It’s early June. In Wyoming’s Wind River Range, snow is beginning to melt and wildlife is starting to return. Streams run high with meltwater and green vegetation fills the valleys below. In one holler, hubbub starts to return to Whiskey Mountain Conservation Camp. The camp was covered with snow and bighorn sheep a few weeks earlier, but the sheep and snow have been traded for campers and wildflowers. These campers aren’t who you might expect, though. They are adult women from around the state who are here to learn outdoor skills and build community. This is Becoming an Outdoors-Woman.
Community brings a feeling of fellowship to all of us. It gives us a sense of belonging, helps us grow and gets us out of our comfort zone. For 29 years, Wyoming BOW has provided the opportunity to build an outdoor community for more than 1,000 Wyoming women. Surrounded by the peaks of the Wind River Range, participants hit bullseyes with bows and arrows, navigate the creek in kayaks and catch trout with a fly rod. At the end of the day, they share memories with each other and their instructors over a delicious, hot meal. These are the beginnings of friendships that participants will continue long after they leave and will empower them to feel comfortable in the outdoors.
BOW instructor Christy Carlson teaches a participant how to cast with a mountain backdrop. (Photo by Patrick Wine/WGFD)
WHAT IS BECOMING AN OUTDOORS-WOMAN?
BOW started in the early 1990s at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point by Dr. Christine Thomas. She intended to create hands-on workshops for adult women that focused on building a supportive environment conducive to learning, building friendships and creating positive experiences in the outdoors. 1 The program spread like wildfire and is active in 38 states and six Canadian provinces.
In 1996 BOW came to Wyoming when Helen Roylance, Wyoming Outdoor Hall of Fame inductee, conducted the first Wyoming BOW. Like today, it was hosted at Whiskey Mountain Conservation Camp. BOW workshops are three-day programs that consist of four classes that are four hours long. More than 20 classes are offered, and participants create custom schedules tailored to their interests. Hands-on classes cover various outdoor topics including shooting sports, backpacking and outdoor survival. Participants test their concentration while shooting archery or heading to the water to explore aquatic habitats on a kayak. After a day of learning, participants enjoy evening activities like hiking to nearby waterfalls or relaxing by the campfire.
Women at BOW learn the basics of archery under the instruction of Cody Game Warden Matt Lentsch. (Photo by Patrick Owen/WGFD)
In addition to the traditional BOW workshops, Wyoming has a fly-fishing Beyond BOW workshop. This is a four-day program focused on increasing angling skills. Days start on the water. In the cool, morning air, flies hit the water and fish strike. Mentors guide participants through the beautiful and scenic water of the Wind River and Torrey Valley. As the day warms, participants head inside to learn how to tie flies and about fish biology. The days are filled with learning, laughter and success on the water.
A BOW participant enjoying her time on the water. (Photo by Patrick Owen/WGFD)
THE BOW EXPERIENCE
While BOW workshops are focused on learning, they are defined by the community. Volunteer instructors are at the heart of the BOW community. Instructors come from various backgrounds, from nurse practitioners to archaeologists to teachers, but they are all driven by a shared love for introducing people to outdoor recreation. They share their knowledge and experiences to provide high-quality classes, and make people feel safe as they explore new hobbies.
Pat Deibert has been a volunteer BOW instructor for 25 years. (Photo by Emalee Smith/WGFD)
“I want to share the opportunity to be outside and share the fun. It is fun for me to see the participants light up and want to learn more. I know they will share that with other generations,” said Pat Deibert, a volunteer instructor at BOW for 25 years and a pillar of the BOW community. Deibert embodies the passion for getting women into the outdoors, which is at the core of the workshops. By being her authentic self, she helps to make participants feel comfortable to joke, be vulnerable and get out of their comfort zone.
Women come from across the state to learn about the outdoors in a beautiful setting. Motivations vary for coming to BOW. Some people come to start the journey on a new hobby, others want to find a friend to go into the outdoors with and others come to have some time away in the mountains. Women encourage each other as they get into a kayak for the first time, or instructors calm nerves as someone cautiously approaches a rifle. The community lifts people up as they push their boundaries.
“The main reason you should go to BOW is to try new things, to get outside, to be with other women and have this experience to learn something new,” Deibert said. “I think it goes back to that openness, that willingness to learn and that desire to do something to push themselves a little bit, do something they otherwise wouldn’t do or maybe learn a new skill or expand a skill they have.”
Participants are eager to get started and excited for the weekend to come. The instructors’ passion for the outdoors and helping people learn is palpable. Their positive and welcoming attitudes are displayed as they welcome participants to camp. Deibert reminisced on a particularly memorable welcoming experience when the instructors spent the night before making shirts that spelled out “welcome.”
The following day, they greeted participants with smiles and laughter as they entered the dining hall for the welcome lunch. Soon, the conversation started to flow and friendships grew.
The first class begins after the welcome lunch. Instructors guide participants as they learn their way around camp. First up on Deibert’s docket is her main class, Wildlife Viewing and Backyard Habitat.
“It is far more exciting than it sounds,” she said. “It gives people the ability to know how to use optics because it's probably the most common tool that's used by consumptive and nonconsumptive users, but also to be able to read the landscape, to be able to know what's out there and to think about how they want to interact with their landscape,” she said.
BOW Instructor Jessica Moore guides participants on a birding hike. (Photo by Patrick Owen/WGFD)
Wildlife Viewing and Backyard Habitat, like many classes, is focused on entry-level information, and questions are encouraged. Students walk away at the start of their journey in the outdoors. It serves as a foundation on which other skills can be built.
BOW participants receive instruction in fly-fishing. (Photo by Patrick Wine/WGFD)
After the first class, it's dinner time. Participants eagerly share the experience of their first class with each other. Evening sessions begin. The most popular is the hike to the nearby waterfall. If you want something more introspective, you can join a discussion about big-game hunting. Of course, if you are looking for a little alone time, this is a great time to grab a book from the library and watch the sunset from the porch. Finally, the night comes to a close by the fire on the banks of Torrey Creek. The next morning starts the cycle again: more things to learn, conversations to be had, boundaries to push and fires to enjoy.
Wyoming Game and Fish Department Wildlife Biologist Teal Cufaude instructs a BOW paarticipant on shooting techniques. (Photo by Patrick Wine/WGFD)
As Sunday comes, the sun rises on a camp of tired participants. The last day offers one more class, and the closing lunch creates an opportunity to exchange contact information. BOW participants leave with a sense of rejuvenation and accomplishment.
“Maybe you learned something, but I know you had fun. Being in that supportive environment and having fun takes away that stress. I think it's good for women's mental health. I think it's good for self-care.”
No matter what you are looking for, an opportunity to volunteer, an opportunity to learn or an opportunity to relax in nature, there is a place for you in the BOW community.
— William Poole is the recruitment, retention and reactivation coordinator for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.