Hikes & other events for the SLC area will be posted on the main social media pages as well as the Eventbrite page, ‘follow’ Fat Girls Hiking to receive an email whenever a new hike is posted: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/fat-girls-hiking-8629131029
Kylie & Melissa can be reached at: fghsaltlakecity@gmail.com
Kylie (She/Her)
For many years of my life I had a tenuous relationship with the outdoors. I spent six years in a small mountain town where the outdoors community was deeply rooted in diet culture and held specific expectations of ability. I could never keep up and ultimately felt like a failure.
I then moved to Portland, OR and joined the Fat Girls Hiking community, where I immediately felt like I had found home. The amazing people in this community taught me that hiking—or any other activity—can be healing, supportive, and an incredible way to connect with people and nature. It transformed my outlook on movement and what it means to be a hiker. I cannot wait to help create that same community in Utah.
I grew up in southern California, not far outside of LA. I spent my entire childhood and adolescence trying to change my body through restrictive diets and over-exercising. I went to college in northern Arizona, where I developed an eating disorder, but could not find adequate help because of the bias against my weight. Finally, I moved to Portland where I got treatment and am now in recovery, which is an ongoing process. A huge part of my healing was reconnecting to movement and the outdoors, and FGH made that so much more accessible.
Now that I am in SLC, I want to create a space for people to move without shame and come home to their bodies without worrying about expectations or judgments. I want to offer support and safety to people who have been marginalized. I want to build a community of people who show up for each other and connect in authentic ways. I want everyone to know that they are welcome here.
Melissa (She/Her)
