Spokane, WA

Eastern Washington!  We have a Spokane chapter as of October 2018.  All Spokane area hikes will be posted on EventBrite.  “Follow” FGH on EventBrite to receive an email any time a hike is posted. Andrea and Mark can be reached at fghspokane@gmail.com

Andrea, she/her

andreaspokane

I was born and raised in Spokane. For 10 years I wandered around moving from Denver to Olympia to DC and have now returned to Spokane where my husband, Dan, and I are fixing up a home from 1930 and caring for our 9 cats and 1 dog, with a rotating door for local foster kittens in need.

I was a wild child, screaming “watch me run mama!!” And I would whip around the yard running as fast as I could!  In middle school the family gene set in and my knees began to dislocate, didn’t matter what I was doing: sitting down at my desk in school, stocking shelves at my first job it didn’t matter I lost all trust in my body and I stopped moving my body.

My husband loves hiking, he grew up wandering through the woods and exploring and he incited a curiosity in me to try it for myself.  I remember balancing across my first fallen tree across a small creek and the excitement that exploded inside of me saying “well damn, what else can I do?!” And I never want that feeling to stop!!

Today I define my self-care as going somewhere I have never been or doing something I have never done!  Not only do I think Spokane needs and deserves a Fat Girls Hiking community but I think Spokane needs and deserves a community that is safe for absolutely everyone! I am a playful person and I am so excited to get outside and play with you!

Mark, he/himc0b44832-f52a-4f9c-8ecc-aaecd92db480.png

I was born and raised in northern Illinois. I moved to Spokane in 2001, and went to college, grad school, and met my spouse, Aaron. We live in the Valley with our pet rats and cat.
I’m new to hiking, but not new to the body positive movement. I’ve spent the last six years learning to accept and cherish the body I have—lumps, bumps, scars, and all.
I’m a fan of baseball, books, fleece blankets, and the Planet of the Apes reboot.
Community has been such an important part of learning to accept my body, and I’m excited to be part of the Fat Girls Hiking community. I look forward to meeting you all!