About Us

An image of Wren smiling and standing behind their loaded touring bike, against a background of trees, the ocean, and Vancouver island.

Wren

Hello! My name is Wren Shaman and I am happy with she/her and they/them pronouns! I'm a white settler of British and Yugoslavian descent, and I was born on the lands of the Sinixt and Ktunaxa nations and spent the first 19 years of my life there. I grew up spending lots of time outdoors with my family, and learned a lot from my parents. I moved to the lands of the Lekwungen speaking peoples about 5 years ago, and enjoy spending time outdoors and organizing in community to build the kind of world I want to live in!

I relate to queerness in a few ways that influence my life and how I interact with the outdoors industry. Firstly, I identify as a bisexual person and interact with queerness in my sexuality! But also, I identify with queerness in the sense of "queer as being about the self that is at odds with everything around it and has to invent, create and find a place to speak and to thrive and to live" (Bell Hooks) and being at odds with the exploitative systems we are currently living under. This sentiment leads me to a deep love for connecting with people and communities, building networks that care for one another, and using my privilege to minimize barriers for folks to access spaces that I have previously taken my access to for granted.

I've been an avid camper, backpacker, and skier for my whole life, and am passionate about sharing the knowledge I've acquired in that realm. I also enjoy learning about botany and entomology, and am eager to share what knowledge I have! Recently, I have been eager to get into bikepacking and touring, so I am excited to connect with folks about that! I would say something I'm good at is getting outdoors for cheap!

An image of Noah smiling and wearing a white bike helmet, against the background of a gravel trail in the fall.

Noah

Hello! My name is Noah Silvera, and I'm a queer trans women who goes by she/her pronouns. I'm also a white settler, and I moved to Victoria, on the lands of the Lekwungen speaking people 6 years ago. I enjoy spending time outdoors, spending quality time with friends, and working with Community Food Support to enable greater access to food.

I grew up exploring my world through cycling, and it has continued to grow into an important part of my life, and the main way I've engaged with the outdoors in the last decade. I've had the privilege and resources to be able to have experiences like cycle touring across Canada, and most recently, down the length of Vancouver island on logging roads. My experiences have helped me develop an acceptance and appreciation for the power, beauty, and ability of my queer body. Cycling, camping, and hiking have and continue to be an essential survival skill to ground and empower me as I work and live through cultural transphobia and lean into embracing my queerness. They've also helped me build a deep appreciation for the complex natural systems we live among, as well as build a deeper awareness of the complex impact of current resource extraction processes.

I strive to build networks of care, joyful sharing of beauty, and pleasure in my personal life, and want to extend that desire further to enable others to access the beauty and nuturing power of being outside. I want to use my privilege, knowledge and skills to enable others to access the spaces and experiences I have. I'm an avid bikepacker, experienced camper, and amateur overnight hiker, and eager to share my skills and free camping spots with others!