We’re all looking for the next thing to move us and shake us, and for me, that thing was outdoor advocacy.
I WORK IN OUTDOOR ADVOCACY, and in my proverbial toolbox you’ll find social media, content creation, community organizing, and digital marketing. Most of my work is in the digital space, but my greatest joy is when my work leaves the Internet and galvanizes the outdoor community into real-world action. It’s all rooted in my years spent creating content, writing, documenting trips, and sharing my stories on the road. I can’t pinpoint the moment I became “a voice for outdoor advocacy,” but it was the result of following meaningful projects and work opportunities. We’re all looking for the next thing to move us and shake us, and for me, that thing was outdoor advocacy—and my strongest medium is social media. Finding and using your voice is essential. We simply must take action on the issues that matter most to us, from public lands to women’s health.
Utah is my home. I was drawn here during my first cross-country climbing trip and it took me six years of return visits to settle down permanently. I’m enamored with its southern desert, the climbing, the easy access to the outdoors, the strong community here, and of course, the challenging political terrain. I wanted to live in a place where my work is important, and public lands are particularly threatened in Utah.
If I ever have a daughter, I hope she, too, will one day jump in a truck with her girlfriends to meander down dirt roads, watching red dust collect on her feet and a sunburn slowly creeping across her desert skin.
KATIE BOUÉ
