It’s 9 a.m. on a Friday and a group of women are lacing up their boots at the trailhead. Some are seasoned hikers with worn-in gear, and others are here for their very first trek. At the centre of it all is the desire to explore B.C.’s beautiful outdoors while making new friends in a safe and inviting community.
This is Fridays Hike Club: a new, beginner-friendly hiking group for women and femme-identifying folks, based in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Inspired by the founder Anastasia Stolzenberg’s love for hiking, the club is a welcoming space for women to socialize and get active.
“I would have never thought that it would have grown this fast,” Stolzenberg tells V.I.A. “I truly started it because I figured if nobody shows up, I’ll still hike. I hike every Friday as it is, and more and more, it’s been growing and it makes my heart so happy.”
Creating a safe space for women outdoors
Once upon a time, Stolzenberg was also a new and inexperienced hiker. Thanks to the help of a close friend, she is now here to help others gain confidence and experience the joy of hiking in a safe environment.
“I have a really amazing best friend named Sarah who taught me how to hike, but before her, I had no idea and I was way too scared [to go alone],” she explains. “Looking back, I would have loved to have a group of women to just learn with and go for when Sarah wasn't free.”
After a brief period of trying out run clubs (and quickly realizing that running wasn’t for her), Stolzenberg decided to form her own active, outdoor community based on something she could definitely enjoy: hiking.
When it came to forming a hiking group, safety was a key concern for Stolzenberg—especially for women. “Meeting strangers in the forest is scary enough,” she says. “As a woman, I feel a lot more comfortable meeting with other women, so I figured I wouldn’t be the only one who feels that way.”
While some members are avid hikers, others who join the club have never set foot on a trail before. To accommodate everyone, Stolzenberg intentionally chooses to start with easier hikes before gradually introducing more challenging routes. She also emphasizes that there’s no pressure to push yourself past what you’re comfortable with, as everyone in the group is there to have fun.
“Even when we have big groups, it’s like a conversation club,” she adds. “It’s not a race to get to the top, so we have no problem stopping and waiting.”
Beyond the trail
What began as a handful of hikers has now grown to over 300 people in a monitored WhatsApp group where members can chat, arrange carpools and coordinate outings well beyond the Friday morning meetups.
In the journey to build community on the hikes, Fridays Hike Club has become a place for mindfulness and opportunities for reflection. On the group's trip to Belcarra Lookout, members were able to complete journal prompts at the top of the trail. Seeing everyone participate by drawing and following the prompts made Stolzenberg reflect on how far the club has come from their original group of six.
“I thought to myself, ‘Wow, these people are here because I put the hike out and they're making friends and it's been really fun,’” she says.
Stolzenberg’s current focus is on collaborating with other communities, preparing for the colder months and finding additional guides to help lead different hikes as the club grows. As the cooler fall and winter seasons approach, the club may reduce the number of hikes and increase the number of indoor activities like hot yoga or sauna socials.
While the outdoor excursions play a huge part in her excitement and passion for the club, Stolzenberg admits her main motivation is to build community.
“The excuse is fitness and activity, but the real reason is to meet people,” she says. “You're never going to be walking into an environment where people aren't interested in who you are, or don't want to talk, or don't want to be with you because that's our whole point.”
