Jenn Riggs says spring is her favorite time of year in Iowa, largely because of the ephemerals. Blooms of Dutchman’s breeches, trout lilies, bluebells, and others mark the arrival of spring; the short-lived wildflowers serve as some of the season’s first nectar for pollinators.
“I love them because they’re small, and so important,” Riggs (’05) says.
Small, and important. Some could have said the same about Riggs’ business, Wander Women, when it launched with a free community hike on a cold December day in 2018, advertised only by word of mouth and a Facebook post.
“It was like that cold, sleety rain, not even snow,” she recalls. “In my head I thought, ‘no one’s going to show up to this.’”
But 20-plus women did show up that day, and hundreds have continued showing up for free and paid-for adventures and informative events with Wander Women in the years since.
Wander Women’s mission is to empower and connect folks through nature. It’s a goal that’s personal to Riggs. After leaving the workforce to raise her children, Riggs says she found comfort in outdoor community events.
“Nature was just very healing to me during that time; postpartum was really hard,” she says. “I found going outside or taking the kids outdoors was how I made myself feel better. At that same time, I had a really amazing community of women who I leaned on quite a bit. We all leaned on one another.”
Invitation to Learn
In the early days of Wander Women, trips were often focused on the basics: camping 101 participants would learn how to set up a tent and how to start a fire, for example.
“We wanted to show women that they’re just as capable of doing these things outdoors, if that’s what they want to do,” Riggs says.
In 2020, then-guide Kerri Sorrell, joined Riggs as a co-owner of Wander Women. The organization now employs 15 guides and has expanded events to engage folks of all skill levels — multi-day adventures still cover topics like camping 101, as well as backpacking, foraging, fly fishing, paddling, and more. This past spring, the group hosted its first international trip, an eight-day journey to Mexico to experience the monarch migration with Iowa Department of Natural Resources Interpretive Naturalist and Educator Anne Riordan (’81).
“Bite-sized” single-day events feature bike maintenance classes, yoga and mindfulness, hikes, and more. “Pikes,” a fan-favorite hike that ends with a slice of pie, is a result of a collaboration with Des Moines-based Pie Bird Pies, owned by Kristen Daily (’13, ’17) and Andrea Piekarczyk.
In addition to the wide range of outdoor activities, Wander Women also focuses on inclusivity of ages: “sprouts” are beginner outdoor adventures designed for young girls and boys, and the group also offers trips designed for women ages 55-plus, which have been popular.
“There’s been times we’ve been sitting in a fire circle and I’m looking around and realize how multi-generational it is,” Riggs says. “We might have a woman in her 20s, and then we have a woman over here in her late 60s and we’re all sharing stories, we’re all sharing that common womanhood bond, and it’s awesome.”
Wander Women is growing with intention, but also by demand. Riggs recalls one participant, Alice, who joined the group’s first multi-day trip at Whiterock Conservancy in 2019.
“Last year Alice, who is in her mid-60s, joined us on a weeklong backpacking trip in Isle Royale,” Riggs says. “This is why we’ve had to expand our offerings because we’re seeing these women become so confident in their skills that they want to keep doing the next thing. We’ve had to grow with our participants.”
Wander Women adventurer Kayleigh Koester came to the group with some camping and outdoor experience. The growth she sees in her skills and confidence is what keeps her returning.
“I come out of every Wander Women trip with a tremendous appreciation for my own body,” Koester says. “I keep signing up for longer, harder hikes to see what I am capable of. Each time I finish a trip I’m so proud of myself for trying something new, doing hard things, and having a ton of fun in the process.”
Combating Misconceptions
In this field, Riggs has found there’s two common misconceptions that often come up: the concept of what it means to be “outdoorsy,” and the idea that there isn’t a lot to do or explore in Iowa.
“Many times, people will say, ‘Well, I’m not very outdoorsy,’” Riggs says. “And I ask, ‘Do you like being outside?’ And they say, ‘Well, yeah.’” To which I respond: Then you’re outdoorsy! You like being outside; you’re outdoorsy.”
For Gabrielle Smithman, she considered herself outdoorsy, but didn’t always feel accepted in the community.
“Due to being plus-sized, I haven’t always felt welcomed in ‘outdoorsy’ settings and events,” Smithman (’15, ’20) says. “I finally took the plunge and started attending Wander Women events this year, and I have loved them. I now go regularly, usually once a month.”
Riggs says she was lucky to grow up in a family that experienced many of the state and county parks that Iowa has to offer.
“I feel really strongly that our wild places are worth protecting and preserving and expanding upon,” Riggs say. “There’s a part of me that, when I was forming this business, really wanted to take that messaging to folks, too.”
While Iowa’s landscapes may not compare with places like the Pacific Northwest or Southwest, Riggs feels strongly about showcasing the gems that Iowa can offer, places like the Loess Hills and the Driftless Area.
“There’s so much in Iowa, and when we’re taking people to these places, we’re building a sense of place,” she says. “They’re going to go to a county park that we recommend, or they’re going to come to a park that we’re on a camping trip at, and they’re going to fall in love with it, and they’re going to go tell their circle of friends and family about it.”
Goals of Growth
Riggs’ vision for the future of Wander Women is continued growth. They’ve added to the quantity of trips, as well as increased their radius –– trips earlier this year took participants to Minnesota for dog sledding, and to Nebraska for the Sandhill Crane migration. Currently, most single-day events take place in central Iowa, and Riggs hopes to continue building relationships with guides across Iowa and into nearby Midwest states to eventually reach more women looking to build their confidence in the outdoor space.
Riggs says she gets emails and notes from past participants that share success stories of applying the skills they learned through Wander Women events.
“They tell me, ‘I took a group of my friends camping.’ Or ‘I took my kids camping by myself and it went so well because of what I learned through the guides at Wander Women. I was able to get the meal planned out, everyone was safe, I felt really confident in my skills.’
“Getting these types of stories, that’s our goal,” Riggs says. “To see that happen and get more women in the outdoors.”