Interview with Ash Czarnota, Founder of Go Galavanting

My friend Ash is one of the most persistent people I know. After moving to LA a few years ago, she rediscovered her love of hiking and started empowering women to embrace their adventures in the outdoors. She runs Go Galavanting, a community that celebrates and shares stories stemming from our instinctive desire to explore our natural world. You can follow on Instagram at @gogalavanting and online at www.galavantingco.com.

Boss Lady Ash Czarnota, founder of Go Galavanting

How did you get started with being an expert in your field?

When I moved to Los Angeles in 2016, I was going through various transition phases in my life personally, financially, professionally, and psychologically. I needed an outlet to channel a lot of excess stress and mental strain. The “LA” way to embrace recreational time was dinner and drinks on Friday, Saturday morning farmers market or cafe crawls, Saturday evenings at one of the hippest bars in town, Sunday brunch, then Sunday evening meal prep. I rinsed and repeated that weekend ritual for months but the routine of it became monotonous and soon I regarded weekends as merely an extension of my regular work week. During my first trip to Joshua Tree, I hiked Ryan Mountain, a well-trafficked but moderately strenuous trail. It was my first hike and I felt ready for it. I had done my research on hiking for beginners, trail etiquette and terminology, the 10 essentials, and basic Leave No Trace principles. However, I was woefully out of shape and I felt the difficulty of the trail overcome me. Every part of my body and mind was screaming to turn around, give up now, cut your losses, you gave it your best. I made it to the summit, sweaty, dirty, dehydrated, but borderline drunk with euphoria. At that moment, it dawned on me why people loved this shit so much. Why men and women put their lives aside to walk hundreds or thousands of miles across the wilderness. It was for this rare and fleeting feeling: peace. From that day forward I was hooked. I became a more ambitious peak bagger, dedicating myself to hiking the tallest peaks in Southern California and immersing myself totally and completely in the world of outdoor recreation. However, the more time I spent outdoors I began to notice the hiking community and the outdoor industry was mostly made up of and catered to straight, white males. This is when the idea of Go Galavanting came to me. I was in the car with my fiance and out of the blue I turned to him and said, “I want to start an online community that celebrates and empowers women in the outdoors.” The rest is history.

Do you feel like an expert? Why or why not?

Not at all. Every day I read a new article from a blogger or an outdoor publication and it just reminds me how in the dark I am about the multiple facets of this community. You can’t really have a conversation about our outdoor spaces and recreating them without bringing the topic of environmentalism, conservation, and ecology into it. New developments and news in these fields of study are constant and difficult to keep tabs on. There were questionable things I did in previous hikes and backpacking experiences I look back on and shake my head in embarrassment over but it only serves as a reminder of my growth as an individual and steward of the outdoors.

Why hiking? What does hiking mean to you?

That’s always such a hard question to answer. At times, it has simultaneously meant everything and nothing. My relationship with hiking has changed and evolved drastically since I bought my first pair of Vasque boots. It depends on the hike and my current state of affairs in life. Hiking is an escape from whatever is plaguing my mind, but more often than not the activity forces me to face my issues head-on. I prefer to hike solo. When I’m out there walking alone with nothing but my labored breath and ambient sounds of nature to listen to, I’m confronted with uncomfortable lines of thought and anxieties to reason and reconcile with. I’m grateful for the activity instilling a solid foundation of accountability, perseverance, and resourcefulness within me.

What are your hiking essentials?

• Headlamp

• Hand sanitizer

• Chapstick

• Sunscreen

• Emergency blanket

• First aid kit

• Trowel

• Extra food

• Water filter

What is your favorite hike?

During the Superbloom of 2019, I traveled to the Kern River Valley and hiked a beautiful scenic trail along the Kern River and among the fields of vibrant blooming poppies. I was astonished by the landscape and beauty of my surroundings. It’s definitely a hike I would only consider doing again if conditions were perfect as they were that day.

What’s a hiking goal that you have?

I’d love to hike one of our beautiful National Scenic Trails. In fact, I plan on doing just that in 2020 by trying to hike from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail!

What advice do you have for a beginner hiker?

Be proactive and not reactive and always adventure within your limits. Carry your 10 essentials within your day pack even if you’re going on a short and/or well-trafficked trail. If you find yourself in a bind, you’ll have the resources available to help yourself instead of relying on others and potentially putting other folks’ safety at risk. Every year, well-intentioned and passionate hikers die from completely preventable accidents on the trail, and it’s usually due to them pushing far beyond their physical and mental capabilities. It would be crazy to start hiking and then a month later attempt to take on Everest. Start with smaller hikes that have a low elevation profile and then gradually work your way into larger peaks you can bag.

What’s the best/worst advice you’ve ever gotten? (either related to your specialty or not)

“Never hike alone.” It’s a sentiment backed with good intentions, but ultimately I find it to be incredibly infantilizing and rooted in misogyny. Usually, it’s men who impart this piece of “advice” on me. I get even more bummed out when I hear women say it. Look, if you hike with a partner or in groups as a matter of preference, that’s awesome, more power to you. Statistically, women are more likely to be assaulted walking around their neighborhood than in the depths of the backcountry. We’ve let the campy horror movies of our childhood mold our perceptions of what is actually lurking in the woods behind our homes. The threat of other humans aside, if you are properly equipped for your adventure you can always avoid a 127 hours situation by telling someone where you are going, always have your 10 essentials on hand, and for added measure, carry a GPS locator device like a Garmin InReach in case of dire emergencies. Again, be PROACTIVE not REACTIVE.

Please write a short paragraph to yourself 10 years in the past or future

The future is so unpredictable but I know 15-year-old Ash was a basketcase so I’ll pen a short blurb to her.

I understand how tough, confusing, infuriating, and unfair your world is right now. The wonders, experiences, relationships, and adventures coming your way are worth living for. Hindsight is 20/20 and whether you agree with me or not, you are immature, impulsive, quick to anger, and sometimes out of control with your behaviors. However, know a part of this is not your fault and a matter of crossed wires within that beautiful, growing mind of yours. I cannot expect nor do I want you to change who you are in this very moment, but when you come home from school today just wander through the backyard for a few extra minutes, take a brief stroll through the woods, be silent, be still, and for a few minutes, allow yourself to just...be. The world is such a big place, Ash. Say “Yes.”

What was your first AIM screen name or email address?

shnitzengruberx7