About Maya Yamaguchi Sullivan
“It wasn’t until I was 22 that I discovered my passion for backpacking, but I felt that learning new skills was difficult because of my age, my income, and my identity as a queer WOC. Two friends lent me their gear for my first backpacking trip, and although they couldn’t come with me, they enabled me to take my first overnight trip. I fell in love with backpacking, although I didn’t have the best gear and it didn’t fit me right. If it weren’t for these friends who gave me access to the outdoors, I may never have realized backpacking is my absolute favorite way to experience the outdoors.”