Leo: Finding Gender Equity and Community in the Outdoors
Leo, one of our 2024 Summit Scholarship recipients, is an avid backpacker and backcountry enthusiast eager to connect with a community of like-minded and motivated adventurers. Their journey is deeply intertwined with their advocacy for gender equity, pushing for safe spaces and legal protections for LGBTQIA+ community members in Idaho. As Leo puts it,
"Gender equity starts in our communities, where safe spaces are created and maintained so all voices are heard."
Leo's passion for outdoor adventures began early. They recall family camping trips where playing in the woods opened up a new world for Leo. This passion grew in their teens, leading them to explore various outdoor activities, including backpacking, hiking, and whitewater rafting. However, as a transgender individual who passes as a cisgender individual, Leo faces unique challenges in outdoor recreation, particularly concerning safety and acceptance.
We had the opportunity to get to know Leo a little better, and we truly were enamored with how humble, kind, and giving this human is. We know the world will continue to evolve and grow because of humans like Leo. Keep on scrolling to read Leo’s stories and thoughts below.
Hi Leo! Can you describe how you felt when you found out you had won? I was surprised as my breath caught, elated as my horizons expanded, and grateful as my chest warmed when I received the news! I had not anticipated that I would make it this far, but had decided to give it my best shot. It has been joyful for me to have this backpacking trip to look forward to in a new place with new friends. Until the trip dates come along, I will be happily daydreaming about the upcoming experience!
What do you do to fill up your days? In my day-to-day life, I spend a lot of time with my dog, Rocco. We like going on walks, hikes, and especially bike rides daily. In the winter, he spends more time cozied up by the fire while I go out and ski our local mountain, a sport I fell in love with a few years ago. I work in a bike and ski shop to support my endeavors and fuel my passion. Once the snow inevitably melts, my focus switches to biking and bikepacking. Since I’m not superhuman, I do relax through reading (Fourth Wing trilogy, anyone?), watching a show, and recently, trying my hand at crocheting.
How did you get started in adventuring? As a kid, I delighted in the camping trips my family was able to put together for us. Playing outside in the woods was and is unparalleled. In my teens, I started learning about all the possibilities and adventures to take and became eager to try them all. My passion first landed me in the whitewater scene, which I fell out of after the youth kayak course ended. Shortly after, I took a weekend with my sister to go out together for our first backpacking trip in the Sawtooths. I have been seeking nonstop adventures since trying something new and seeing what is possible.
What barriers have you faced in your outdoor pursuits? Outdoor recreation is an interesting space for me to participate in. As a passing cisgender person who is actually transgender, there is an interesting mix of things going on. Being raised as a girl, there are many internal barriers and experiential barriers that arise for me. Growing up, the opportunities we have in our largely gender-segregated society. For example, I sold cookies as opposed to learning to tie knots as a scout. Despite my background, I do acknowledge that I experience privilege as a white guy, so walking into new situations is externally simpler since I don’t trigger unfair biases. Outside of my childhood foundation, looking at today, my practical concern when participating in outdoor recreation is safety. Do I trust the people around me? Will I be safe? How can I make it through this trip in complete stealth? I have learned things that help on my trips, and I despise some things I have to do, and still, I always hold that anxiety and fear with each trip into the backcountry.
Tell us about a time in the outdoors that solidified your love and desire for the outdoors. In the summer of 2021, I worked on a backcountry trail crew for a wilderness area in Northern Idaho. I fell deeply in love with that country each day I spent out there. One of my happiest days in the wilderness area was on the trail Three Links Crossing. There was a neat part of the trail where you would cross the large creek three times within five minutes. On the way back from our work day, I let my crew know I was going to stay back at the second creek crossing to swim. Some of my crew members joined me, and we enjoyed soaking in the cold water, playing in the falls, and looking up at the trees and brush surrounding us. Once the cold started to set in, we dried off the best we could and made our way back to camp, crossing the last creek to get there. This day was spent with the land, walking barefoot for a large part of our day, working in the woods, and playing in the creek. The natural world feels like home and comfort to me, where I feel alive and present, and this day solidified my desire to go out and experience the beautiful world around us in the most raw way possible.
Tell us about a person that inspires you. There are many beautiful people in this world that inspire me each in their own way. Two come to mind that are most relevant to the AWE Scholarship.
The first I will tell you about is my Aunt Lisa. She and I do not live close and I am lucky to stay in contact and hear her wisdom from time to time. I am inspired by her courageous view of the world. She knows what she wants and will do what it takes to achieve that, from traveling to owning a successful restaurant. She brings humor, love, and candor to my life that encourages me to make hard decisions and to follow what brings joy to my life.
The second is Clint, he was my crew leader on the trail crew that season that I talked about above. He showed me that soft-spoken people can be great leaders. He led by example and shared how we, too, could be a steward of the land we worked in. Clint is an all-around good guy who is friendly, caring, and understanding. I am inspired by his lifelong dedication to the land above all else. He is a great woodsman and I am lucky to call him my friend and my mentor.
Tell us about your biggest outdoor ambition or dream! My biggest ambition is to bikepack across multiple states from the North American border to the South. This is yet another reason I have been working in a bike and ski shop. I need to know how to fix my bike when I am out on my own! Biking is a great way to explore for me, I love the cadence and amount of ground you can cover. It is a good mix of seeing a lot but at a speed where you can still take it in and enjoy your surroundings and stop whenever you would like to.
A new goal I have decided to work towards is seeing all of the National Parks. As of June ‘24, I’ve only seen four, with number five on the horizon this August!
What do you hope to learn during your experience as a Summit Scholarship recipient? By seeing and meeting others like me, I hope to learn that there is space for me in outdoor recreation and backcountry travel. This trip is about community, which is my focus too. If there is an opportunity to work on map and compass skills, I could definitely work on those. It would be great to work towards traveling off-trail confidently in wilderness areas.
Leo - you’ve come to the right spot, and we cannot wait to have you join the TVOP Whitewater Rafting trip this summer. Thank you for all you do for your community. You’re truly and inspiration to all of us. To follow along with Leo’s journey, visit our expedition partner, The Venture Out Project, on Instagram or Facebook.
