Jade Downing

I was born in China then I moved to Colorado around 10 years old. Like many immigrants I had no experience with the outdoors growing up, in fact I had never heard of outdoor recreation despite living in Colorado until I got to College in CU Boulder. I know, kinda crazy but what can I say, as a child I was not allowed to play or go anywhere aside from school and home. When I saw mountains up close for the first time, I was in absolute awe and I looked for any opportunities to go to the wilderness. I had to get creative because I didn't get my drivers license until I was 20. As I had no experience, my participation applications kept getting rejected from my university's hiking club. Out of desperation, I started my own "adventure club" featuring international PHD and postdoctoral students where I organized all kinds of adventures and once led 16 people on to the wrong trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. Fast forward to today, the outdoors have become the biggest part of my identity. I backpacked in many remote wilderness areas in the states most prolifically in Colorado and Utah. I am proud to have completed all of Colorado's 14ers (except culebra), independently solo backpacked iconic trails in Peru, Bolivia and Nepal. I thru hiked Te Araroa South island and bagged 137 huts during my year long sabbatical in new zealand. In the last year, I fell in love with off trail routes after doing wind river high route and exploring the back hills of weminuche. I'm not athletic or fast but I have thrown myself wholeheartedly into the lifestyle of just spending all my free time outside, sleeping on the ground, eating good food, drinking camp cocoa and counting the stars.

IG: @meowtaingal