Fat Girls Hiking, On The Road
Donation protected
Fat Girls Hiking is a community-based organization centered on fat activism, body liberation and building outdoor community. We want to take the shame & stigma out of the word fat and empower fat folks to take up space in nature.
On group hikes/events we welcome: New Hikers! Slow hikers! All genders! All sizes!
No one is left behind!
We don’t allow: Weight loss talk, diet talk, racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia or any other type of bigotry!
Fat Girls Hiking is a community for marginalized people to be celebrated & supported JUST AS WE ARE!
Our motto -Trails Not Scales - emphasizes self-care in the outdoors. We promote weight-neutrality & Health At Every Size (HAES). We want all people to feel comfortable in the outdoors and to be able to access the outdoors in a way that meets their needs. We believe that folks of all ages, sizes, shapes, races, religions, classes, abilities, genders and sexual identities should be represented and celebrated in the outdoors. Our community is for everyone!
The most common question I receive is: “Is there a chapter where I live?”
At this time there are Fat Girls Hiking chapters in Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, Knoxville, Minneapolis, Vancouver, Montréal, Nashville, NYC, SW Ohio, Spokane, DMV (DC area), Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New Haven, Manchester, Salt Lake City, Houston, Jackson, Missoula, Milwaukee and Chicago. My dream for Fat Girls Hiking is to expand to more cities across North America.
The initial Fat Girls Hiking, On The Road tour this fall helped me open 16 more chapters of FGH! I’m currently working on getting funding for the next trip to open more chapters. Here’s the next cities I would like to visit that have expressed interest in having a FGH chapter: Northern Cali, Sacramento, The Bay Area, San Diego, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Denver and Boise. I’m hoping to get back on the road doing this work this spring!
In order to do make this dream a reality, I need your support!
With your support, I will be able to:
BUILD COMMUNITY
-Travel to other cities to talk with people who are interested in becoming Fat Girls Hiking ambassadors and who want to start a chapter in their community. It is vital to the integrity of Fat Girls Hiking that the people chosen as ambassadors/hike leaders will uphold the mission & values of our community.
-Offer our knowledge, experience, support and guidance on researching and creating events. Offer guidance as to how to produce events that are accessible for everybody, and every body.
TRAVEL
-Maintenance on my 2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette. The fall tour was done partly in my 1996 Toyota Corolla. Then I got a 2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette (thanks mom!) that the community named Vanatee! The vehicle needs some repairs to maintain its safety. Your support would pay for new tires, brake maintenance and some minor repairs on windows & doors. Your support would allow me to make the van an even safer, more comfortable living situation as I travel to open chapters. Your support will also go toward gas for the vehicle.
-Staying at campgrounds. Your support will help me to sometimes stay at campgrounds. I will likely utilize free/inexpensive camping spots as often as possible. Many nights on the fall tour were spent in Walmart or Planet Fitness parking lots! I would love to be able to camp and research accessible trails in National and State Parks. Campsite fees range from $15-35.
RESEARCH
-In my travels, I research each area I visit. I will continue to compile resource list of any existing fat positive, inclusive and accessible activists, health care providers, groups, communities, stores, events for the Fat Girls Hiking website. The goal is to give people access to a list of weight-neutral, fat positive, LGBTQI, BIPOC inclusive and accessible spaces and trails wherever they live.
CREATE A TRAVEL WEB SERIES
-Document this process as a web series! I will document the hikes I lead, the ups and downs of Fat Van Life, the process of choosing ambassadors and how I find accessible outdoor spaces.
-In addition, I hope to conduct interviews with folks! I want to talk to hikers in the FGH community, fat activists, authors, musicians, travelers and anyone involved in making the outdoors (and the world!) more accessible/inclusive.
-The money raised in this campaign will be used to continue to pay for the filming & editing devices I obtained (iPhone & iPad). The world needs more media that focuses on marginalized people’s stories!
-Check out the videos that I’ve made thus far & subscribe to the Fat Girls Hiking channel for more video content:
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCgGvvyi0kMSHS2ZWmB4B2CA
LIVE ON THE ROAD
-Maintain a life on the road for a period of time. Your support will allow me to live on the road while doing this important community-building work.
-Basic costs of living. Your support will allow me to eat, buy propane for my camp stove, self care items, pay my phone bill, auto insurance, Planet Fitness membership (so I have a place to shower) and storage locker fees while I’m traveling outside of my home base in Oregon. My basic bills are approximately $385, not including food & necessary items (tampons, tp, medicine).
I sincerely thank you for your support! Ensuring that people have accessible and inclusive community is vital to the mental, physical and spiritual health of all people. If you have any questions/comments/concerns, please email me directly: [email redacted]
Website: fatgirlshiking.com
Instagram: instagram.com/fatgirlshiking
Facebook: facebook.com/fatgirlshiking

-Summer, founder of Fat Girls Hiking
On group hikes/events we welcome: New Hikers! Slow hikers! All genders! All sizes!
No one is left behind!
We don’t allow: Weight loss talk, diet talk, racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia or any other type of bigotry!
Fat Girls Hiking is a community for marginalized people to be celebrated & supported JUST AS WE ARE!
Our motto -Trails Not Scales - emphasizes self-care in the outdoors. We promote weight-neutrality & Health At Every Size (HAES). We want all people to feel comfortable in the outdoors and to be able to access the outdoors in a way that meets their needs. We believe that folks of all ages, sizes, shapes, races, religions, classes, abilities, genders and sexual identities should be represented and celebrated in the outdoors. Our community is for everyone!
The most common question I receive is: “Is there a chapter where I live?”
At this time there are Fat Girls Hiking chapters in Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, Knoxville, Minneapolis, Vancouver, Montréal, Nashville, NYC, SW Ohio, Spokane, DMV (DC area), Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New Haven, Manchester, Salt Lake City, Houston, Jackson, Missoula, Milwaukee and Chicago. My dream for Fat Girls Hiking is to expand to more cities across North America.
The initial Fat Girls Hiking, On The Road tour this fall helped me open 16 more chapters of FGH! I’m currently working on getting funding for the next trip to open more chapters. Here’s the next cities I would like to visit that have expressed interest in having a FGH chapter: Northern Cali, Sacramento, The Bay Area, San Diego, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Denver and Boise. I’m hoping to get back on the road doing this work this spring!
In order to do make this dream a reality, I need your support!

With your support, I will be able to:
BUILD COMMUNITY
-Travel to other cities to talk with people who are interested in becoming Fat Girls Hiking ambassadors and who want to start a chapter in their community. It is vital to the integrity of Fat Girls Hiking that the people chosen as ambassadors/hike leaders will uphold the mission & values of our community.
-Offer our knowledge, experience, support and guidance on researching and creating events. Offer guidance as to how to produce events that are accessible for everybody, and every body.
TRAVEL
-Maintenance on my 2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette. The fall tour was done partly in my 1996 Toyota Corolla. Then I got a 2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette (thanks mom!) that the community named Vanatee! The vehicle needs some repairs to maintain its safety. Your support would pay for new tires, brake maintenance and some minor repairs on windows & doors. Your support would allow me to make the van an even safer, more comfortable living situation as I travel to open chapters. Your support will also go toward gas for the vehicle.
-Staying at campgrounds. Your support will help me to sometimes stay at campgrounds. I will likely utilize free/inexpensive camping spots as often as possible. Many nights on the fall tour were spent in Walmart or Planet Fitness parking lots! I would love to be able to camp and research accessible trails in National and State Parks. Campsite fees range from $15-35.
RESEARCH
-In my travels, I research each area I visit. I will continue to compile resource list of any existing fat positive, inclusive and accessible activists, health care providers, groups, communities, stores, events for the Fat Girls Hiking website. The goal is to give people access to a list of weight-neutral, fat positive, LGBTQI, BIPOC inclusive and accessible spaces and trails wherever they live.
CREATE A TRAVEL WEB SERIES
-Document this process as a web series! I will document the hikes I lead, the ups and downs of Fat Van Life, the process of choosing ambassadors and how I find accessible outdoor spaces.
-In addition, I hope to conduct interviews with folks! I want to talk to hikers in the FGH community, fat activists, authors, musicians, travelers and anyone involved in making the outdoors (and the world!) more accessible/inclusive.
-The money raised in this campaign will be used to continue to pay for the filming & editing devices I obtained (iPhone & iPad). The world needs more media that focuses on marginalized people’s stories!
-Check out the videos that I’ve made thus far & subscribe to the Fat Girls Hiking channel for more video content:
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCgGvvyi0kMSHS2ZWmB4B2CA
LIVE ON THE ROAD
-Maintain a life on the road for a period of time. Your support will allow me to live on the road while doing this important community-building work.
-Basic costs of living. Your support will allow me to eat, buy propane for my camp stove, self care items, pay my phone bill, auto insurance, Planet Fitness membership (so I have a place to shower) and storage locker fees while I’m traveling outside of my home base in Oregon. My basic bills are approximately $385, not including food & necessary items (tampons, tp, medicine).
I sincerely thank you for your support! Ensuring that people have accessible and inclusive community is vital to the mental, physical and spiritual health of all people. If you have any questions/comments/concerns, please email me directly: [email redacted]
Website: fatgirlshiking.com
Instagram: instagram.com/fatgirlshiking
Facebook: facebook.com/fatgirlshiking

-Summer, founder of Fat Girls Hiking
Organizer
Summer Michaud-Skog
Organizer
Portland, OR
