I found out about Girls Who Hike LA through Facebook, probably because I’m an avid hiker and a member of other hiking groups. I saw that it was rapidly growing and there were so many girls joining the group! I hike with co-ed groups as well but it’s nice to have the option to hike with girls-only!
There are always people looking to join a hiking group and meet other amazing female hikers in LA. So I want to introduce you to Sharron McBride, founder of Girls Who Hike LA!
Tell us about yourself in a tweet.
Need a hiking buddy? Sharron McBride, founder of #GirlsWhoHikeLA has you covered… with over 5,000 girls who are ready to hit the trails!
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Irvine, so I’m an Orange County girl at heart.
What brought you to LA?
I lived in Orange County until I was 24, then I moved to Ventura County seeking a change of pace… met my current boyfriend who I decided to adventure with to 25+ states over a 6 month period. We settled in Santa Clarita after that and have been here since!
What’s your favorite thing about LA?
The mix of girls from other places. When I hold hiking meetups through Girls Who Hike LA, I almost always meet a girl who just moved here! We have had girls on meetups who found out that they grew up near each other 3,000+ miles away from our city… and that’s a beautiful thing when you’re in such a large, intimidating area like Los Angeles. The hiking group truly gives girls the opportunity to network with each other while exploring our many SoCal trails.
What has been your favorite LA experience?
This has nothing to do with hiking, but street meat at 3am will always conquer all “LA experiences” in my head.
What is your favorite hike in LA?
It’s not really a hike since it’s so short, but Topanga Canyon Outlook off of PCH. I’m a sucker for views and the sweeping 360 of the LA skyline with the Pacific Ocean is picturesque, then you look down to the stark contrast of the graffiti concrete everywhere below you. It’s LA in a nutshell.. urban art combined with natural beauty.
What inspired you to start Girls Who Hike LA?
Pretty simple inspiration, I’m sure many girls could relate with me on it… I didn’t grow up in a super outdoors-y family. My idea of hiking was strictly fire roads up until my early 20’s and I didn’t know anything about wilderness safety. I had a strong desire to learn more, but didn’t exactly know any girls who wanted to get out and explore and learn about the outdoors with me.
At the time, I couldn’t find any free women’s hiking groups for our area… so I took a gamble and made my own in January of this year. To date, we have 5,100 members and meetups multiple times a week now… with more opportunities on the way!
What is your advice for beginner hikers?
Do NOT get intimidated by advanced hikers. Everybody hikes at their own pace, everybody has their own experience level, everybody has their own fears. Many of the girls in our group will freely admit that before joining Girls Who Hike LA they had never camped in their lives, never hiked more than 5 miles, never learned how to pack a day pack properly.
That’s the rad part about the group… the women are all about empowering each other, one trail at a time. You get this unique blend of advanced wilderness chicas with girls who don’t know too much about hiking, but WANT to explore more! Don’t be afraid to ask questions… we are started somewhere and within our group there’s a “safe zone” where you can truly learn and grow from the expertise of the other ladies in there.
Find about more about Girls Who Hike LA at http://www.girlswhohikela.com or on Instagram or Facebook!
