← LGBTQ Outdoors Podcast
LGBTQ Outdoors Podcast
S2 : Ep 10 : Bucky's Journey | From Soccer to Rock Climbing and Beyond
00:54:11
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- [00:00]
Bucky
Because when you're out there, nature don't care. Nature doesn't care. The mountain doesn't care. The rock doesn't care. The river doesn't care. Who you are, you just gotta be out there. Be yourself, Be authentic. Be prepared. Have a great time. Experience what you can, you know? And I think that's one of the beautiful things about the outdoors, is it really is this space to be free. You just get to show up authentically. For me, before I came out and now, being out has always been the space where I felt the most like myself.
- [00:35]
Justin Yoder
What do you do when you come out as LGBTQ and love the outdoors? What do you do when you see the outdoor space ruled by older white CIS men and desire a diverse community of outdoor lovers? Accept it, change it, Create it. I am Justin Yoder, and this is LGBT Outdoors. Hello, everyone. Welcome to the LGBT Outdoors Podcast. I am one of your hosts for the tonight, Justin Yoder. And my husband is on as well, Patrick.
- [01:08]
Patrick
Hey. Oh, hey, everybody. I'm already stepping on top of you here. We're off to a great start.
- [01:15]
Justin Yoder
That's all right. I'm used to it. No, yeah, things are. Things are going well in the LGBT outdoors world. Yes. Things are busy as well, probably. Nope, I'm not going to say that. I'll just say we're getting really close to announcing LGBT Outdoor Fest 2025. I know. Yeah, I know.
- [01:46]
Patrick
I want to talk about it so bad.
- [01:51]
Justin Yoder
So just a little teaser, everybody. Be on the lookout for that, because when registration opens, it's going to be a good time. I will say it will be in September and that of next year, like usual. But other than that, we're going to leave you hanging until our Outdoor fest coordinator, Josh McNabb, is ready to announce that. And we'll let him do that.
- [02:16]
Patrick
But stay tuned, because we do have early bird pricing, which is the cheapest it will ever be to go to LGBT Outdoor Fest 2025. And I'm so excited.
- [02:28]
Justin Yoder
Yeah. And registration will open early. Early 2025. So. But, yeah, also, the Trailblazer Society has been growing and super excited about that. Do you want to share about. About that?
- [02:46]
Patrick
Sure. So, Trailblazer Society are a collection of fantastic, amazing, kind, generous folk who partner with us and send off a small chunk of change each month to help support our mission. The reason that that's important and, like, a monthly thing is so that we can plan, we can know. Okay, we can do. We can accomplish this much in 2025 versus, like, kind of in the past. And we're just sort of crossing our fingers and hoping that it all works out. But being able to plan makes a big, big, big difference. There's a ton of like, really cool little perks that you get, kind of depending on how much you want to pitch in. One of which is planting a tree in your name, which I thought was a super cool idea. There's a T shirt involved, which is a custom design. So super cool, Very, very important. And it really makes a humongous impact when everybody sort of comes together and pitches in because like you're 5, 15, 25 bucks a month partnered with everybody else, like, really, really puts a dent in our expenses. So check it out. What's the link on the website?
- [04:17]
Justin Yoder
It's just LGBToutdoors.com backslash trailblazers and I'll.
- [04:23]
Patrick
Put a link in the show notes as well.
- [04:26]
Justin Yoder
Yeah. So check it out. You really want to make an impact in the outdoor community with providing safe places and inclusion. That's a great way to do it. Yeah. Let's move on to our guest and jump in because I'm excited. Tonight we have Bucky with us. She her and Bucky has spent her life in the outdoors and making cool spaces for people as well. She works with outdoor minded individuals, partners and families to become self sustaining adventurers through inclusive coaching, classes and community. So I think, plus she's traveled to like over 40 countries, so I can't imagine the amount of stories that she has.
- [05:09]
Patrick
Right.
- [05:10]
Justin Yoder
But we're going to have a great conversation with her. So welcome to the podcast, Bucky.
- [05:15]
Bucky
Yeah, thank you guys for having me.
- [05:16]
Patrick
Thanks for joining us.
- [05:17]
Justin Yoder
Absolutely. Like, I, you know, everybody's just listening right now, so nobody can see but like just looking behind you, I'm like, I want to hang out with you for a week.
- [05:30]
Patrick
So much gear.
- [05:32]
Bucky
Got all my gear behind me.
- [05:34]
Justin Yoder
Yeah. So for all of you that can't see, there's just helmets and climbing boots and ropes and just all this gear that makes you just want to get out there. So I'm loving it, but I would love it if you would just kick this off and just share with us who you are and as much or a little as you want to dive into, you know, maybe something about your, your childhood, where your love for the outdoors came from, you know, just let our listeners know. Who is Bucky?
- [06:02]
Bucky
Yeah, well, I'd love to share a little bit. So my love for the outdoors kind of came a little bit later. I consider myself a little bit of a late bloomer, but I've doven in Headfirst and really embraced it. And it's made it my lifestyle and now I hope, you know, my career as well. But to kind of roll back the timeline a little bit. I am from California, so California girl, grew up in the wine country, the wine region of California. And I played competitive soccer and took that all the way up through college, where I played at a school in the Midwest, was really successful with my college soccer career. But the. The minute my last game ended, I decided I wanted to hang up my cleats and I needed to find a new sport. I'd done the same thing for 17 years of my life. Most days of the week, you know, it was like a career. It was like I was retiring and I just needed to find something new. And it was in that in between space of not really knowing what was going to fill that void that I. I discovered rock climbing. And I bought a pair of shoes, I bought a harness, didn't know what I was doing, went out, climbed outside for the first time and just started to get hooked. I started to learn how to backpack, started to learn how to climb, you know, lead climb for myself, not just becoming a follower. And over the next many, many years, my. My climbing, my backpacking took me not just all over the US but all over the world. And it became a reason why I traveled. I found ways to do it when I traveled and became something that just I incorporated and integrated into who I am as a person. So I currently live in the Midwest in Minnesota with my partner Jess and our kids, and we have a really awesome life here. And there's some great wilderness spaces out here that we get to explore all the time. And so that's kind of the 30,000 foot view of my life.
- [08:08]
Patrick
Nice. Well, and like, rock climbing is obviously the next logical progression from college soccer, obviously. And it's worked out well for you.
- [08:21]
Bucky
Yeah, yeah, it's become a passion, but it's also become a place where I've found community. You know, just the outdoor space in general has become a bit of a family for me, and it's where some of my closest friends have been made, some of my best experiences have been made, and just something that I've gained so much from and I want to give back to as well.
- [08:46]
Justin Yoder
That's awesome. That's one thing that I think a lot of our members recognize with LGBT outdoors as well is, is the community aspect, the family aspect of it. Something. There's just something amazing that can happen in the outdoors in general, but especially like when you find your People and you get out there and you're doing things that you love in the outdoors. Like, it's just an incredible, therapeutic, even way of connecting with nature and those around you. So I love that you found that community. What's the rock climbing community like overall, as far as being an inclusive group? Do you feel like. And I know you traveled around a lot, but a lot of times when we're talking with people, especially on the podcast, like, it kind of depends on not just what activity they're doing, but where they're at in the country as well. But for you, what's your experience been like?
- [09:47]
Bucky
Well, so my experience is a little unique. I am someone who came out later in life. Um, and so for a portion of my young adult life when I was in the outdoor space, I, I was passing, straight passing and didn't have to really think about inclusivity a whole lot. Um, and it wasn't until my own coming out journey really started to unfold that that became something that I became more aware of for myself personally, but for my, my siblings as well in, in the queer community. And so in terms of the rock climbing community, I would say overall, it's an incredibly inclusive space. I've never met anyone who wasn't, you know, very welcoming. I haven't heard stories of people, you know, being disrespected or not being welcomed. So I'm really proud of that for that community. And you can, you know, it's almost like this little safe haven. No matter where you are in the country, if you find rock climbing, you know, there's, you're going to find people that are going to welcome you in and it's going to be a safe space for you. Now, I can't say that a blanket statement because, you know, there's people everywhere in all spaces that aren't welcoming. But in general, I would say it's an incredibly welcoming community and I've been blessed to experience that both as someone who wasn't out and who, who is out.
- [11:15]
Patrick
Nice.
- [11:16]
Justin Yoder
That's great. And I, I tend to, I, you know, I don't have a lot of rock climbing experience, but I tend to agree with you. From what I have seen in the rock climbing community, and even we're here in Dallas, Texas, and one of the, well, it's the largest climbing gym I've ever been in. It is just massive movement gym in the medical district in Dallas has invited us numerous of times to come out and set up booths and have Pride events with them and stuff like that. And we Always have a great time. And the climbers have just been fantastic to connect with. And so I love hearing that. That's amazing.
- [11:58]
Bucky
I will say that representation is still really important and it's still something that needs to grow even in an inclusive space like the rock climbing community. So that's something that I think there's. There's definitely room to grow for it, continue to be a safe space so more and more people come out and can be in that space. So still room to grow. But, yeah, I'm glad you guys have had a similar experience.
- [12:23]
Justin Yoder
Absolutely. Hopefully. Hopefully, you know, we can keep breaking down those stereotypes, too. We'd love to be able to see that with all outdoor activities in all states. Obviously, we've got a lot of work to do, but. Yeah, and you hit the nail on the head too, with talking about representation like that is so, so critical. And I, you know, as a 501C3, we can't get into politics, so not going to go down that road at all. But we live in a time where a lot of people feel nervous to be seen and heart absolutely breaks for that. And I can't tell anybody what to feel because so many people are feeling different things and. But I will say, like, I hope that, that our community can stay strong and let that representation shine to try to be a light for those that need to see representation out there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So was it the rock climbing that you were saying that took you to all these different countries?
- [13:37]
Bucky
Yeah, so it wasn't rock climbing in general. It was different jobs that I had. So after I graduated from college, my career kind of took me in a space of international development. And through international development, I got to travel and live in different countries like Peru and Nepal, you know, places that have big mountains, big outdoor spaces. And I got to know the climbing community in those spaces, and they became such close friends, such family for me when I was living there. So it was something that I pursued no matter where I was in the world. And it was easy to do in places like Peru and Nepal where the mountains are calling everywhere you look.
- [14:23]
Justin Yoder
Yeah, yeah. Were you out at this time or was this before you came out?
- [14:29]
Bucky
This was before I came out. But I can absolutely say that if I had been out, my experience wouldn't have been any different with those communities. And I know that for a fact. They were, like I said, kind of these pockets, these safe havens in countries that can have more conservative spaces just by nature of their traditions and their cultures and whatnot. So, yeah, my experience, I Know for a fact wouldn't have been any different.
- [14:59]
Patrick
But I like that point, though, that even in kind of a traditionally more conservative area, that there are, you know, safe havens, like, pockets, you said, and big time hate that we have to find those pockets, but it's still good to know that they exist. And I think that's a really good.
- [15:28]
Bucky
Reminder, and I think it kind of harkens back to what you said at the beginning of, like, when you find your tribe, when you find your people, when you find your community, it really makes a huge difference in your overall experience, like, whether you're out, whether you're not, whether you're straight, whether you're. You're gay. Like, finding your community is so important and can really just make your experience in life just enhanced by so much.
- [15:52]
Patrick
Absolutely.
- [15:53]
Justin Yoder
Yeah. You know, like, I'm thinking of even this past LGBT Outdoor Fest that we had. So if anybody listening doesn't know what it is, each year we do this big annual event called LGBT Outdoor Festival. Four days long, we have all these workshops and activities and things to do, and we had somebody come. I won't even say what. What state they are from, but came from a state that is not welcoming in a community that's not welcoming and a family that's not welcoming. And he's not out, but he came to LGBT Outdoor Fest to be able to have that sense of community, and it was incredible to get to hang out with him and spend time with him, but my heart breaks at the same time because then, you know, he leaves and goes back to being in the closet again. So I hope that anybody that is LGBTQI plus could have the experience of living their free, an authentic self at some point in their life. Because I know for me, like, I grew up in a very conservative family, and so, like, I never thought that I would come out and kind of got kicked out, kicked out of the closet, in a sense, and thought that my world was ending at that moment. And now I can say I've never been happier in my life. And all that junk and stuff that I had to go through in coming out was incredibly worth it and. And could not be happier than what I am now. So I hope that we can provide more experiences like that for people.
- [17:35]
Patrick
And it's cool that there are people. Like, LGBT outdoors does not have a monopoly on trying to create, like, safe, outdoor, queer spaces. Like, I want to make that absolutely clear. Like, we're not gatekeeping. Like, there. We've come across, like, several other, like, people sort of in this space. You know, usually kind of focus more on like fishing or climbing. I know a couple actually like queer climbing groups. And I love seeing everybody working toward the same goal. And it all comes down to building community, but it's wrapped in like an outdoor space or an outdoor activity. But at the core, it's all about connection. And I think that that's freaking beautiful. And we have a lot of work in front of us, but I think it's important that we keep it up.
- [18:32]
Bucky
Because when you're out there, nature don't care, right? Doesn't care. The mountain doesn't care. The rock doesn't care, the river doesn't care who you are. You just got to be out there, be yourself, be authentic, be prepared, have a great time, experience what you can, you know, And I think that's one of the beautiful things about the outdoors. Is it really, it kind of just, is this space to be free. You just get to show up authentically and get tested as who you are as a person out there, you know, whatever limits you're trying to push or not push. Just being outdoors really, I feel like for me before I came out and now being out has always been the space where I felt the most like myself.
- [19:19]
Justin Yoder
Yeah, I can relate to that. Yeah, absolutely. You mentioned. I want to jump back to the traveling a little bit because I know that a lot of our community loves to travel. You mentioned Peru and Nepal out of all the places you've been. So I'm as would maybe assume that those might be two of your favorite countries that you've traveled to.
- [19:41]
Bucky
Yes, definitely. And I've also lived in Fiji and so that was a very cool experience for different reasons. There's not a whole lot of rock climbing there, but I got to learn how to scuba dive and surf. So that was pretty, pretty rad and just got me out of my comfort zone. Got me doing some completely new sports, new activities. I also really love New Zealand. That's an amazing country. I didn't live there, but I would, I would live there if I got the chance.
- [20:14]
Justin Yoder
New Zealand's high on my list. I would, I would love, love to go there. Yeah. So out of all these experiences, I'm sure you got some amazing stories. Do you have any stories that just really pop out or whether that has to do anything with the queer community or just an outdoor adventure or experience? You know, just one of those mountain high experiences that you're like, I'm, I'm taking this with me forever.
- [20:41]
Bucky
Like, yeah, there's, there's so many of Them, let's see. You know, I think when I think back to my time in Peru, that was, I think, really where I came into myself as someone who loves the outdoors, experiences the outdoors. And it was where I started to plan my first backpacking trips where I was the leader, you know, and so I, you know, I was doing the logistics, I was getting the gear together, I was getting the route together, and I was in a foreign country and I was doing all of this and I really got to come into myself. So I look back on some of these treks that I did. Like, there's a trek called the Salkantay Trek, which everyone should look up and, and, and if they go to Peru, they should do it. Which just takes you through these amazing biomes where you start kind of in the valley, you work your way up the mountains and you're, you're just surrounded by these like 20,000 foot peaks. You work your way up to this pass at like 14,000ft, come down the other side, and then as you come down, you're suddenly in like a jungle and there's like jungle animals. So you were like at the snow, you were in a valley, and now you're in the jungle and you kind of work your way through the jungle and eventually the whole trek leads you to Machu Picchu, which most people have heard of. And that to me was like really seminal because it was one of the first trips I planned on my own. So that was just really empowering. But also just the number of biomes that one single backpacking trip took me through was just incredible because usually, you know, if I'm backpacking in like the Sierra Nevada mountains, it's all quite similar, which I don't mind. I love the Sierras, but this was just really unique in my opinion. Getting to go through so many biomes.
- [22:35]
Justin Yoder
In one single trip that we, I, I actually had a recent experience not on that level. And it's going to sound so bizarre unless you've actually been there, but right here in Texas, Big Ben National Park. So we did an adventure trip there. What was that? Maybe not even about a month ago. I guess now.
- [23:00]
Patrick
Yeah, give or take.
- [23:02]
Justin Yoder
And if we drove like 30 miles across this national park and it's just flat and deserty, and I'm like, huh, this is one of those parks where it's a one and done, but I'm glad that I'm seeing it type of a thing. And we get camp set up and everything, and then the next morning we go drive to our first hike. Area and it's about a 30 mile drive as well. And all of a sudden it's just like we left this desert in Texas and started driving through like Costa Rica or something. Not that it was tropical, but like the scenes, the views looked very much like from Jurassic park, like all these jagged mountains sticking up and the forest and everything. And it was just wild to think of how fast the environment changed like that. And really funny and not funny at the same time. Out of all the places I've traveled to here in the States and around the world and hiking and everything, leave it to me to get altitude sickness in Texas. I, I, I would have never, if I would have, if somebody would have told me that, I was like, you're, you're out of your mind, that that is not going to happen. But what ended up happening was we camped at 2200ft, but in less than it was maybe about, I don't know, it was less than 24 hours later for sure when we got toward the hiking trail that was then at I believe 6,500ft. And then we hiked to 7,500ft. And I guess the combination of doing that in such a fast period of time did it to me. And oh man, it hit. Yeah, it hit hard. And I was like, all right, here we go. That's wild.
- [25:05]
Bucky
Yeah. Altitude is, is a tricky thing. And the thing about altitude is it doesn't matter how fit you are, it doesn't care. It can hit anyone at any time. So you shouldn't take it too personally. One of my most impactful experiences at altitude was in Bolivia. Actually. There's a mountain there called Huayna Potosi. And it's, it's just shy of 20,000ft, like, like you, it's like feet shy and you're just like, oh man, I wish it hit that 20. But I, I remember I was very new to mountaineering, so I was so scared about what I was getting into. I'd never done anything at really any scale like, of this magnitude or, or lesser. And sleeping in the hut the night before, the wind was just pounding the building and it's just this little like wooden shack and I seriously didn't sleep a wink. I just thought, I'm gonna die. Like I'm, I'm gonna die. I'm not even gonna make it out of this hut. Like the wind was so fierce, it sounded so violent. Got up the next day. You know, my guide seemed okay, so, you know, I like go off of his energy and we're gonna be fine. And we do this hike, it takes a super long time, really slow, but we make it up just at sunrise. And to be on top of this 20, almost 20,000 foot mountain as the sun is like coming over the earth and you can really see like the shape of the earth at that altitude was just like, okay, maybe I died in a different way and went to heaven. Like, that was pretty amazing.
- [26:51]
Justin Yoder
That sounds incredible.
- [26:53]
Patrick
It's funny that you mentioned kind of like checking out the guide and like, is the guide panicking? Because like I do that on airplanes. I travel a lot for, for work and you know, we're hitting some bumpy air and as long as the flight attendants are, you know, chit chatting and checking their nails, like, I'm like, okay, we're okay. They're not panic. I'm not panicked 100%.
- [27:21]
Bucky
I got two other smaller stories if, if you have time for that.
- [27:24]
Justin Yoder
Absolutely love it.
- [27:26]
Bucky
That came to my mind. So one of them, I was in Iceland and I was in my car. So it's not quite as an epic, you know, big mountain or big backpacking trip, but was trying to be cheap because Iceland is very, very expensive. And so was sleeping in in my super tiny rental car. It was like not much bigger than a smart car. Um, and I don't know, just parked somewhere random. But woke up in the middle of the night to the car shaking back and forth, back and forth, like, what the heck is going on? And look out the window and there are wild horses rubbing themselves against the car. Yeah. Just scratching themselves. Like, I don't know how they didn't break the windows off or the, the mirrors off the side. Um, but, but that was really special. Like waking up like first panicking and then realizing, oh my gosh, there's like these wild horses that are using it as a, as a back scratcher.
- [28:19]
Patrick
It's like you have been chosen.
- [28:22]
Bucky
Yes. You've been chosen for this experience.
- [28:26]
Justin Yoder
And they have those solid white ones up there right in Iceland.
- [28:31]
Bucky
I, I don't remember. Yeah, I don't remember if they do or not. That seems like they should though.
- [28:37]
Justin Yoder
Yeah. Like there's a photographer I know that goes up there and does photography of them. And maybe there's other ones as well. But the ones he specifically photographs are oftentimes on the beach. And just the contrast between the white and the black sand is just stunning.
- [28:52]
Bucky
Yeah, I was parked like right by a beach. So that makes sense that it was.
- [28:57]
Justin Yoder
Well, better than that. I was afraid you're going to like say that it was a bear or something crawling, which would have been. I had experience. We experienced wild horses in Big Bend too, which I didn't realize that there were any till we got there, but they came right into the campground, hung out and whatnot. And then one night, it was like at 2am I got up to use the restroom and full moon. The moon was so bright down there, it was incredible. But got up and got on my tent and just realized that the horses were just sleeping are all around our tents, and it was just incredible.
- [29:34]
Bucky
Oh, my gosh.
- [29:35]
Justin Yoder
I walk like just feet from them, you know, because I had to, the direction I was going. And they didn't even lift their head or anything. They would just like pass out sleeping. And like, they chose our tents to hang out around. It was so cool. So cool. Yeah. Which other one?
- [29:53]
Bucky
I'd love to hear the other one. So on my bucket list, I call it my buck do it list because, you know, and then it's like, gotta be action oriented.
- [30:02]
Justin Yoder
Yeah.
- [30:02]
Bucky
So on my buck do it list was always to see the Aurora Borealis. Yes. And so when I moved up here to Minnesota to be with. With Jess, that was something I'd heard. Like, you can kind of see them from Minnesota sometimes. And this year, as you've probably heard, there were a lot of solar flares and you could see them pretty far south. I don't know if you saw them.
- [30:26]
Justin Yoder
In Texas, but people did see him in Texas. Not here in the big city, but yeah, there was places people saw him. Yeah.
- [30:33]
Bucky
So. So whatever night that was, she was like, get in the car, we're going. We're going Aurora chasing. And we just drove out maybe an hour outside of the Twin Cities, found a really dark spot and just like laid. Laid under the stars and watched the northern lights. And, you know, I just think it's really important to highlight like these big adventures, but also these micro adventures that we can do like, just right in our communities. And that, that one hit like a bucket list item for me. And I will never forget getting to experience that with her and just getting to see those. Those northern lights for the first time. So that's the other story that came to mind.
- [31:14]
Patrick
Nice. And your partner's name is Jess. Yes, Jess. Good job. That is like, I think the ultimate date night, I think, in my mind. Yeah, for me, anyway, like, holy cow.
- [31:35]
Bucky
Yeah.
- [31:37]
Justin Yoder
There was a night, I think it was about two weeks ago or so when it was coming way down south and I was seeing people. I was up late for some reason working and looked on my phone and People were posting on Facebook way further south in Texas than we are that they were seeing it. So I went out to try to look, and of course, it's just so bright here. And thought about getting Patrick up and going and seeing. But we would have to drive so far to get away from the lights in Dallas, Fort Worth to be able to do it. And then I'm like, if it doesn't work out, then I just woke him up. Well, late at night for a failed attempt. But no, that would be so amazing to see. I could only imagine. And hopefully one day we'll get the opportunity.
- [32:26]
Bucky
Yeah. Hopefully you guys get it sometime.
- [32:28]
Justin Yoder
Yeah. So one of your other big loves and passions is backpacking as well. How did you get into the backpacking and. Yeah, let's start there. Let's unpack that. Where did you get them?
- [32:42]
Bucky
Let's unpack that pack. So this is kind of an interesting story. So when I was in high school, we watched the movie Last of the Mohicans.
- [32:51]
Patrick
Oh, yeah.
- [32:52]
Justin Yoder
Okay.
- [32:53]
Bucky
It was really impactful for me. And there's like, a scene. I can't remember if it's the very beginning or the very end or both, but it's just this kind of panoramic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. And I got it in my head way back then, like, I'm going to go there. I'm going to go there, and I'm going to backpack. And I had no idea what backpacking was, but. But I just, like, that's what I decided in that moment. And so when I was in college for one of my spring break trips, I was like, we're going to go to the Blue Ridge Mountains. I'm going to get a group of friends together, and we're going to figure this out. We're going to find someone who has more experience than us, and we're going to find someone with a car, and we're going to find all the gear we need. We're going to do this. So we kind of ramshackled it all together. I was wearing, like, I had been in ROTC for a semester, so I was wearing, like, army boots, and one other guy had, like, a rucksack, and I didn't bring a sleeping pad. No one had. No. We didn't have, like, any of the right gear, but we had just enough to get by. And we drove down there, and lo and behold, it had been the year of Snowpocalypse. So it had snowed, like, I mean, just buckets and buckets and buckets. And we're just like, naive. Like, I don't even know if we check the weather.
- [34:13]
Justin Yoder
So we're just gonna do it.
- [34:15]
Bucky
We just start hiking up there and all of a sudden we encounter snow. And all of a sudden that snow turns into knee height snow, and then it turns into waist height snow and we're just post holing through and post. But we're having a grand old time because, I mean, we're naive enough to just. It's a good experience. And so that was my introduction to backpacking. And as miserable as some of the moments were, it was also just really empowering to be in nature relying on your own skills and the skills of your friends. I learned a lot about what I shouldn't do on that trip. And my next trip was a lot more successful. Like, bring a sleeping pad. Definitely recommend that. That's not just for comfort, it's for warmth. I learned that lesson the hard way. And so that was sort of my introduction was just this spring break random trip and got to go on another kind of couple smaller trips. But then it was in Peru where that really started to take off much further and. And then just kind of expanded from there.
- [35:20]
Justin Yoder
When you were talking about Last of the Mohicans, I was like, I don't remember too many backpackers in Last of the Mohicans.
- [35:26]
Bucky
No, it had nothing to do with, like, the main point of the story.
- [35:34]
Patrick
What's cool, though, is that, like, you had a really, really challenging experience and you decided to give it another shot. I think a lot of people, okay, like, my first time river rafting went with my dad and brother. Something happened to one of the rafts as we were, like, getting off the river, slammed into a bridge. Everybody was fine, but it was still, like, pretty scary for me. And I was like, maybe 10. And we went back again the next summer and I was freaking out just because of that one experience. And my dad lovingly couldn't force me to participate. And I'm glad that he did because, like, we continued rafting growing up. Like, we have kayaks. I just picked up paddle boarding or tried it. I guess I want to pick it up. And I would have missed out on all of that stuff had I just, like, thrown in a towel. And so I'm glad that you were able to soldier through and give it another shot with your new education. You know, like, when things go wrong, as long as we escape with our lives, there's some lessons in there that we can hopefully use on our next adventure.
- [37:08]
Bucky
Yeah, well, I was going to say I was A bit of a masochist back in those days. And so, you know, suffering was like, I was fine with it. What ended up being kind of funny or not so funny for those that went with me later on on trips was I took that same mentality and made others suffer with me. So, like, we are, we're gonna live off dry quinoa and you know, like, like just ridiculous stuff. I don't do that anymore.
- [37:37]
Justin Yoder
I'm okay with suffering. I'm just not going suffer alone.
- [37:40]
Bucky
Yeah, I'm not gonna suffer alone.
- [37:41]
Justin Yoder
And.
- [37:42]
Bucky
And so, like, I took my brother out on a trip and he had a horrible time and he's never gone back. I blame myself for that. But yeah, I don't. I no longer am quite that masochistic. And I try to enjoy myself completely when I'm in the outdoors.
- [37:58]
Justin Yoder
I would just imagine like on that, you know, like you're saying that you were like getting into like waist deep snow. Like, you know, I couldn't help but think, like, you must have been wet, like wet and cold. And then trying to dry off camping out there, like, and no, no pad to sleep on to help us warm.
- [38:20]
Bucky
Like it was very cold. Thankfully we had one. You know, I don't know if he was an Eagle Scout, but he was pretty talented. He knew how to start really good fires really fast. So if we didn't have him, that would have made that trip a lot more miserable because those fires really were a godsend.
- [38:40]
Justin Yoder
Wow. Yeah. Well, I'm glad it all worked out and you survived and you're here and still active in the outdoors, so that's amazing. Thinking about our audience, we, we again, we have a wide variety of people that listen, you know, and so thinking all about the rock climbing and the backpacking, those two things, what are some things that you could tell somebody that has never done those, but they're interested in getting involved, you know.
- [39:10]
Bucky
Yeah.
- [39:11]
Justin Yoder
Tips, tricks, suggestions, training, anything like that?
- [39:16]
Bucky
I think that's a really great question. And something like one of the things that I was told when I first started backpacking was you have to go with a guy. You don't go. If you don't go with a guy, it's not safe. And that held me back from experiences in the beginning because I couldn't always find a guy to go with. And then it actually put fear in me. That made me afraid to go on my own because it sort of told me I couldn't trust myself. And then once I kind of got got over that a little bit, it was like don't go alone. You can't go alone. It's not safe to go alone. And my advice is to people is like, go with people if you want to go with them. The experience with others makes just the experience more enriching in many regards. But you don't need to rely on other people to make your adventurous dreams happen. Like, you can empower yourself with the skills you need to adventure with confidence out there. And it takes a little bit of, a little bit more work because you have to be your own leader, but you can absolutely do it. And I would just say don't be held back by feeling like you don't have a partner or you can't find a partner. I've had several solo adventures. One day, two day trips that were just incredible to just get to spend that time with myself. And I didn't feel unsafe at any point. But that took, that took some time because I had to kind of unravel the fears that I had developed. So that's kind of one, one thing I would say, Another one I would say is eat well while you're out there. As I was kind of referring to, I in the beginning was a little bit of a masochist. I was trying to, you know, pinch pennies and I was just making really bland food. It was an often packing like just the right amount, you know, never coming back with an ounce of food more. And I've transitioned over time to either making my own or buying dehydrated meals. And overall, like, I'm much happier when I'm out there because I'm, I'm well fed and my food tastes better. Like, invest in, in the food that you're going to eat, whether you're making it yourself, whether it's like a box of Mac and cheese or it's a dehydrated meal. Um, I, I think that it's worth it to invest in that food and not feel like you have to buy the 99 cent rice pack, you know, instant rice packet at the grocery store and, and make that do. Um, I was definitely that person for a long time, but that's, that's kind of another thing. So, like, kind of two completely different pieces of advice, but two that I think are things I've learned over the years.
- [42:08]
Patrick
Well, and what's funny is like, I kind of stalked your Instagram this afternoon and those exact same two topics like I was going to ask you about because it does kind of like buck the convention about, you know, traveling and your food selection, especially when it comes to weight. But the way you explained it, like, makes perfect sense. You know, those are things that you're capable of and you feel confident. I mean, have at it and enjoy it and taste good.
- [42:41]
Bucky
Yeah. And enjoy it and have a good experience. Enjoy the food you're eating and empower yourself. Like, I'm not saying don't go with people and that, you know, you won't have fears as you grow as an outdoors person. You will. But don't let that hold you back from empowering yourself with the skills you need, because they're out there. You can gain those skills and you don't have to be held back from the adventures you want if you don't have a partner, if you're willing to put in a little bit of work to gain the skills you need.
- [43:10]
Justin Yoder
I love so much that you brought that up because, like, I do think that that's a huge thing, especially in the queer community, that I don't want to go out there by myself. Like, it can be scary, you know, I might not know exactly what I'm doing, you know, all. All of these ideas. But I think that there could be a. A lot of healing, too, that can come when you're out there by yourself too. Like, a lot of real soul searching, a lot of really connecting one on one between you and nature. And.
- [43:47]
Patrick
All of your crutches are gone. You're probably not going to have cell service, so you can't like, doom scroll, Instagram, literally nobody else to talk to or no other humans. I mean, like, I would probably talk to the coyotes as they walk by just because I do that.
- [44:08]
Justin Yoder
There's puppies, there's.
- [44:10]
Patrick
It's a puppy, you know, so, like, it does kind of like force you to, like, commune with yourself. And, you know, that's like healing and powerful, but also super scary to a lot of people. And I don't know, I guess it's the whole act of bravery. But worth it.
- [44:37]
Bucky
Yeah, worth it. And I mean, go with people. I do most of my adventures with others and it's so enriching to have friends along the way. But I do feel incredibly empowered to be able to go on solo adventures when. When I need to and when I can't find a partner. And I just think that's something that's. It's really cool. I remember when I first started backpacking and I was. Night. Night time was the scariest because you just can't see what's out there. And I wasn't familiar with. With nature. I wasn't. It Wasn't I hadn't befriended it the way I have now. And yeah, every little sound, I was like, that's definitely a bear. Like, that's a bear. Every. Every little sound was right. And, and there's like, the biggest bat.
- [45:21]
Justin Yoder
It could be a chicken, mouse, but it's a bear.
- [45:23]
Bucky
It's a bear. Yeah. And. And over time, I have grown to become accustomed to the sounds of nature that, you know, I can fall asleep with those same sounds now that I thought were bears. Knowing it's just a bird in the, in the bushes or it's just a chipmunk, or it's just the leaves rustling. That just, that takes some experience and time and comfort out there. But, yeah, I definitely, you know, those fears are legitimate, I should say. I don't want to, you know, say they're not legitimate for people to have them.
- [45:54]
Justin Yoder
Yeah. Yep, absolutely. Talking about fears and, and training and learning and everything. You also have your company, Outdoor Adventures Coaching. Love for you to share about that, because I know that people can get more experience, especially with back climbing, backpacking, and wilderness first aid, which I know a lot of our members love and would love to learn more about. So tell us more about. About your business.
- [46:25]
Bucky
Yeah, so my business kind of came about when I was doing some soul searching. I was down in Patagonia on a. On a solo trip, actually, where I took a couple weeks to just hike and reflect on life. And what is it that I, I wanted out of life? What is it that I was good at? What were my passions? What did I want my life to align with? And it all kind of centered around the outdoors and really working with one on one with people and empowering people. And so I decided to start a company, Outdoor Adventures Coaching, where I could work with folks of all skill levels to empower them to adventure with confidence. And, you know, one of the, like, pillars of the company is wilderness first aid, because that's such a. An important skill to have, especially if you are a solo traveler out there. So we do wilderness first aid classes for groups, for families, for individuals, and that's something that I'm really passionate about. I'm a wilderness EMT, and I've been in wilderness EMT for 10 years just for my own personal passion, just because I want to have those skills and I've had to use them in the outdoors. Never for myself, always for someone else, thankfully, at this point, and everyone's been okay in the end. But that's, that's something I'm passionate about. And we offer those classes and then we'll do sort of like a one on one adventure planning classes. And we do a lot of backpacking workshops. So people who are interested in going to getting started backpacking, like, just how do I get started? What's the gear that I need? Do I have to go and invest $1,000 or can I just use these shoes and borrow a backpack? And we go through those kind of questions that a lot of people have at the beginning and really help build the confidence to be able to get out there and have an adventure. And so it's sort of those two pillars is kind of adventure planning for beginners and kind of intermediates or people who are looking to go out solo for the first time and in the wilderness first aid classes. And yeah, it's rewarding, it's exciting, and I love what I do.
- [48:45]
Justin Yoder
Yeah, I was going to say it must be very rewarding and to be able to combine something with your passion that gives you that sense of reward afterwards. And watching people go out there and create their own adventures, feeling empowered and ready to take on the outdoors, like, that's amazing. So I'm thrilled and glad that you are doing this.
- [49:08]
Bucky
Yeah, yeah. And it's important too, to me. Like, part of our mission is really to do that in a very inclusive way, like myself being a queer woman. Like, I want to be someone who's in this, like, doing the same good work that you guys are doing and creating spaces that are kind of in the outdoor community for LGBTQ to feel welcome, empowered, to build friendships, to build skills. And I'm kind of doing it in my own way, just like you guys are in yours. And that's a huge piece of what we do is it's about inclusive classes, it's about inclusive community. It's for everyone.
- [49:53]
Patrick
Nice.
- [49:54]
Justin Yoder
That's amazing. Where do your classes usually take place? Whenever you do them.
- [49:59]
Bucky
So for the wilderness first aid classes, I do most of those in Minnesota right now, but they can happen anywhere in the country. And, you know, would love to get opportunities to go work with folks really all over the country if I could. And then for the adventure planning backpacking type classes, those are usually done virtually. And that's kind of one of the powerful tools of the Internet is being able to connect with folks really all over and walk them through the different beginner steps of becoming an outdoor adventurer and getting to do that kind of one on one in a virtual setting. I am hoping to launch an in person adventure next year. And so that would be pretty exciting. So we'd get A group of people to come out and do a canoe trip in the boundary waters up here in northern Minnesota, which is a really unique wilderness area unlike anything else in the rest of the country, and get to have sort of an in person, put all the skills you learn to the test out in the wilderness type of experience.
- [51:05]
Patrick
Nice.
- [51:05]
Justin Yoder
Sign me up for that. Yeah, that sounds amazing. Where can people learn more about you and your business and get connected?
- [51:17]
Bucky
Yeah. So we're on all the social platforms. LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook as outdoor adventures coaching. And then our website is outdoor adventurescoaching.com so it's all pretty, pretty easy to remember. And you can DM me, you can message me. I love to chat with folks and just hear what adventures they're. They're wanting to dream up. But, yeah, those are the places you can find me. And yeah, I'm always down to connect with people.
- [51:49]
Justin Yoder
Amazing. Love that so much. Patrick, do you have any other final thoughts or Buckley. Anyway, any final thoughts you have as we wrap up that you want to share?
- [52:00]
Patrick
You know, I don't. Like, I had a couple that were swirling around in my head and Bucky's all like, just plucking them, like, right out of my mind and answering them. Um, so, like, yeah. But thank you so much for hanging out with us. It was awesome to talk with you and I. I love hearing about what you're doing and definitely keep it up.
- [52:23]
Bucky
Yeah. I feel super honored to be here with you guys. So thank you for the invite and I look forward to kind of seeing what's coming up in 2025. Keeping it on the down low for now, but I'm excited. I'm excited to hear it. Hear about it.
- [52:35]
Justin Yoder
Yeah. Yeah. And you and I have emailed a little bit too, that I. I'm going to keep on the DL for right now as well too, but I have some ideas swirling in my head with a couple of the emails that we sent. So. So we will be. We'll be chatting.
- [52:49]
Patrick
I don't even know what y'all are talking about.
- [52:51]
Bucky
Nope.
- [52:52]
Justin Yoder
It's just between me and Bucky. It's on. It's on the DL. It's on the DL.
- [52:56]
Bucky
I feel so special.
- [52:57]
Justin Yoder
But thank you though, so much again for sharing your knowledge with our audience and everybody that's listening. Thank you. For those of you that are listening and please remember to check out our website at LGBT Outdoors. Check out the Trailblazer Society. We would love to have you a part of that as a member and making a true difference in the outdoor spaces. So until next time, get out there. Thank you again for joining us this week. If you have a campfire conversation story you would like to share, please email it to us at infogbtoutdoors.com follow us on Instagram @lgbtoutdoors and join the community at facebook.com groups lgbtoutdoors. For more information on today's episode, check out the Show Notes. For information about LGBT outdoors, LGBT Outdoor Fest, local chapters, or to sign up for our newsletter, visit lgbtoutdoors.com and if you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow wherever you listen to podcasts.