Start Small and Build Confidence
Christi Holmes, Maine Women hunters
If you were one of the millions of people trying to get your hands on a new canoe or kayak this summer to amuse yourself during quarantine, you probably saw Christi Holmes front and center on the Old Town Canoe website.
While many of us have spent the last several months eating too many Cheetos and trying to Jedi-mind-game schools into opening this fall (or was that just me??), Christi has been riding a wave of publicity that started in late 2018/early 2019, when she was profiled on NewsCenter Maine around the same time that a photo she submitted to a Down East Magazine contest wound up on the cover.
There’s a lot of nuance to Christi, which is what made me chase her down for a conversation. She hunts and fishes not because her family did, but because she started thinking long and hard about the ethics of food production. She’ll spend the entire day in a bog, covered in mud, waiting for ducks, but with perfectly manicured nails. She’ll go from recommending the perfect site for a sprawling mall on Friday, to finding a perfect campsite in the 100 Mile Wilderness on Saturday.
But what I find most interesting is the engineer’s approach she is taking toward dismantling the sexism she encounters in the activities she’s grown to love.
Without the benefit of a family legacy of involvement in activities like hunting and fishing, she’s inserted her younger woman’s energy and narrative into these old boy networks. Rather than focus on blowing things up, she’s been relentless about building things up, and chipping away at the elitism that haunts these sports.
She’s harnessed the momentum she realized she was getting on public platforms, and turned her attention toward systematically promoting what she loves about hunting, fishing and the outdoors. When she’s presented with opportunities to represent women within the old boy structures, she takes them and will hit it out of the park. But she’s not expecting those ‘guest appearances’ to change the worlds of hunting and fishing.
A few words of caution about this episode, we do talk about some specifics of hunting and field-dressing, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea. I hope you will keep an open mind, though, and challenge some of your assumptions by listening in.
You can find Christi on Instagram, Twitter, and of course, check out the Maine Women Hunters Facebook group.
Christi did not disappoint when it came to sharing her wealth of knowledge and experience.
So. Many. Links.:
Maine Outdoor Learning Center (guide preparation course)
Guthook Guides (AT thru hike app)
“Beginning with Habitat” maps
A peek at Christi’s foraging targets: chantarelles, fiddleheads, ramps
And - if you are interested in hunting in Maine, some bonus information to check out:
Ready to re-activate your adventure posse for some safe, socially-distanced fun? Check out our sponsor Evans Notch Lodge - close to all the fun, but you can all have your own space and bathroom!