In a town where sending it faster, higher and bigger is often the name of the game, a local group is bucking the trend and taking a different, slower tack.
The Squamish Slow Girls Hiking Club aims to put boots to the trails, but none of its members are in a rush.
Its motto is "hiking mountains at a reasonable pace."
Carly Moulton, who moved to Squamish three years ago, but is originally from Ontario, founded the group.
The first casual hike with a few like-minded women was in May.
"We started because we like really loved the outdoors, but we often felt intimidated by the athleticism and fast pace of other hikers," she said, recalling with a laugh her first Stawamus Chief hike that helped inspire the idea for a club.
"I was questioning all of my life choices going up the stairs, and somebody breezed by me, and they were completely barefoot. And I was like, what?"
She wanted to create a space that was slower, calmer and inclusive.
"Everybody's got their own rhythm. Everyone's got their own pace. I think the whole idea for us is we're only as fast as our slowest member. So, there's no rush, there's no competitive nature to it, there's no pressure to even finish the hike."
One of the early members is Julia Selznick, who is originally from New Jersey. She moved to town about a year ago and joined in on the hikes about two months ago.
"Being new to Squamish and to B.C. and Canada, I'm not somebody who grew up doing outdoor activities like that," she said. "I didn't know how to ski when I moved here. I [had] never really been hiking before."
Her favourite Slow Girls hike so far was the Shannon Falls loop.
"The Shannon Falls one was so beautiful and so relaxing. When we got to the falls, we had brought snacks ... and we just got to kind of sit and enjoy. That was the best one," she said.
Selznick said the idea is that a hike is still a hike, even if it is not super long or strenuous. The fellow hikers are very supportive and encouraging of one another, she added.
While it started out as a group of four women, once Moulton posted about the weekly hikes on TikTok, many people reached out to say they were interested in joining.
She whipped up a website to have somewhere to direct people, she said.
"I have been blown away by the reception,” she said.
And don't let the name fool you, everyone is welcome.
Moulton said the Slow Girls name came from it being four women to start, but anyone interested in the slow-cooker of hikes can join.
"If you're slow and you want to hike, you're more than welcome to join. That's pretty much the only parameters."
The next slow hike — the first as a more official group — is the Murrin Loop and Jurassic Ridge trail on July 12.
Folks are asked to RSVP first.
So far, two dozen hikers have signed up.
Moulton said at first she hopes to arrange it once a month, with dreams of eventually branching out to other sports — like skiing and mountain biking.
Find out more at slowgirlshikingclub.com or follow the group on TikTok @slowgirlshikingclub
@slowgirlshikingclub We’re hosting the first official meetup of the Slow Girls Hiking Club. Join us on July 12 @5pm to hike Murrin Loop and Jurassic Ridge Trail in Squamish. RSVP now on our website or at the link in bio. #slowgirls #slowgirlsummer #squamish #squamishbc #squamishchief #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc #vancouver #vancouverbc #vancouverlife #granolagirl #hiking #hikingszn #hikingtiktok #hiketok #hikersoftiktok #outdoorlifestyle #granolatok #hikinggirlsummer #hikinggirls #canada #canadatiktok #adventurevibes #adventuretime #adventuregirl🌍 #nature #mountains #travel #adventure #trekking #landscape #naturephotography #outdoors #hikingadventures #photography #wanderlust #hike #mountain #granolagirl #granolagirlaesthetic #granola #outdoorsygals #healinginnature #vanlife #traveltiktok #granolagirls #girlnames #granolagirlcheck ♬ Dancing in the Moonlight
