How I Ended Up Hosting Group Hikes;
I never expected to become the go-to person for organizing outdoor meetups - but one hike with a few people from social media changed everything. To be honest, it all started when I brought home Ralph. I had an interest in hiking before I had a dog, but I knew once I brought one home, I wanted to get outside more. I imagined my dog would be my primary hiking companion… or so I thought.
At the time, “dog Instagram” was huge. Everyone I followed had a dog-focused hiking account. Mine wasn’t even @outdoorsycrew yet—it was called @adoodnamedralph.
Eventually, that community led me to Hiking Dogs of Insta, a social media page dedicated to connecting outdoorsy dog moms with local hikers. I don’t actually know much about the person behind that account, but about a year after getting Ralph, I found myself signed up to host my first dog-friendly group hike through their platform.
That first hike was in January 2022. I picked a really simple trail and remember feeling overjoyed about the opportunity. At first, the groups were small - sometimes just one or two people - but occasionally, the interest would surprise me. I ended up hosting group hikes through the third-party account for about a year and a half, with my last organized hike taking place in mid-2023. Over time, it got harder to plan them through a third party. I had to pick trails at least six weeks in advance, which made it tough to predict weather or trail conditions. And honestly, sometimes only one specific person would show up!
That person? Robyn.
She actually became one of my best friends. As it turned out, we even lived in the same neighborhood. Robyn attended every hike I hosted - and our dogs became inseparable. (You can see them below—hers is the golden named Milo). Robyn ended up becoming my primary hiking companion for two whole years, until she sadly moved away in the fall of 2023. The photo below is from our last hike together! Don't worry though, we still keep in touch and find time for the odd adventure.
Once Robyn moved away, I felt a little stuck in the hiking world - I didn’t love the idea of hiking alone. Living in bear country, I’ve never felt fully comfortable being in the woods by myself. I still go on solo hikes sometimes, but truthfully, I don’t enjoy it. That’s when I started occasionally posting on my Instagram story to see if anyone following me might want to join. A few people replied - mostly ones I’d met at earlier group hikes, and a few new mutuals as well.
I didn’t get out hiking much over the winter, but I kept putting the word out anyway - “Wanting to go hike this day, anyone want to join?” It’s kind of funny when you think about it. Didn’t our parents always tell us not to befriend strangers online—and definitely not to meet them in the woods?!
But over time, more and more people started showing interest. Sometimes 30+ people would respond to a single story! I kept sharing about these hikes and slowly, everything grew from there—until it became what it is now.
We’ve had countless group hikes, paddleboarding events, and now we’re heading into our first group camping experiences. I truly can’t wait to see how many more people we can inspire - together - to spend more time outdoors.
New here and wanna join in on the next event?! Check out my Group Events page!
