Calling all our ladies: this is your sign to venture into Rocky Mountain National Park with Femme Trek. Here was our experience:
As we departed the star-lit trailhead to Chasm Lake with our Femme Trek guide (and Femme Trek founder), Sharon, we started thinking of all our women friends who would love this experience created just for women: our girlfriends wanting to build confidence in the outdoors, my upcoming girl squad reunion not wanting to worry about logistics… and then our category: coworkers wanting to get to know each other better!
Femme Trek lives out the “women supporting women” slogan. This local guiding service offers guided adventures for women in Rocky Mountain National Park. They strive to empower women to journey into the wilderness together to find whatever it is they're looking for – to feel safe and at ease going out of their comfort zones, meditative nature, companionship on the trails – anything! Extra bonus: booking a trip with Femme Trek means you can access the National Park without a timed-entry permit.
Since the pandemic, we haven’t had as many chances to connect as coworkers in the spaces we are so passionate about. There is something really beautiful and collaborative about hiking a challenging route with a group of women that often only interact through Zoom. And especially on a route that I am personally intimidated to do as a party of one.
And Sharon made it so easy for us. As the day of the hike approached Sharon emailed us everything we needed to know about weather, trail conditions, what to wear and what to pack. She even offered a coffee-sized reward from Kuju once we reached Chasm Lake. She made us feel so prepared and excited for what was to come.
Chasm Lake sits at the base of Longs Peak. Basically, it's the next best thing to conquering this strenuous 14er. If we could sum up all the reasons to do this particular hike in one word it would be: alpenglow. As the sun started to rise, it was as if we were looking at a completely different view every ten steps with all the changing colors. We exchanged comfortable silence and stories of our own interactions in nature. There were wrinkles of struggle and smiles of accomplishment. What remained constant was Sharon. She made this experience so personalized. Our anxieties of timing and our insecurities about ability were erased by her confidence and patience. Duh: she had done this before!! And there was something so calming in knowing that.
When you hike with Femme Trek, you can relax and enjoy the experience while taking in the incredible scenery as well as learn something new along the way like forest bathing, wilderness skills, wild plants, geology, wildlife safety, and the history of the park.
And Femme Trek isn’t just for summer lovers! I know when I first moved to Estes Park, I wish I had Femme Trek to navigate my first snowshoe. Check out all the experiences they offer: https://www.femmetrekltd.com/.
