Gateway Community Shred and Stewardship Camps
While connecting the entirety of the Arizona Trail….
Gear Girls Coordinator Makenzie Mabery and GRO girl GRO Coordinator Jody Bartz worked closely with Angela Abel from the Tonto National Forest and Pine community partners to launch the FIRST Arizona Trail Gateway Community Girls’ Camp in May 2023!
Project Rim Country lady shredders pose with massive grins before setting off onto the AZT near Pine
Six middle school girls experienced mountain biking (many for the first time) and camped overnight (thank you Pine-Strawberry Fuel Reduction Program for letting us use the barn and surrounding space!). The girls tore down camp on Sunday morning and went out for a short ride to wrap up the weekend. Makenzie and Jody are committed to #moregirlsonbikes and #moregirlsontheAZT
Next, we are launching our Gateway Community Shred and Stewardship Camp in Vail, Arizona!
- Who can attend the camp? Open to any female athlete; however, due to the nature of the activities planned, your daughter must:
- Be able to ride 8 miles on singletrack (not technical; however, uphill)
- Be able to walk/hike ~2 miles post ride and lunch
- Be responsible enough to camp overnight (with adult supervision)–follow directions, be safe, set up camp, tear down camp, help with food prep, etc. We will literally be camping ON the AZT!
- Be able to do trail maintenance on Sunday for 1/2 day
- Use their creativity to share what they hope to GET/learn/take away from the overnight camp AND what they will GIVE back (to the community, their school, etc.) from the experience. Girls may submit a letter, video, artist rendering… whatever feels right to them!
- What is a Shred and Stewardship Camp? Each camp will be specific to the Gateway Community. In Vail, we are fortunate enough to have the beautiful Colossal Cave Park (which the girls will hike to on Saturday afternoon for a private cave tour!) On Sunday, we will do trail maintenance on the Arizona Trail!
- When is the camp? October 21 and 22 (however, girls must be available Friday evening, October 20th to load bikes–we will provide bags so the girls can experience an introduction to bikepacking!) More details/times will be provided to participants. Girls MUST attend the entire camp + Friday night. No exceptions will be made.
- Where will the girls ride to and from? We will ride from the Vail Vortex (off Camino Loma Alta/Old Spanish Trail) to Colossal Cave!
- How much does the camp cost? The camp is free of charge.
The camp will be limited to 6 girls. All applications and materials will be reviewed by ATA staff members and decisions to be made by October 7th at the latest. So yes, time is of the essence!
Gateway Community Camps in the news:
Gateway Community Girls’ Camp: Project Rim Country
