Grit Lit is a carefully curated subscription box that celebrates the stories of women who are blazing trails in adventure and leadership. Stories range from traversing Alaska, climbing Everest, to thru-hiking, but they always share one theme: women pushing boundaries (both physical and mental), embracing challenges (both physical and emotional), and redefining what it looks like to be a woman in the outdoors.
But why do these stories matter?
Sunny Stroeer, Executive Director of the Summit Scholarship and Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure and prolific adventurer herself, penned this article: Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure – What Is It, and Why Does It Matter? We highly recomend you read the piece in full, but here is a quick summary:
Women face significant barriers to entry in outdoor adventure, including a lack of representation, poorly designed gear, economic disparities, and safety concerns. Systemic biases, such as undervaluing women’s achievements and reinforcing stereotypes, further limit access and opportunity. Advocacy efforts, such as gender-equitable programs, inclusive gear design, and amplifying diverse stories, are key to creating equity. Increasing diversity in outdoor spaces enriches communities, inspires broader participation, and translates into empowerment and leadership beyond the trail. Meaningful change requires intentional actions to foster inclusivity and dismantle systemic barriers.
Sharing stories of ambitious and courageous women is just one piece of this huge gender equity puzzle. We hand pick each and every book that goes into these boxes and know the stories are engaging and inspiring. Join Grit Lit to experience these stories, and hopefully share them with all the women in your life.
Roxanne Dawson was born and raised on the east coast but found her true stride rolling around the west in a van. She is part community manager, part journalist, part editor and now splits her time between her van and Golden, Colorado, where she lives with her husband, adventure pup, and son. She is most alive when her community is close, the environment is thriving, and nature is truly accessed by all that wish to enjoy it.