My new year’s resolution for 2013 was to sleep outside at least one night every month of the year. This goal is born from a passion for outdoor adventure. I feel like I am the best version of myself when I have a backpack on or a paddle in my hand. I love following a path or a river and seeing where it will take me. It’s usually somewhere pretty fun.

I started camping with my family, but also went camping as a Brownie and Guide. I learned to backpack as a Pathfinder and then was fortunate enough to backpack a lot while working on my Duke of Edinburgh Award with my Ranger unit. In my last year of university I started volunteering with a local Guide group, and of course, taking them to camp. I also started to get back into tripping on a personal level, enjoying many excellent adventures with friends.

After four years of Guide camps, I was thrilled to find out about the Trex program. This sounded like the perfect way to mesh my work with GGC and my passion for outdoor adventure. Being a Trex Guider was an amazing experience for me. We went backpacking and canoe tripping, along with lots of other adventures.  It was fantastic to give others the opportunity to adventure camp. For me, it was important to repay the gifts that I had been given as a youth member. Our adventures started small, and as my skills and confidence grew, so too did the trips I took my girls on.

Image: Sara Rykov. Photo credit: Alison Shipley

I have Girl Guides to thank for helping to develop my outdoor skills and setting me on a constant quest for adventure. As a result of my skills and passion, I have eaten dinner while watching the sun set in some amazing places and had many laughs with friends around remote campfires. My adventure continues….and so, I wonder, where will the path take me this month?

By guest blogger Sara Rykov. Sara is a Guider who lives in Toronto, Ontario but can usually be found out and about looking for her next campsite!

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Planning on taking girls camping? Check out these resources. Want to know more about training options? There’s an Outdoor Leadership program overview (contact your province for training opportunities). Note: member log-in required to access both of these links.