch in the outdoors from the creator of “how not to travel like a basic bitch: where race and travel intersect”

Kiona | @hownottotravellikeabasicbitch

Leave No Trace (LNT) has become the gold-standard organization for the entire outdoor industry, from non-profits to guides and outfitters to the average person frolicking in nature. These guidelines at first glance might seem beneficial for the general public and the environment. However, when we take a closer look at the cultural implications of these principles, we see that using LNT as a baseline and employing these rules in real life has led to unintended consequences–– like straight up racist harassment under the guise of LNT ethics.

Indigenous Peoples Don’t Need To Be Told To “Leave What You Find” On a recent trip to Utah on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land with Alex Piechowski-Begay, an Navajo outdoors guide, I noticed signs next to the plants that were written in English, Latin, Hopi, and Navajo. They described the medicinal use of each one. I squealed with delight as he pointed them out. “I’m so happy they’re doing this and acknowledging the use for the plant AND in Indigenous languages. Wow! Way to acknowledge the people who have always lived here.” I mean, seriously, when was the last time you came across signage with a side of wokeness?

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However, woke I was not. You see, he brought me here because he said that although it seems like progress, the land was stolen from the Navajo upon becoming established as a “protected” area. He posed the question: “Protected from whom?” The Navajo have used this land for medicine, firewood, and survival for millennia. They also used it track wildlife and gain access to bodies of water. All of it has since evaporated thanks to uranium companies and LNT practices. The Navajo are now no longer able to forage off the land nor track wildlife nor have access to safe drinking water.

Let me simplify this for you. This land has been cared for by the Navajo for thousands of years. White settlers came, colonized, and destroyed the land. Now they have ironically created rules—or LNT guidelines—on how to preserve it. The original caretakers of this land, the Navajo, are being told what they can and cannot do. Does anything seem fucking backwards to you? “Leave What You Find” diminishes and invalidates the advanced knowledge and culture of Indigenous practices.

Let’s Go On A White Supremacy Road Trip And that was just Utah. Let’s travel to the super bloom in California.

... if the purpose is to preserve the environment for the future generations, well, Indigenous Peoples have been doing that long before the Mayflower ever landed on North America. They have always been on the front lines of environmental movements. We just haven’t seen them.

The super bloom is a rare phenomenon when California poppies magnificently dot the hilly landscape, painting them brilliant colors of red and orange. I saw the whole thing blossom online and was eager to check it out. Then I spoke with Rebecca Macarro, a member of the Payómkawichum Nation, an Indigenous Nation of California. She explained to me that she led an Indigenous youth group on a trip to harvest the poppies.

These poppies, as well as chia and other plants, are ancestral foods that have lain dormant for generations and are now sprouting to be eaten. This gathering has been practiced for thousands of years.

However, what was meant to act as an educational cultural trip ended up being a lesson in harassment and mansplaining when a White man in a Prius took it upon himself to get out of his car and be the nature police.

His decision to yell at Indigenous youth about picking flowers, citing the LNT guideline of “Leave What You Find,” solidified his privileged position in White Supremacy. As in, you don’t need to wear a white hood and be a part of the KKK to exemplify your White Supremacy. Simply asserting your belief that these guidelines made by White Americans are more important than the cultural, spiritual, and religious practices and human rights of Indigenous Peoples of North America is asserting White Supremacy. These Indigenous children ancestrally have a right to this land, and their experience in the outdoors doesn’t need to be tainted by

the defective opinions of White men.

These are only two examples of Indigenous Peoples across the United States experiencing unfair LNT guidelines that ostracize the way they live. And if the purpose of these guidelines is to preserve the environment for future generations, well, Indigenous Peoples have been doing that long before the Mayflower landed on North America. They have always been on the front lines of environmental movements. We just haven’t seen them.

When looking at the LNT guidelines and the intention to preserve the environment, were these rules made with Indigenous Peoples in mind? Or were they meant to also police the forgotten about and unconsidered Indigenous Peoples? Do we consider those already had environmentalism built into their cultural practices and who have historically only had positive impacts on the environment? LNT is just one of the ways in which racist guidelines promote bullying from White communities that dominate the outdoors.

White People Need To “Be Considerate Of Others” Now let’s travel to the Rocky Mountains. Two Black outdoor educators were leading a group of young Black men on a hike. These two leaders have won awards in outdoor education for championing programs for youth. On this day, they made everyone feel so comfortable that the group started to sing. How often do you hear people singing in the woods? Let alone men!

These boys were rejoicing in the outdoors. Yet, they were met with “hush” and “shh” from nearby hikers, attempting to silence them with one of the seven LNT guidelines, “Be Considerate of Other Visitors.”

This same behavior was mimicked in Texas. I attended a conference when Yesica Chavez, a Latina outdoors educator, recounted her first experience in the outdoors. She said her family was unable to afford a fancy vacation so they decided to go camping instead, for the first time. They sat around talking, trying to figure out how to set up a tent, cook, and make a fire. A short time later, they were met with, “QUIET DOWN,” from a White man who decided to harass them on their camping grounds, again citing LNT guidelines of “Be Considerate Of Other Visitors.” The family promptly packed up their camping gear and left. Vacation over.

So, whose consideration is taking precedence here?

Is nature meant to be enjoyed in silence or is nature meant to be enjoyed with singing and laughter? Who were these rules made for? Were they made with People Of Color (POC) in mind or for anyone who may recreate in the outdoors differently?

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The Solution: Diversify The LNT Board & Staff The fact that I have to write about this in 2019 is disgraceful. Diversity isn’t an option. It’s mandatory.

At this point, White People should be reflecting on their positions of power and the effects they have on marginalized groups on their own.

When it comes to these guidelines, we have collectively failed to question who made them and who they were meant for. The LNT Board of Directors and staff is comprised primarily of White or White-passing members. So while we’d like to believe that the LNT guidelines are objective, they are based on White cultural norms. This lack of perspective has unfortunately led to consequences for those who are not represented. Rules for public spaces that attempt to protect the environment need to also intersect with a more holistic society and everyone who may recreate in the outdoors.

Things Can Change With the creation of an advisory council of Indigenous and other POC leaders who can advise on updating LNT to be more inclusive, the outdoors can be a safe space for everyone. By involving POC, we can create sustainable solutions for both the environment and for the public.

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Is nature meant to be enjoyed in silence or is nature meant to be enjoyed with singing and laughter? Who were these rules made for?

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b et ween t h e seam A look at the people behind the brands we love An Interview with:

KHRISTIAN GILHAM of Topo Designs | @topodesigns Who are you?

Khristian Gilham, an apparel designer for Topo Designs, and you can find me on Instagram at @k.gilham. I’m from Montrose, Colorado, and I started school at CSU studying art and switched my major halfway through to apparel production and design. I am the youngest of five kids. I’m a bit awkward, I love naps, and hate ants. I like popcorn, beer, climbing, movies, being right, and airports.

How did you land this sweet ass job at Topo Designs?

Haha, honestly, no idea. Just kidding. I was persistent in offering up my time and energy and in showing I was eager to do whatever I could for the company in order to learn about the jobs. I happened to get sort of lucky. I started at Topo as the fit model, and then asked to shadow the designer for a bit so I could just learn from her, and then when she decided to go another way, I was given a sort of “trial period” to see how I would do. And I’m still here! It’s been such a crazy learning experience, but really, really rewarding. I also have a degree in apparel production and design, and I also had completed an internship for a company called Ohlin/D in New York. Being raised in Colorado with a serious interest in fashion helped me get along with our team pretty well.

Where do you find inspiration for your designs?

Inspiration comes from everywhere for me. I know everybody says that, but it’s true. I love old clothing, old photos, military surplus,

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courtesy of Khristian Gilham

furniture, architecture, sculpture, art, streetwear to runway, style across the world, movies... the list goes on. As cheesy as it is, I really love to shop for old clothes. It always inspires me a lot, and reminds me why I love clothing.

Walk us through the process—how do you go from idea to execution?

There is a ton that goes into that. We are constantly changing the formula as the company

gets bigger. We do a ton of research at the beginning of each season to understand what we think cool, and what is already being made. We create mood boards and color boards, and we try to all get on the same page about what’s happening in the world. But in a nut shell, our team tries to come to an agreement about an initial idea for a product (like for example a coverall, a zip-up fleece or a rain coat, etc.). After this, I will do research around the idea and make boards around the specific product. Then I sketch out as many iterations of the product as I can (with sleeves, without sleeves, with pockets, adding different seams, changing up the silhouettes and showing as many variations of the design as I can). We narrow that down, and from there I sketch up the final ideas with more detail and some color options. Then we narrow down even further, and start the process of putting the design into a “design spec.” That’s essentially as much detail and specification as I can give around the product: stitching, color, zipper size, button size, label placement, and any trims we want. Then this “spec” goes to our production team, and they communicate all of this to the factory in a much more detailed, thorough, and digestible way.

(They’re the real MVPs of the process; without them nothing gets made.) Then we work with them to work through fittings, color approvals, and problem solving. Once the product is made, our other teams try to sell it and market it! There’s wayyyyy more to it, but you get the picture!

What’s an average day on the job look like for you?

It honestly depends on where I’m at in the season. For instance, we are starting spring 2021 right now. So I am doing as much research as I can on trends, inspiration, colors, and silhouettes. Then I will compile all of that information and we will start the process I just described. Some days it looks like a full day of fitting prototypes of certain styles on our fit model, or finishing technical specs, approving plaid strike-offs, graphic tee artwork, or editing designs with updates from the production team, or even processing requests for collab projects.

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What has been the key to your success in this role?

I think a part of my success has been a willingness and excitement to continue to learn. I probably could have used a bit more confidence at times, but I think when you are willing to learn from mistakes and really accept that some people know more than you, it can help every aspect of your life and job.

What’s the one thing that people would least likely expect about your work?

Probably that our team is extremely small.

I do men’s and women’s apparel (and some accessories), as well as a lot of the apparelbased collab projects and graphic tees. My manager and creative director help me a ton with decisions and collaborating, but the design team is really only a team of three. I think most people think our company is a lot bigger than it really is.

films, television, or even plays/broadway/live shows. I really love to design into themes, or personalities, and a job like that would combine styling, searching for old clothing, sewing, and designing, which feels like a really fun mix of all the things I’m passionate about.

Favorite podcasts, music, or audiobooks you listen to while designing.

It’s a bit dark, but I like to listen to true crime podcasts, or American history, so Last Podcast on the Left, Criminal, Crime Junkie, Bear Brook, Lore, The Dollop, and sometimes Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Risk, Stuff You Should Know, and Oh No Ross and Carrie. Sometimes I listen to “Harry Potter” while I work, if I can. For music I have the most random music taste—it ranges from really bad top 40 pop music to classical, to jazz, to old country, to everything in between.

My family has a very eclectic taste so I have been influenced by them.

If you could design anything, what would it be and why?

Honestly I really love the problem-solving and functionality aspect of designing for Topo. But I think I would love doing costume design for

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A DIY project by:

Topo Designs | @topodesigns

We love to add a personal touch and flair to our jackets, packs, and other accessories by adding patches we pick up during travel, so we asked Khristian Gilham, an apparel designer for Topo Designs, to put together a DIY tutorial to patch your way to personal expression.

2. Decide where you want the patch to be attached on your bag (or whatever you’re sewing it onto).

Keep in mind that a placement near a seam or in an area where there is padding will make it harder to sew the patch on.

Sew By Hand Although this method is the most time consuming, it’s also the cheapest, and we think offers the largest sense of accomplishment after you’re finished!

Difficulty: Moderate Cost: Low Time: 20-30 minutes per patch Supplies: Needle, thread, pins, thimble, patches, and scissors

STEPS 1. Choose your thread for each patch. There are two schools of thought with color choice: 1) Match the patch border so the stitches disappear or 2) Choose a thread that contrasts and stands out. There is no right or wrong way; it’s all a matter of personal preference.

We recommend a high quality thread so that it doesn’t break, fray, or otherwise disappoint.

3. Pin the patch in place. If you don’t pin it, it likely will shift when you are sewing, which only matters if you don’t want a sideways patch.

4. Cut 16-20 inches of thread and fold it in half— you want to double up the thread because a single strand is not strong enough. There’s nothing more annoying than running out of thread, so make sure you have enough, but not so much that it tangles and knots up. Push the two loose ends of thread through the eye of the needle. The two loose ends should be shorter, about 3-4” long, with the folded end hanging longer.

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5. From the outside of the bag where your patch is now pinned into place, push the needle straight through the edge of the patch to the inside of the bag, and pull the needle and thread ALMOST the entire way through (leaving about a 1� loop visible on the top). Pro tip: Use a thimble to protect your fingers.

6. From the inside of the bag, push the needle straight back through the patch towards the outside in one of two ways: 1) From the area just outside of the patch and then down through the patch edge in an overcast stitch or 2) Along the inner edge of the patch creating a running stitch.

7. Send the needle and thread through the loop you kept visible from your first stitch and pull the needle and thread tight to secure it.

8. Stitch around the remaining area of the patch either of the two ways: 1) Over the edge of the patch or 2) Along the inner edge of the patch border. Once again, this is a style preference.

9. Once you have sewn around the entire patch, use a simple overhand loop to finish by pushing the needle through the outside to the inside of the bag, but don’t pull the thread tight. Push the needle back through to the outside of the bag and pass the needle through the loop you just created.

Then pull tight and repeat 2-3 times to secure the knot.

10. If the patch is not completely attached, use steps 4-9 again until you have finished. But as we mentioned before, this is annoying.

11. Remove pins and then

Show off your hard work !!!

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who's in charge? it’s never too early to get dialed in for winter. pro tips to hit the snow running by Lynsey Dyer, professional skier, Filmmaker, and co-founder of SheJumps. lynsey dyer | @lynseydyer

Visualize The Fun.

Spend a few days or weeks visualizing the fun, the flow, the powder, and the magical serendipitous meetings you’ll have on the chairlift or fulfilling that big objective goal that’s been haunting you for a while. Having a ski movie night helps! Find some old Warren Miller flicks or look up Pretty Faces online and get studying. Let your imagination really go wild with all the details of that dream ski trip you’ve been wondering about. What does it smell like? How do your legs feel? What sweet new goggles are you wearing? What’s the energy of the people you’re around? Do you ski powder all day and dance on tables at night in front of a band or is the meditation and reconnection to nature in the deep quiet woods what you’ve been craving? Wherever your fun meter takes you, let this day dream develop.

It will inform next steps!

Plan A Trip. A trip or an objective can serve

as the best motivations to get yourself mentally and physically prepared! Choose some dates, and commit

by November. Start planning at least one adventure outside of your hometown for this winter or spring. It could be a yurt in the wilderness for a ski tour, a weekend at a new resort, or even a day in a helicopter. Put it on the calendar and make a deposit to hold your dates. This will make all the difference for next steps.

Share the dates with friends you’d like to have along or sign up for a camp solo. Anything to hold yourself accountable to your winter goals. Action is everything with this step. It will also show you where your blocks lie. Notice them and write them down as they come up: I don’t have the funds to travel. I don’t have the time to travel. I’ve never been out of state before. I’ve never traveled alone before. I’m not good enough. I don’t deserve it. Get them all out on paper and then write the opposite belief on the other side of the paper. Let this sit for a bit. Which beliefs do you want to live by?

Start Training.

Sign up for that ski bootcamp or get some friends together to do all those exercises you’ve been meaning to do but hate. Consistency is the key here and you need a minimum of two months, three times a week of training to feel and see the benefit. Training is the greatest way to feel more alive on the slopes. You’ll be proud of yourself and love the happy side effects in the process.

Get Prepared.

Read up on the avalanche conditions where you will be skiing. Take a class like the SAFE AS Clinics. Plan to hire a guide for a day if you’re really new to an area and the backcountry; there’s no substitution for a trained professional.

Check your gear! Before you leave have your local ski shop check your bindings, wax your skis, and make sure your boots fit and are comfortable (happy feet will make all the difference). But remember that gear isn’t everything. You may get overwhelmed wondering if you need the latest heated boots or next year’s skis, but don’t worry about all that. Pack some hand warmers and get a helmet (even if it’s secondhand).

Remember, the mountains don’t care what you look like as long as you’re having fun.

Send It. Once it’s time to hit the slopes, you’ll know you’ve done everything you could you can to

make it a rad winter. Then open yourself up to the possibility that it can and will be your best yet. Most important, stay in the moment and be committed to the adventure of it. Things will go wrong, other things will go very right. Regardless, appreciate the adventure. You’re living a dream. Keep a journal and send me pics!

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MArketplace

NOSO Patches NosoPatches.com Whose stockings are you excited to stuff this year? Grab some Noso Patches!

They’re the perfect stocking stuffer, adding flair and repair your outdoor gear. Made of fabric, not tape, making it easy to personalize your gear like sleeping bags, tents, or the apparel you love most. Extend the life of your gear and keep having adventures with patches that feature artists like Kasey Jones, the latest artist to be featured in our ArtFix series. Jones uses her artistic voice as a means for social and environmental justice, instigating a dialogue that forces her viewers to confront issues that are typically hard to talk about. Check out our full line of patches available in tons of colors and styles at NosoPatches.com and follow our adventures at @nosopatches.

Hatshe Hatshe.com As lifelong athletes, we’ve learned that both old and new injuries tend to linger as we age, but we can’t let that slow us down from doing the things we love. Almost 8 years ago we discovered hemp-derived topicals were effective in keeping us moving. From then on we started developing Hatshe: a unique line of full spectrum hemp oil-infused creams, salves, and gels with elevated and labtested levels of CBD to keep us on the trail, out on the road, and looking for our next adventure. We use the best local, organic, and vegan ingredients from the Northwest to make products that we are proud to share. We believe that everyone is an athlete if they believe in the power of movement so we made Hatshe for the athlete in each of us. Available at Hatshe.com and select retailers.

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RAFIKI CoalitionSnow.com Introducing the latest addition to the Coalition Snow line-up, the Rafiki. First and foremost a powder ski, the Rafiki is a playful and versatile ski designed to tackle both deep snow conditions and tight turns on groomers or in the trees. Rafiki means “friend� in Swahili, and the ski got its namesake not only because the friendly way it handles all conditions, but also because of the company’s African backstory. For every ski that Coalition Snow sells, a tree is planted in Kenya. Jennifer Gurecki, the editor of this magazine and the CEO of Coalition Snow, also founded Zawadisha, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide small loans to rural Kenyan women to help finance their livelihoods. Come see, touch, and try out the Rafiki at Coalition Snow’s flagship store in Truckee, CA. Details at CoalitionSnow.com.

cry pillow CoalitionSnow.com No need to wash that pillow post a mascarasmearing, snot-oozing, good cry after a long day of showing up in the world. With our patented Cry Pillow, based on the satirical essay by Andrew Pridgen on the back cover, you too can hide your tears and pretend like everything is all right (because we all know that you are much more attractive when you keep your chin up). And, if you’re tired of going it alone, come shed some tears with us at

cry pillow

our Cry Pillow Parties, the Third Thursday of every month starting in November at the Coalition Snow

™

Flagship store in Truckee, CA. Pick up the 100% organic, combed-cotton pillow and get all the details at CoalitionSnow.com.

queen of the mountains collection

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F THE MOU

Inspired by professional Nepali cyclist Laxmi Magar, the Queen of the Mountain Collection celebrates adventurous women who are aren’t afraid to stand up for themselves and demand equality. 10% of all proceeds will be invested in a scholarship fund to support Laxmi and other Nepali women pursue professional cycling careers. As Nepali women, they have less access to the sponsors and media coverage than their both their male peers and women from the Western world. Do you want to help level the playing field for all women in this world? Head on over to SisuMagazine.com and shop our Queen of the Mountain Collection today.

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eat, drink, + be merry

pumpkin

bread

VANESSA BARAJAS | @vanessabarajas I love pumpkin-flavored everything. I would eat pumpkin-flavored pumpkin. One of my favorite seasonal pumpkin items is pumpkin bread! This bread is great because it’s super easy to whip up and it will make your house smell like one of those yummy fall-scented candles. Double score. This pumpkin bread would make a great breakfast or even a great gift for your neighbors or co-workers. You can also get creative and use the bread in other recipes–– baked pumpkin french toast anyone?!

Prep Time: 10 minutes Baking Time: 1 hour 15 minutes Ready In: 1 hour 25 minutes Yield: (1) 9x5-inch (1.5 quart) loaf pan

Ingredients 1 cup (100 g) fine-ground blanched almond flour ¼ cup (40 g) coconut flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

¼ teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup (150 g) coconut sugar ½ cup (120 ml) canned pumpkin puree /3 cup (80 ml) melted coconut oil

1

3 tablespoons canned full-fat coconut milk 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out 4 large eggs

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Directions 1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 325°F (162°C). Line the bottom of a 9x5-inch (1.5 quart) glass loaf pan with parchment paper; set aside.

2. Combine the almond flour, coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cloves, and coconut sugar in the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse 10 times or until mixed.

Then add the pumpkin puree, coconut oil, coconut milk, vanilla bean, and eggs. Process for 30 seconds or until combined.

Scrape down the sides and process again if needed.

3. Use a rubber spatula to transfer the mixture into the parchment-lined loaf pan. Bake for 70-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool. Before serving, use a knife to loosen the bread from the sides of the pan.

Remove the loaf from the pan by lifting the parchment paper.

Let cool completely before slicing and serving.

Notes

Glass pans and metal pans bake at different temperatures. If you only have a metal loaf pan to work with, try reducing the baking time to 45-50 minutes.

Subs: 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in place of the vanilla bean.

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thaT's what he said

cry pillow

™

ANDREW PRIDGEN | @andrewjpridgen

Hi, I’m Guy Lewis, inventor and CEO of CryPillow™. Like you, my wife found herself extremely frustrated with her pillow going flat, getting mildewy, or becoming soaked from the frequency that she cried into it.

I can’t tell you how many times she couldn’t get to sleep because of the sopping wet mess left after a typical evening of drinking wine and attempting to watch TV with me as I explained to her things like why women athletes can’t earn as much as men because they simply aren’t that interesting to watch, hence less ticket sales and jersey sales. Damn, I love my jerseys.

She had a terminal case of what I call “Ugly Cry Face™” and it made her so much less fuckable, like when someone rolls over for a post-brunch, mid-morning sesh and wants to discuss the latest Elizabeth Warren policies. Sure, they might be the most well thought-out and viable options any candidate has thrown out there, but I’m a Bernie Bro 78

through and through.

As the inventor and entrepreneur in the family, I regularly forced myself, to like really look at her in the morning, her face seemingly smashed to one side.

Finally, one day, while putting on my funky socks with the chicks hatching from my latest company’s logo, I said, “You have a problem, honey. I can fix it.”

Instead of changing my behavior to relieve her of unnecessary stress, it’s off to my workshop I went, doing what I do best. I decided the only way to help her sleep through the night was to get rid of her worn-out, tear-streaked pillow.

And what a difference it’s made.

Now, in the morning, as she patiently waits for me to get out of the shower (even though she’s running late), instead of looking at me with bloodshot eyes a runny nose, she gazes admiringly at me as do that

thing I do when I’m naked in front of the mirror, flexing and checking out my teeth up close (for like 20 minutes).

Before CryPillow, she got dressed and did whatever she did to get herself and the kids out of the door with little more than a goodbye grunt.

Now, refreshed, she does it with a smile.

I’d be lying if I said I invented the CryPillow™ just for her and her peace of mind. Sending her off into the world in a slightly better, or at least different mood, enables me to have the house to myself. I can jerk off, send a couple Slacks to the team with “The Office” gifs, and schedule a 1 o’clock Zoom with my product manager who has been spending a lot of time in Vail, “Slaying and Playing.” Love that guy. Known him since college.

CryPillow™ is made in the USA, designed in our lab by women and for women who cry all the fucking time: women of color, women who are elected officials, women on dating apps, mothers, grandmothers, professional athletes who don’t earn as much as men, women who work in marketing departments and aren’t ever able to speak in meetings. Women who are stalked on LinkedIn, in real life, in Ubers, at bars, in line at the deli counter, before or after yoga or pilates.

We have a roster of world-class criers who con-

tinuously A/B test our product. And the results speak for themselves.

In other words, EVERY woman who works for us is also a PROUD USER of our product!

Innovation is also the key to our success.

That’s why this fall we’ll be introducing a whole new line, including: the Travel CryPillow™, with special sound muffling capability for when you just have to let it go on an airplane but also want privacy. The CryPillow™ Eye Shade for when you only have two or three minutes during a break in a meeting to go throw down a bathroom cry and don’t want to come back with puffy eyes. The CryPillow™ Sleep Mask wicks away the involuntary tears that come when you’re sleeping, so you wake up looking and feeling fresh. The Car CryPillow™ which is, from what I’m told, pretty selfexplanatory. And, my personal favorite, the Desk CryPillow™, which attaches to the base of your keyboard and automatically puts itself away. And finally, our CryPillow™ App, which algorithmically tracks your day and optimizes your crying times, setting a timer for you to be done and back to work, back to life, back to your day!

At CryPillow™ we believe you. And we’re here for you, every day. “Every. Single. Tear of the way.“