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Paige Emerson, Chubby Hiker Reviews
My guest today is Paige Emerson, the mastermind behind Chubby Hiker Reviews on Instagram and Facebook.
Paige’s story really resonates with me, because she took some hard stuff she was working on, mixed it with a dose of COVID, and is coming out the other end with an amazingly engaged and fast-growing community full of kind, fun, outdoorsy women – ummmm, sounds familiar?!?
Anyone who’s ever used AllTrails or read an AMC trail description knows that it can be hard to really know what you’re in for when you head to a trailhead. Sometimes you come out of a hike thinking the person who wrote the description or graded the trail difficulty had likely run across and consumed a few hallucinogenic mushrooms along the way, because the description bears little resemblance to what you just put yourself through.
Paige Emerson and Chubby Hiker Reviews to the rescue!
When Paige started writing about her hikes and trying to set realistic expectations, she struck a nerve with thousands of people who’d been feeling like the hiking community was giving them the cold shoulder.
Here’s how Paige sums up her motivation in her very first post:
“You know the drill – you pick a mountain that looks great and is rated as easy, only to find out that it’s actually hella hard and wasn’t what you had prepared for . The reviews may even have said “my whole family did this, even my 5 children” But let’s face it, those little buggers are agile, and I haven’t used that word to describe myself since 2002. So I’m here to bring you honest reviews on trails and mountains in Maine, and whether my chunky butt survived them”.
OMG I love Paige. I love her practical tips, her honesty about what’s hard, and most of all, her amazing sense of humor.
Spoiler alert: she survives them all.
Get on out of that shame spiral, people – it’s not doing anything for you. Who cares if you haven’t hiked in a while, or if you opted into a giant plate of nachos yesterday instead of a group ride?!? Stop ‘should have-ing’ yourself to death and just move on, and make today the day you do it. Every little bit counts, and Paige has got you covered if you’re looking for some advice on where to go, which clothes to wear, and most importantly, where you can bring your 28-toed cat!
Follow Paige @chubbyhikerreviews on Instagram and Facebook, or @PaigesofAdventures on Instagram - and check out all the other great press Paige and Chubby Hiker Reviews have been getting!:
Paige in Bangor Daily News
Paige on WABI5 TV
And just in case you needed a little more inspiration: