Rachel currently lives in New York City and loves to find new adventures. Her blog Backcountry Petite is about finding escape in the outdoors (especially away from the city life), seeking adventure, and inspiration for other petite women.
Living in New York City, you are surprisingly close to a lot of wilderness locations. What are some of your favorite local getaways?
My favorite local getaways include anything accessible by Metro Transit since it simplifies my escape. Otherwise I love to go anywhere remote and peaceful which is at least 2 hours from the city (Catskills, Delaware Water Gap, Adirondacks).
How do your adventures getting back to nature help you when you are back in the city?
Every get away to escape with nature I return to the city newly refreshed and inspired. I try to keep myself busy while in the city and then plan for escapes and getaways.
What inspired you to not only to live a life of outdoor adventure, but also inspire others to get outside with your website Backcountry Petite?
I’m not from a big city, nor a city girl. I grew up in a farm town and have always been used to have space, open roads, and a car to myself. My inspiration came from a few things. First, while I lived in Arizona, I got to experience an amazing backpacking trip and it changed my life when I realized how magical the wilderness can be. After moving to NYC I realized how much I missed the connection to nature and wanted to share my adventures and ideas with others who feel the same.
What is your ultimate goal for your blog Backcountry Petite?
I have a couple ultimate goal that would be a dream come true. First of all, I’d love to escape the “rat race” and spend more time finding adventures to share with my readers; I’d love to focus on my blog full-time. Second, I want to be an inspiration to other petite women who underestimate their strength and abilities. You don’t need a man to carry your backpack; size shouldn’t hold you back from any adventures. I’d also love to collaborate more with some brands to cater more towards petite, especially with hiking clothes. I had the hardest time finding pants that would fit and were actually considered hiking pants.
What have the outdoors taught you? How have they changed the way you live life?
I think one of the best things is that the outdoors humbles you; Mother Nature is much more powerful than you will ever be. It brings you to a place where you’re away from all of the distractions and have to really be with yourself or the people you’re adventuring with. I think it starts bringing the important things more into focus. I try to live my life with less TV and other distractions (although easier said than done).
What are some of the most memorable stories from your travels and adventures?
One recent memorable story is going winter camping in the Catskills. I was completely unprepared and thought my 30 degree bag would be sufficient with 20 degree liner. Unfortunately it was about 0 degrees overnight and the liner didn’t seem to help at all so I spent the whole night making sure my toes would still move.
We at This Adventure Life want our readers to live life fearlessly in the pursuit of living their ideal life. What would your advice be for someone who wants to live fearlessly and pursue their wildest dreams?
I wouldn’t say I’m the perfect role model since I’m balancing my blog with a regular job. I see a lot of bloggers save money and just quit their jobs. It’s not practical for me right now. My best advice would be to try and keep balance in your life, but most of all – create a goal. Set a goal for yourself and focus on it everyday. Do something to move forward each and every day but don’t give up. Life is too short to do something mediocre for the rest of your life it that doesn’t satisfy you, so find an escape. Find a way out and work for it. Find other things that make you happy instead of letting yourself feel down about things that are out of your control.
Where is your next adventure?
Read her adventure blog: www.backcountrypetite.com
Send her a Tweet: @bkcountrypetite
Like her Facebook page: /backcountrypetite
Check out her Pinterest: @bkcountrypetite
At This Adventure Life we celebrate the lives and stories of the people who live life fearlessly. #livefearlessly