Kisha Jarrett - Black Girl In The Woods. A journey of self-discovery, documenting a thru-hike of the 1,200 mile Pacific Northwest Trail. - a podcast by Sarah Williams

from 2021-11-09T07:00

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Kisha in her own words:
 
“I grew up in Virginia, a gymnast and cheerleader, playing softball and soccer. I knew I was bound to do something special, but I didn’t know what.
 
When it comes to my career, I’m often called a ‘bad-ass.’ As the Managing Director of Portland's Artists Repertory Theatre, I feel at home on a stage in front of thousands of people. When it comes to spending time outside, however, I wasn’t what you would call an “outdoors woman.”
 
I didn’t camp. I didn’t spend hours in the woods. Yet, when I moved to Portland, I found a love I didn’t know existed: my love of hiking. Days spent exploring all of the swimming holes and waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest transitioned into my first solo trip to Reykjavнk, Iceland. 
 
I scuba-dived, hiked through Gullfoss, Skуgafoss, Hengifoss, and fiingvellir, and I HIKED UP AND THROUGH A GLACIER! Me! All 240 pounds of me. 
 
I became a superhuman on that trip. I’m a fat, Black woman with Lupus who hikes glaciers, mutherf*ckers! My outdoor exploration unlocked something in me. After that, I was unstoppable!
 
When I returned home, I wanted to hike all the time. I bought sturdy hiking shoes. I started reading outdoor magazines, watching Eco-Challenge and going into every outdoor store. I was inspired…but I never saw anyone that looked like me.
 
I didn’t let that stop me. I’ve been moving since, continuing to have solo journeys and proving to myself time after time that just because I look the way I do, doesn’t mean I’m not strong and powerful - nor does it mean that these adventures are not for me!”
 
“I’m undertaking my biggest challenge yet. I am hiking the Pacific Northwest Trail, from the Continental Divide to the Pacific Ocean. I am hiking to change the narrative. It matters to me to share my journey because not only did I not think I couldn’t do this as a child, but I never even knew stuff like this existed.
 
I know my story will have bigger resonance with others. I know I can be the representation I never saw. I want to offer an invitation to a journey of self-discovery and an introduction to a lifelong passion. 
And I hope we can do this together. — Kisha Jarrett”
 
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Show notes
  • Who is Kisha and what she does
  • The traditional lands of Portland
  • Moving to Portland 5 years ago
  • Growing up in a small town in Virginia
  • Not spending time in the outdoors
  • Falling in love with hiking 
  • Going on her first solo travel trip to Iceland
  • Climbing a glacier and feeling empowered
  • Being diagnosed with lupus 
  • Wanting to do all the things
  • Heading to Bali in Feb 2020
  • Why Iceland
  • Being told that she couldn’t do it. 
  • Becoming more aware of her body 
  • The pivotal moments
  • Taking the first steps into living a life of adventure
  • Google!
  • Looking different and not seeing herself in the media
  • Black Girl in the Woods
  • The dream of thru-hiking the Pacific Northwest Trail 
  • Looking for exploration and a different type of challenge
  • Deciding not to do a solo thru hike
  • How the documentary came about 
  • Finding information about Native Land in USA
  • Native Land App 
  • Preparations for thru hiking
  • Finding gear to fit her body
  • Getting a pack fitted
  • Learning over the past year by doing
  • Thinking about impact planning
  • Financials of a thru hike 
  • Planning to hike in summer 2022
  • Needing to hike in an alternative manner 
  • Dealing with the setbacks from the first thru-hike
  • Processing and dealing with the experience
  • Feeling disappointed and moving forward
  • Recovering from surgery
  • Top tips to encourage you to start
 
Social Media
 
Black Girl In The Woods - chronicles Kisha Jarrett’s 1,200-mile journey as a Black, plus-sized woman with chronic pain thru-hiking the Pacific Northwest Trail.
 
Website: www.blackgirlinthewoods.org 
 
Instagram:
 
@black.girl.in.the.woods 
 
@kisha.j 
 
Twitter: @BGITW_doc 
 

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