Wild & Capable
A womens backpacking trip in the Gila National Forest.
About the Trip
This women’s backpacking experience in the Gila National Forest is an opportunity to build confidence, community, and connection, both with the landscape and with yourself. Through shared time on the trail, participants will develop backcountry skills in a supportive, inclusive environment that feels safe, encouraging, and empowering.
Along the way, we’ll slow down to learn about the Gila’s unique ecology and history, deepen our awareness of the land beneath our feet, and tune in to our bodies through intentional mindfulness practices and gentle, accessible yoga. This program invites participants to move with awareness, listen inward, and cultivate resilience, on and off the trail.
This experience invites women to challenge themselves while moving with intention, listening inward, and developing resilience through shared effort, reflection, and time in wild places. Oh, and don’t forget the laughs and friendships you’ll make!
What will the trip look like?
The hike will over the course of 4 days and 3 nights in the backcountry.
Participants arrive to Hermosa on the evening of July 29, set up camp at the field station, and share dinner around the campfire. On the morning of July 30, we begin our first journey, a 7-mile trek into the Gila. Along the way, we’ll practice backcountry skills, discuss the surrounding landscape and ecology, and settle into a gentle trail yoga session before ending the evening with stories under the stars.
On July 31, we hike 6 miles to Reeds Peak, one of the highest points in the Gila, passing sweeping vistas and a lush meadow where we’ll stop for lunch. Once at our destination, we’ll make camp, prepare a nourishing trail dinner, and reflect on the day’s journey.
The following day, we begin our 6-mile descent, trading elevation for ease as we move into a sheltered basin among ponderosa pines. Our final morning includes a 6-mile hike back to Hermosa, with a relaxed stretch of flat terrain through an arroyo. Throughout the trip, participants will build confidence through shared learning, develop trail skills, deepen ecological awareness, and connect more fully with the land and their bodies.
Upon returning to Hermosa, participants are welcome to camp one final night or begin the journey home.
