Women Who Wild: An Interview With Sasha Cox of Trail Mavens

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re featuring an interview each week with heroines who make are making a positive impact on the outdoor community. Meet Sasha Cox, a woman we admire for starting Trail Mavens, a passion project-now-company that creates outdoor adventures for urban women. Register for one of her adventures here, and continue on to learn more about Sasha and what inspired her to create Trail Mavens below.

Hipcamp: Tell us a bit about yourself!

H: When and what led you to creating Trail Mavens, outdoor adventures for urban women?

S: A little over two years ago, while backpacking in the Bolivian Andes with my fiance, I realized I never adventured in nature with my best girl friends; it was always something I did with male significant others, that trip included. I thought it was outrageous that I’d never combined my favorite people with one of my favorite activities, and I decided I’d take these girl friends on a trip ASAP and teach them everything they needed to know.

Cue realization #2: everything I knew about the outdoors I learned from men. But wouldn’t it be great if there were a place women could come together to teach and learn from each other to become outdoor ninjas, without needing a guy there to get weird and macho about his fire-starting abilities? Yes, ma’am.

• Getting campsite reservations: I can’t recommend Hipcamp highly enough for finding great outdoor spots, especially now given their private land initiative.
• Collecting gear: Make sure there are enough tents, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads to go around. Ask friends, or rent from REI or Sports Basement if you’re in the Bay Area. Make sure at least one person in the group knows how to properly pitch a tent and light a stove, and have that person teach everyone else.
• Menu planning: Buy a cooler and go to town at the grocery store! With most two-burner stoves out there today, there’s nothing you can’t cook at a campsite. Plan for large, easy meals: oatmeal in the morning, big pots of pasta at night. Skip on heavy glass bottles and buy boxed wine! Four bottles’ worth will fit in something the size of a shoebox.

H: What do you find is the biggest hurdle for women getting outside?

S: Before starting TrailMavens, I held a bunch of potluck dinners/focus groups asking women that exact question, and the answer was a little different for everyone present. For some, it was strictly logistical: not owning gear, not having the art of CA State Park reservations down pat, or not owning a car to get out of the city. For others, there was a lack of knowledge combined with the fear of being ‘dead weight’ when on a trip with friends, not wanting to be the slowest hiker or the only person who didn’t know how to light a camp stove. Across the board, women felt like they didn’t have enough like-minded friends to adventure with.

Editor’s note: Use the code, HIPCAMP to take 20% off your first Trail Mavens trip! Trail photos taken on Mt. Tam, campground photos from Pantoll Campground. Photos by Kara Brodgesell.