Alana Norie was a recipient of the 2023 Spring scholarship for outdoor education and received their Assistant Overnight Guide in Clayoquot Sound, BC, Canada.

I wanted to feel more comfortable and empowered as an individual in the water as well as contribute to growing the Whitewater Kayaking Club at Columbia so I decided to take a Swiftwater Rescue Course this summer. This opportunity was only possible through the scholarship I received from Backcountry Squatters.

Claire reflects on her experience taking a Wilderness First Responder course through NOLS with the funds she received from the Backcountry Squatters Scholarship for Outdoor Education.

Kit Kocha, one of the co-founders of Backcountry Squatters and the visionary behind so much of what Squatters is today, is a self-prescribed dreamer. Fortunately, many of Kit’s dreams have revolved around her deep passion for outdoor stewardship and mentorship, beginning with her outdoor experiences in her youth.

February, the actual start of the year, is when you make good on some new resolutions, tidy things up, and rebrand yourself completely. In honor of the new year (Ibby’s New Year™), I thought I would share some of my “In’s and Out’s” for 2023.

Maggie is a recipient of the Backcountry Squatters Scholarship for Outdoor Education and received her AIARE 1 through the University of Colorado.

Mackenzie reflects on her experience taking a AIARE level 1 course through the Acadia Mountain Guides with the funds she received from the Backcountry Squatters Scholarship for Outdoor Education.

Hannah reflects on her AIARE 1 experience through the Colorado Mountain School as a 2020 Backcountry Squatters Scholarship for Outdoor Education recipient.

Our very own ambassador Nina is currently working at Planned Parenthood! Here she teaches us about the badass organization that Planned Parenthood is as it empowers women and men to be in charge of their own bodies.

As outdoor athletes, we all care about the environment and are committed to combating climate change, but we often forget the impact our outdoor adventures have on the environment.

Anna Mounsey spent 45 days at sea in the Arctic taking and processing water samples from various depths to look for Harmful Algal Blooms. Read about her journey.

A reflection on grief, growth, and the meaning of being “badass,” this essay traces how outdoor challenge, memory, and perseverance became a way to honor a friend — and a reminder to live fully, push limits with intention, and carry those we’ve lost with us into wild places.

What began as a final goal became a turning point. This powerful reflection shares how training for and climbing Mount Rainier transformed despair into a desire to keep living — and how the mountains, community, and movement helped one person rediscover meaning, connection, and hope.