Behind the lens: Caitlynn Weeden on photography, outdoor community, and inclusivity

In this episode of Outdoorsy, Madeleine sits down with Caitlynn Weeden, a commercial photographer, storyteller, and adventurer based in the Pacific Northwest. Caitlynn shares her journey of blending outdoor exploration with her passion for photography, empowering others to embrace nature in their own way. They discuss Caitlynn’s personal experiences navigating the male-dominated outdoor photography space, overcoming imposter syndrome, and the importance of building an inclusive and welcoming community for all adventurers—whether they're seasoned hikers or first-time explorers.

Chapters & time stamps:
00:00 – Introduction
01:26 – Caitlynn’s Outdoorsy Beginnings
02:45 – Embracing the Outdoors After College
04:51 – Discovering Her Photography Passion
08:27 – Turning a Passion Into a Career
10:40 – Navigating Imposter Syndrome
15:34 – Challenges in Outdoor Photography
18:39 – Finding Outdoor Communities
26:45 – Making the Outdoors More Inclusive
35:29 – Being Open to Learning
38:18 – How Caitlynn Defines Outdoorsy
43:24 – Caitlynn’s Upcoming Projects
45:42 – Outro

Subscribe to our Patreon to access the Outdoorsy Discord community: https://www.patreon.com/Outdoorsy.

Connect with Caitlynn:
Website: https://weedenwanders.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weeden_wanders/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@weeden_wanders 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTGLI2eV6JExc9pLw2nJbPA

Transcript

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Madeleine (00:00)
Welcome to Outdoorsy, the podcast where we are redefining what it means to be outdoorsy and reclaiming the word itself. I am your host, Madeleine Today, I'm so excited to introduce a guest who embodies the spirit of exploration and inclusivity, Caitlynn Weeden Caitlynn is a commercial photographer, brand content creator, and a storyteller based in the Pacific Northwest.

Her mission is simple but very powerful to empower you to wander, whatever that might look like for you. Whether it's hiking, biking, paddle boarding, or some other outdoor adventure, Caitlynn work inspires people to get outside and experience nature on their own terms. Through her photography and her storytelling, Caitlynn captures not just the beauty of the outdoors, but also the joy and the freedom that comes from exploring it. I love watching her content.

Her approach speaks to the heart of this podcast mission, which is making sure that everybody just feels welcome and capable of finding their place in nature, no matter what the background or experience level is. Caitlynn, I'm so excited to have you on the show, welcome.

Caitlynn Weeden (00:58)
I am so excited to be here. Wow, you just made me sound like so cool. So thank you. That was It's so funny to like hear like if summary like back at you not something that I say out loud much Thank you

Madeleine (01:07)
You are cool. Well, you are cool. You are cool. I'm really happy to have you on. So I just want to jump in to start talking about your relationship to the outdoorsy community. Tell me a little bit about your relationship with the just outdoorsy world and the community as a whole.

Caitlynn Weeden (01:26)
Yeah, so outdoorsy community, I've pretty much always been a part of it. I started skiing at like the age of three and then my whole family has just been like outdoorsy, which I like know isn't the case for everyone, but I'm like super grateful that I've just been doing a lot of it since a young age. I spent most of my like childhoods, I was a competitive swimmer and so I don't think I like got to be outdoorsy as much as I would have liked to.

because I was always in a pool. But I also think that that was amazing for other reasons. But yeah, I just have always loved being outdoors and come from a big family. So it was kind of just something for us all to do. Having four other siblings, five kids total, you can't just go do stuff sometimes. You need some cheaper activities and a hike is a nice way to do something as a family.

Madeleine (02:21)
Yeah, that's awesome. I too grew up going outdoors a lot and I think it was very similar. I had a few siblings and it's like, just get outside, be outdoors, and then you end up loving it. Yeah.

Caitlynn Weeden (02:29)
Yeah, yeah like go go to the park, go play basketball, just go outside and do something like you know go entertain yourself.

Madeleine (02:39)
Yeah, absolutely. So how has that changed as you've gotten older since childhood?

Caitlynn Weeden (02:45)
Yeah, so I mean, I think that I've spent like pretty much since like, you know, the pandemic and stuff, I've started spending a lot more time outside because I graduated college and like in college, I was swimming, I was in a sorority, I was studying engineering. So like, I just don't really have any time in college and I would go on walks around campus and stuff and be outside but...

It was like, didn't go backpacking for the first time until college and so it was just like, I feel like post college I really started honing into being like, I like being outdoors and I think a little bit part of it too was like my athletic identity was so big to me and growing up and in college that was kind of what I did and then I graduated and I was like, I don't have a sport now and I was like, I need something and so I feel like being outdoors

It's like, not my whole personality, but it's a pretty big part of my personality.

Madeleine (03:43)
Yeah, I can totally relate to that. I wonder if part of that too is like as you get older, you start actually paying attention to what you like to do versus what maybe you were made to do as a kid or did just because out of familial obligation, you start realizing like, I actually do really like this thing and want to do it more. I want to try this other thing.

Caitlynn Weeden (03:45)
Yeah.

Yeah, exactly. like, I actually really like being outside all the time. And it's just such a good way to spend my time. And I feel good after doing it. And it's just so powerful that I'm like, OK, I want to be hiking every weekend. That's just what I want to be doing.

Madeleine (04:20)
Yeah, so would you say now hiking's kind of your sport of choice?

Caitlynn Weeden (04:26)
Yeah, think like honestly just being out in the backcountry, like I'm not super picky, like going on a hike. I love backpacking. Backpacking is probably my favorite thing just because I am a photographer and so like backpacking is like getting to be out. Like my favorite time to shoot is at like golden hour. So if I'm out in the backcountry for a whole like day or two then I get like four of them versus just going on a day hike.

Madeleine (04:51)
Yeah, yeah, that totally makes sense. So that actually kind of dovetails perfectly into the next question I was gonna ask you is about how you got started with your niche of photography and brand storytelling. Your photography work is stunning. It's so gorgeous. I am in love with it. So tell me just a little bit about how you got into that, especially since it ties so nicely into outdoor exploring.

Caitlynn Weeden (04:53)
Yeah.

Thank you. Thank you.

Mm.

Yeah, so I got my first camera in fourth grade. It was a little Canon PowerShoot. And then in like high school, my friends and I were like obsessed with Instagram, as you like, you know, any high schooler is. And so I got my first like DSLR.

in like sophomore year of high school and so my friends and I would go and do like photo shoots. I lived in rural Pennsylvania and so like we would go to like Barnes and we'd be like doing like photo shoots like think Pinterest like you know 2014 core. We were like out doing photo shoots and stuff and so I started with doing portraits with friends and then I just kind of always did that like in college I would do sorority shoots and stuff and so I moved

moved to Washington in 2020 and I had my camera with me and I was just like I didn't really know anyone so I wasn't really doing portraits or anything and also like I was like I want to spend time outside because it was like the pandemic and I'm the only thing that I could do and so I started my hiking Instagram weed and wanders for like a joke I was like I like I was like I just like feel like I'm annoying people posting on my other account and like I want to have a space to like post where I like

care what people think and so it was just kind of like started as a joke and then two years ago I was like like I actually really enjoy this and I kind of like admitted that to myself and I was like I want to do more with this and so this whole like journey has been just like going from like this is like a joke like I'm just gonna have this for fun and now I'm like like no like this is like a business and it's something that I really enjoy doing

Madeleine (06:56)
That's amazing. I love hearing the story of how you kind of progressed through that. You and I actually have a lot of similarities in how we got started with photography of like starting out with the cringey photo shoots and stuff with our friends. I was a blogger, a fashion blogger back in the day. And so you can still go see some of those very cringey photo shoots where I have really bad hair extensions. But I completely understand. So

Caitlynn Weeden (07:11)
Yeah.

I'll have to.

Madeleine (07:26)
Follow up question, one is, you still have those cringy photos up on your Instagram?

Caitlynn Weeden (07:31)
The old ones, yeah, if you scroll back on my personal Instagram all the way, they're there. I have younger siblings that, like I said, and they're in high school and they do a thing where they delete everything. And I'm like, why would I delete my old posts? This is comedic gold. You can go see a picture with me and a mug being like, this is such a cute mug. I don't know what I was on.

Madeleine (07:55)
I love that so much. am the exact same mindset. I love looking back and being like, wow, I really was a different person, but like, I really love those shoes. You know, whatever it is, it's just, it's fun.

Caitlynn Weeden (08:05)
Yeah, I was like so passionate about like so funny things and it's like it's funny when you like look back at yourself too like I don't know if you like think this but I like look back at photography and I'm like like it's in my head sometimes I'm like this is like a new passion like I just started and I was like no I've been doing this since like I was little I'm just admitting it now

Madeleine (08:27)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. my gosh, I can completely relate. My second follow -up question for you was, so when you started thinking about things a little bit more seriously, you said about like two years ago, like what shifted for you? Like what changed? What in your mindset? Was it just you started feeling more comfortable or you started getting like business opportunities? Tell me about that journey.

Caitlynn Weeden (08:49)
Yeah, so I think I just started getting more opportunities, which was like, I also, I think I started getting more opportunities and I also was surrounding myself with like people that were also doing stuff like this. One of my really good friends, True Adventure is her handle on Instagram, Karina. She like started her own yoga retreat business and so

I was living with her at that time and I was like, like what she's doing is really cool and it's like not conventional and I think just like seeing that kind of started being like, like I can do things that like aren't conventional. Like I don't need to be like an engineer and like I love engineering and like I'm glad that, you know, that's an option, but I'm also like, I just kind of started thinking about it more and I was like, like this is something that is really cool to do. And then, two years ago I got like last

two summers ago I guess I should say. I did a project with Olympus, OM Systems is their new rebrand, and it was called the Tell Your Story Project and so I got the chance to get a camera from them and then work all summer on telling a story. And my story was focused on telling a story of women in the outdoors, which was really fun. I interviewed all my friends and just like that whole project was an amazing confidence

booster that like, like this is something that I can do. And like, I don't love that it was based off the validation of like other people, but at the same time it was like kind of needed because I was like, like this is like a real thing.

Madeleine (10:25)
Yeah, that's amazing. That's so cool that you had that opportunity. And I hear what you're saying about, I wish I didn't need that extra validation or whatever. But like you said, sometimes you need that. You need that little push for someone to be like, no, you're good at this. And to be like, I guess I am. And yeah, that's really, really cool. What are some of the projects and things that you're doing right now that have kind of come up from working on this for the last couple of years?

Caitlynn Weeden (10:40)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, so I feel like I'm doing a lot of content creation now. I am still figuring this out. Like I just started officially full time in May.

And I definitely have been going off on a slow start because I just needed some recovery time from work. My last job was interesting to say the least. And so I was like, okay, I'm gonna kind of recover and take some time. And I've done a lot of really cool things this summer. But yeah, I've kind of been leaning into content creation. A lot of brands need it. And it's not photography, but photography is super helpful for stuff like this. I'm sure you know, it's just nice to be able to like...

line things up and have things look pleasing and so a lot of that I'm really trying to get more into commercial photography and it's just been a big learning curve of how to like you know cold email people and like pitch to clients and stuff like that so we'll see

Madeleine (11:53)
Yeah, that's awesome. And like you said, I think there's so much transferable skills from what you learn in photography to content creation, just what looks good, but also just how to think about content storytelling. You know, I think you tell a story with photography and that translates really well into content creation, whether that's video or photo or whatever it ends up being.

Caitlynn Weeden (12:12)
Yeah.

Yeah, I just went to, so last month I went on a creative retreat, which is like something that's like wild to me.

I don't think that even a couple months ago I'd have been like, I'm not creative enough to go on a creative retreat. But anyway, I went and it was so much fun and just seeing other artists, it was all different mediums. There was one other photographer, everyone else was like, water colorists or metal workers. Everyone did something different. And I was like, think collaging could be really fun. And so lately I've been leaning into trying to do more collaging in my visual story.

storytelling because I'm like this is like a really fun way to like tell a story but like still be in photos

Madeleine (12:58)
I love that. That's so cool. Yeah, I feel like I saw something you had posted recently of a collage or some journaling or something that you're doing. And I was like, wow, that looks really cool. That looks really fun. That was, that was cool.

Caitlynn Weeden (13:09)
Yeah, yeah, I've been taking like magazines that I get from brands and like cutting them up and like putting them in my journal, which has been really fun. Yeah, and it's like one too. Yeah, because you like get to like work backwards. Like I know that they probably have a board somewhere for their like shoot and I'm like, I wonder if it looks like this.

Madeleine (13:19)
I love that.

Yeah, that's awesome. I actually, I used to work at, I only worked there for one summer doing an internship, but Eddie Bauer, and I remember I got to go into their kind of studio where they're laying out their upcoming edition of their catalog and my eyes like bugged out of my head. I was like, this is so cool. Like people get paid to do this. It was really cool.

Caitlynn Weeden (13:35)
Mm

Yeah, I was like, I know I'm like, this is like insane. And it's like so cool that like people just, that's someone's job. I'm like, that's so cool. Almost a bit of fun internship.

Madeleine (13:55)
Yeah. Yeah. But it takes talent and skill though. It's not just like anybody can just do it. I mean they can, but like for it to be done well, it does take a certain eye and a certain skill set. Like, you know, I think it's, it's really valid. I was going to ask you just kind of backing up. You said something about this creative retreat that you went on that I just wanted to double tap on was you said you didn't see yourself as like a creative enough person. Where do you think that?

Caitlynn Weeden (14:07)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Madeleine (14:23)
Where do think that kind of imposter syndrome stems from? Because everything you've said until this point, it's like, of course you are. What are you talking about? But I know how that feels. And I just am curious to hear your experience with that.

Caitlynn Weeden (14:29)
Yeah. Yeah.

I feel like, yeah, I feel like a lot of creatives feel this way and it's like completely normal. Like I know so many people who like...

are photographers but they like won't call themselves a photographer and it's just like I feel like it just comes from like one like saying it a bunch that you are that but like with that retreat specifically I just like I feel like coming from the engineering world my brain is very like engineering focused sometimes like black and white like logical and it is like really hard to like

Like, I don't know, I'm like, I'm an engineer, but like two things can exist in one. So I'm like, I can be an engineer, but I can also be an artist, which is, I don't know, just like weird to like think about, because it's just two completely different sides of your brain, but also isn't. Like there's so many things that overlap and it's like such a fun way to like look at things. So yeah.

Madeleine (15:26)
I love that. That's so awesome. It's so interesting talking to people who are really creative but then have this whole other side of their brain too. That's just, it's really interesting. Yeah, yeah. I wanna jump into kind of the next topic here which is related to kind of photography. And I think it dovetails into this kind of imposter syndrome or maybe struggling to identify with a certain thing. I feel like in...

Caitlynn Weeden (15:34)
Yeah, it's funny.

Madeleine (15:53)
Photography in this world, especially in the outdoor nature landscape photography world, it's very male dominated. It at least feels that way. The tides are certainly turning. There's so many incredibly talented female photographers like yourself, but I'm wondering how you've navigated any of those challenges in your experience.

Caitlynn Weeden (15:59)
Mm -hmm.

Yeah, so this is like kind of crazy to me because I think about this a lot like my friends and I talk about it Just like in the circles that like of even just going outdoors like not even my photographer friends I feel like I'm like only surrounded by women which is like Probably, you know very like chosen my subconscious is like I want to be around like

cool badass women. And so I was thinking about it, was like, think I've shot with one male photographer. so definitely it is very male dominated, but I have just been choosing to surround myself with a bunch of really cool women. whether that be going to a networking event, I go monthly to a CEO society, which is just all women female entrepreneurs in Seattle. And it's so fun and it's cool to be surrounded

by community that's doing what I want to do. And so I feel like also just working as an engineer for a while, I've gotten to first -hand see men saying things and I've just responded to it. And I think having to stand up for myself in situations like that has been super helpful because I'm like, I acknowledge that this is happening, but also I'm actively trying to fight against that happening.

Madeleine (17:34)
Yeah, that's amazing. It's so incredible that you've put yourself in great situations where you can be around people who inspire you and lift you up. mean, think that that's finding that community can be really challenging for some people. So I'm really happy that you've been able to find that. That's so important and amazing.

Caitlynn Weeden (17:53)
It is...yeah. Community is so important. I vividly remember when I made a connection to this when I was like my first year here, my friends and I were hiking to Colchuck and my friends were, I was talking and I was like, yeah, in my last friend group I would say stuff sometimes and be like, she doesn't know what she's talking about or she doesn't have, why would we trust her to plan the hike, you know, or something and then...

I said that to them and they're like, you need to get better friends. That's not how people should be talking to you. And I was like, yeah, I guess you're right. That isn't OK. I'm very capable. And so just like I feel so lucky, my friends have been super helpful in being supportive and just showing me the way.

Madeleine (18:39)
That's so amazing. That's so nice. Do you have like any advice you would give to someone who's listening to this podcast who maybe doesn't have a core group of girlfriends or people that they feel comfortable around? How can they find that community?

Caitlynn Weeden (18:41)
Yeah.

Yeah, so it is really hard, like I want to acknowledge that. I feel like I got super lucky. When I first moved here it was a pandemic and so I like was listening to Call Her Daddy and she one day was like, okay, like we understand, she's like, I understand it's hard to make friends, but like you just need to go on BumbleBFF and go on a friend date and like it's gonna be awkward, but like you never know until you go. And I went on a friend date with this girl, the first...

the first one and like I've been best friends with her ever since like we talked for like three hours on the date the friend date yeah and then like we went and hiked mailbox for a sunrise hike like a week later and like so I like I said I got really lucky but like you just have to put yourself in these like uncomfortable positions which is like really not fun advice

Madeleine (19:46)
No, I think it's such important advice. Also, this should be sponsored by Bumble at this point. I mean, if there ever was a plug for doing Bumble BFF, that's what I would go for. That's amazing. I completely agree with you. I think the people that I have met in my life that have become close friends are that way because I put myself out there in uncomfortable situations and it's really tough to do. And that's really, like you said, unpleasant advice to hear.

Caitlynn Weeden (19:53)
I know, right?

Yeah.

Yeah, it like sucks.

Madeleine (20:14)
Especially if you're an introvert or you have anxiety or you struggle with any of that, but sometimes they just gotta do it

Caitlynn Weeden (20:20)
Yeah, feel like, literally, I like the fact that I was in a sorority in college so it kind of blows my mind, but there were many pluses to it because I had to do recruitment and going through recruitment was so helpful for like just being in social situations and like having to talk to people. I was like, this is good.

Madeleine (20:39)
I cannot agree more.

Caitlynn Weeden (20:41)
I was like, I know it's not like, I don't know, like we were cool, I'm like, just, know it can be like kind of when you say it some people they're like, and I'm like, yeah, that's okay.

Madeleine (20:51)
Now I like I people hate on sorority life and there's plenty to be unpacked there But I did learn a lot of really good skills about socializing and learning how to talk to people that were really valuable

Caitlynn Weeden (21:04)
Yeah, exactly. It just helps to put yourself in those, it's like practice, like conversations, practice. I'm a big proponent, but pretty much anything you wanna do, you can do it if you just practice.

Madeleine (21:16)
Yeah, totally. There was something you said a little bit earlier before we kind of got on this tangent about how you've worked in a male dominated industry. You have been lucky enough to kind of like get around that with photography because you've been surrounding yourself with like amazing women and that kind of thing. But you did mention that, you you have received some hate or some not great comments from people in the past. And I'm sure as a content creator who publishes stuff on their own page with their own self,

in video and photos you've probably received, you know some level of comments from people and If you don't feel comfortable talking about this, this is okay But it's something that I think about a lot when I think about how I show up online In the outdoor community because I get plenty of comments myself If you have have any experiences with that and how you navigate those types of experiences

Caitlynn Weeden (21:45)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, well.

First of all, I love how you deal with it. I feel like I have like sent it to someone once and I was like, this girl's hilarious. Like how she's like responding to stuff. was like literally my inspo. but no, it is like really hard, like in person at like work. I've just heard people say things and like it's easier to like say it to someone's face and be like, you can't say that. But online is like a completely different beast. And it's something that I'm navigating more so because I feel like I have been showing up more authentically on social media, which gives people their

or they think they can talk. But how I've been dealing with it is I just block and delete people. Like my page isn't a spot for free speech if people are gonna be mean. Lately I've had some men commenting on just me and my appearance and I'm like, one, I can't even comment back to you. You have your replies turned off. And two, I'm like, don't you have anything better to be doing? I feel like I started navigating it by like...

acknowledging that it was really upsetting what they were saying because they picked something that was like super big insecurity of mine, but like two I'm like this man is sitting it's mostly men there are some women but it will say it's like 90 % men and I'm like this man is sitting on his couch You know on a Tuesday night choosing to say this to someone he doesn't even know I'm like that's funny like I'm like sitting there like envisioning him with like his phone and I'm like it just made me laugh so that's how I'm choosing to deal with it We'll see if it changes in the future

but yeah, it's hilarious.

Madeleine (23:44)
think that's the right attitude though. mean, props to you for being able to like get to that point mentally because it's tough. But I love what you just said of the thought of like, they're probably commenting this on some video of you doing some badass thing on a top of a mountain, like doing something they could never dream of. And they're sitting on their couch choosing to spend their precious time commenting on a stranger's video, something they would never say to their face. And it's just like,

Caitlynn Weeden (24:04)
Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah.

Madeleine (24:13)
hard to feel too angry and upset when you frame it that way and you kind of make that mental picture in your head. You're like, wow, that's sad for you.

Caitlynn Weeden (24:21)
Yeah. It did take a therapist session to get there. I'm not trying to minimize that, but I'm like, I think that we have the right to be upset by what people say to us online because you are talking to a person. I don't think that people realize that. But at the same time, I'm like, also it's the internet. I don't know.

Madeleine (24:25)
Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's so tough. I definitely fluctuate. Some days it's harder, some days it's easier, and yeah, it depends on what they say too, right? So, yeah.

Caitlynn Weeden (24:48)
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, it depends on what's said. So I love what Chappelron's doing. I think that she's making a big difference in this because she's like being like, people stop being creepy. Like, this is not okay. Like, stop like stalking. And I'm like, yeah, this is not like what should be expected from sharing online.

Madeleine (24:55)
Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, I completely agree. I've even, I made a video about this recently about how, you know, nowhere near even a minuscule tiny fraction of fame that Chappell -Rone has. I have like a couple thousand followers on social media, right? You know, I've got, it's not even comparable. But even I, you know, at 40K on TikTok or whatever, get people DMing me and being like, hey, you wanna hang out? And like,

Caitlynn Weeden (25:24)
Yeah.

Madeleine (25:34)
Those are types of things that are even tough to deal with because nobody is being mean or malicious, but it's just this weird thing with parasocial relationships too. It's like people either think they know you, but they don't, or people think that they have the freedom to say whatever they want. And I really like your approach of what you said about the hate comments of like, just delete and block. Like your page is not the platform or the space to foster that. So like, goodbye.

Caitlynn Weeden (25:38)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, I've learned the hard way. had a reel that I did with my friends and we like commented back on stuff and then I was like, I don't like how this is going. Like, we're not going to do that again.

Madeleine (26:09)
Yeah.

can really suck your energy too. It's just like, for what? This person's not gonna change. Yeah. Yeah.

Caitlynn Weeden (26:14)
Yeah. Yeah, I'm like, they don't care. They're not gonna look at this comment again. They're never gonna see my page again. Yeah.

Madeleine (26:20)
Yeah, yeah. Well, so that kind of goes into the next thing that I really wanted to talk about, which is kind of inclusivity in the outdoor community, because I don't know about you, but sometimes some of the comments I get on social media are from people who think that they're better than me because they enjoy the outdoors a different way, or they're more elitist, or they're more educated, or kind of what you're...

Caitlynn Weeden (26:40)
Mm

Madeleine (26:45)
you know, your bad old friends were trying to do of making you feel like you're not adequate or like you're knowledgeable enough to be worthy of being outdoorsy or claiming this title. So I did want to talk about kind of inclusivity and how that can sometimes be like a really big barrier for people to get out there and actually feel like they can enjoy the outdoors in a way that makes sense to them.

Caitlynn Weeden (26:53)
Mm -hmm.

Yeah, no, I'm like super passionate about this because I feel like it is really hard to get into the outdoors because it is like a lot of these things are dangerous. Like going skiing is dangerous. Like it is an extreme sport no matter what. Like going backpacking or going hiking, like you're putting yourself in a situation that you're like away from a lot of people or, you know, easy access to stuff. And so it's like...

super important that we go and do these things safely and like

but also make it accessible for everyone to do these things. And so it's always a constant struggle of something that I'm like, want to be helping people do these things. But yeah, I don't know. It is. It's like I want people to get outdoors, but I also want people to be safe. And I guess I'm trying to do that through providing resources for people. But I also teach ski lessons and stuff. I'm an instructor, and so I'm just like, I want to be in places where I can help people.

Bye.

Madeleine (28:08)
Yeah, yeah, that's amazing. That's such good self -awareness to have too of like, I'm sharing myself doing these adventures, but please remember that I've done a lot of research and a lot of work to be able to get to this point. It's really important that other people do that as well, which can feel really intimidating to someone who maybe hasn't done it, but it's really important they don't just like pack a bag with a water bottle and head out to a trail.

Caitlynn Weeden (28:22)
Yeah.

Yeah, exactly. It's like, it's, you know, you don't ever want to like mislead people on stuff because like sometimes people like message you and they'd like, like was it hard? And I'm like, or like, like, like, how long do think it'll take me to do this? And I'm like, I really can't answer these questions for you. Like this is how long it took me. I'm not fast. I'm not slow. Like, you know what I mean? Like it's all sometimes like you have to go out and experience those things for yourself. And so.

I don't know, it's just like providing like I feel like spaces where people can go and learn and try things and like but it's still be safe.

Madeleine (29:07)
Yeah, that's such a good point. I feel like I used to get that with hiking, but also with running too. People would be like, well, how fast, you know, was it a hard race or was it how fast were you going? I was like, well, I was going fast for me. That might not be fast for you. I don't know. Or, you know, it just is hard. You have to just like get out there and really experience it for yourself. What other advice would you have for people who maybe are thinking about maybe

Caitlynn Weeden (29:22)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Madeleine (29:37)
Picking up hiking, let's do hiking for, and as an example, they haven't really hiked before, they don't really know where to start. What would you recommend to them? What would you say to them?

Caitlynn Weeden (29:43)
Mm

Yeah, I mean if you've never hiked before and you really want to do it, I feel like there's so many cool groups in Seattle. Like I would suggest like finding a group and going with a group. I like, I think there's, you know, when I first started hiking out here...

I interned a summer in Washington and that's how I found it. And I think I joined Women Who Explore on Facebook and I just went to a meetup there or I just tried to find people and I went with people because I didn't really want to go by myself. I'm definitely more okay with solo stuff now but that was hard to get into. Traveling by yourself can be scary and super empowering but also it's just, you know...

I also love to yap, so I like love to talk and have people there to talk to. But yeah, I would suggest just like trying to find a group and go out with a group.

Madeleine (30:35)
Yeah, that's really, really good advice. I think that I kind of had an abnormal foray into hiking and stuff, because I just kind of jumped into doing it on my own, because I was like, all right, I'm not going to wait for anybody. But I had had previous outdoorsy experience. And I think if I had been starting at zero, I think that would have been a bad decision. I think I would have wanted to start somewhere with people who kind of know what they're doing, or at least there's other people around that might know what they're doing.

Caitlynn Weeden (30:45)
Okay.

Yeah. Yeah.

Madeleine (31:03)
So can ask questions. Have you found that when you've put yourself out there and started going to things with community, with people, that people were pretty welcoming and easy to talk to and ask questions?

Caitlynn Weeden (31:17)
Yeah, I like, I don't know, I think like coming from the East Coast and like New York and stuff, I was like going to school in New York before I came here.

people are really friendly here, which I feel like is counter, everyone's all like, the Seattle freeze. And I'm like, I don't know, I kinda think it's whatever energy you're putting in, you kinda get back out. And so I feel like I have mostly no transplants here, so maybe that's also something. But I, yeah, I feel like you kinda just gotta go and start talking to people. I don't, yeah, I feel like everyone has been really welcoming.

I think like when I first moved out here, this is like a big thing that I literally tell everyone to do because I think another issue with a lot of outdoorsy sports is there is like a really high barrier to entry and like cost too. Like it's like hard to access trails if you don't have like an all -wheel drive car sometimes or like if you want to go skiing like you need the pass and the gear and all of that. Like there's just like a high barrier to entry to like a lot of outdoorsy stuff. And I like literally like my first winter here I was a ski instructor because I didn't

buy a pass in time and also I couldn't afford one at that point and I had all hand -me -down gear and stuff that I had gotten from family and basically if you want to go teach at the summit they're like can you ski a blue? Okay you're an instructor and even if you can't ski a blue they're like okay we'll teach you and so I'm like it's amazing because you can go get access to a community and training right away.

Madeleine (32:57)
That's awesome. I feel like there's so many interesting ways like that to get involved in some sort of outdoor activity that people sometimes don't think about. Like that, I had no idea about that. That's so cool. Like that's such a cool way to get into that. I think about like people can volunteer with the Washington Trails Association and they provide you with like the gloves and the tools and stuff. And if you just want to like see what it's like out on a trail,

Caitlynn Weeden (33:13)
Yeah.

Madeleine (33:26)
with other people, you can just volunteer for free and they will hang out with you for a day while you also are doing trail work. I think there's kind of abnormal, kind of non -traditional ways that you can also get involved in community and try new things that people might not think about.

Caitlynn Weeden (33:30)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah. And there's so many, like there's so many cool groups. I think I went to, default served by Sarah. She does like community walks. And so I went on one of those a little bit ago and then I met this guy there who like runs like a record and like trails store. And I think like from his store, like once a week people go on hikes. And so I'm like, I just feel like if you just like go poke around for a little bit, there's like so many ways to get outside. And like, I think that he even like rents a van.

Madeleine (33:47)
I think so, yeah.

Yeah.

Caitlynn Weeden (34:10)
and like takes people and so I'm like this is like cool there's just like options for you to get outside.

Madeleine (34:16)
That's so cool. I feel like a big part of that is like just asking questions. just, I think curiosity is one of those things that opens doors for a ton of people. And if you're just asking people questions about like what they're doing, you'll unlock all these different little doors and all these different little opportunities that you didn't know existed. It's pretty cool.

Caitlynn Weeden (34:33)
Yeah, being curious is like something that is so good to be like I feel like that's always like just wanting to like ask questions and stuff. That's like why I chose to be an engineer. was like, I want to know why this works. And so it's like fun to like look at it through like a curious lens. So I love that you said that.

Madeleine (34:49)
Yeah, that's awesome. So what else do think we can do? if, like, I feel like we've really talked to the people who are listening who maybe don't know where to start or are afraid to start kind of how they can kind of get their foot in the door. What about the rest of us who are maybe a little bit more experienced? Like, what can we do to be more inclusive and more welcoming to people who are beginners? I mean,

what you've said about you sharing things online and becoming an instructor and things like that is fantastic. But I'm wondering, do you have any other thoughts or pieces of advice for other people on how we can make this a more inclusive and welcoming community?

Caitlynn Weeden (35:29)
I feel like always just making everything a conversation is kind of how I go because like this is something that I'm still working on like I want to be inclusive like

and I know that I'm not always inclusive, you know? I feel like some - that's kind of like, in the outdoor world, it is like kind of gatekeep -y and like, just in general, like, I don't know, like I'm always like, like, am I sharing this for like the right reason or just kind of thinking about like what I'm doing? And so I'm always open to suggestions on how to make it more inclusive, but I just am always just trying to think of ways that like, if I'm doing something, you know, or if let me -

I'm out and somebody needs help with something on the trail. Last weekend a little kid got stung and so I was giving him stuff. I don't know, I just think trying to make things a more open space for people to feel safe to ask questions. I'm not really sure if that's what you were thinking, but...

Madeleine (36:27)
Yeah.

Caitlynn Weeden (36:27)
Yeah, I don't know. It's like it's a super hard because I do want it to be more inclusive and it's like how do we do that because like I don't know like I acknowledge like I'm a white woman and I feel like out of Most people I have it pretty easy in the outdoor spaces, you know, like I don't know so it is it's definitely a challenge

Madeleine (36:46)
think you are maybe being a little too hard on yourself with saying that you don't know what to do because just the fact that you're thinking about it is more than what a lot of people do. A lot of people don't even think about these things about, what am I doing? And how am I helping? Or what can I do better? A lot of people don't ask themselves those questions. So the fact that you are is really great and miles above what a lot of other people are doing.

Caitlynn Weeden (37:11)
Yeah.

Madeleine (37:16)
I think that is a huge, a huge piece of it.

Caitlynn Weeden (37:21)
Yeah, no, I hope so, but also I'm like, want to be like doing some actionable things. So if anybody has any suggestions, feel free to send them my way. Yeah.

Madeleine (37:30)
Yeah, let us know in the comments. But also like that's the whole premise of this podcast, right? Like I'm talking to a bunch of different people from different walks of life that have different lived experiences, who live in different bodies, who come from different backgrounds, who haven't had the privileges that you and I have experienced as white women in the outdoors. And I think by having, just by having these conversations and like asking the questions and then being open to learn and change behavior,

is all we can really do, right? Is just continue to learn and be open and receptive to feedback or questions or piece of advice, you know?

Caitlynn Weeden (38:02)
Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Like, I just want everyone to be outside and enjoy it and I want to help them be able to do that.

Madeleine (38:13)
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, exactly. That's like the whole goal here. So that leads me perfectly into the final question, the big question, which is like, how do you define outdoorsy?

Caitlynn Weeden (38:18)
Yeah.

Yeah, so I literally I think that people like to define things too much.

I feel like everyone is like, I... and like this goes back to like my imposter syndrome with like photography stuff too. Like it took me so long to call myself a photographer but like I've had a camera, I was a photographer as soon as I picked up my camera so I feel like being outdoorsy is just if you like to be outdoors then you're outdoorsy. Like even if that like, it was really funny I was talking to a friend in a coffee shop this morning and I was telling her that I was gonna be talking with you and she was like, yeah I'm like not really outdoorsy, like I like to be outdoors.

And I'm like, okay, but like, that's the same thing. And so I just think that we need to like, not label it so much and like make it less serious. And like, if you go outdoors, like if you like to go sit by Green Lake in Seattle and read a book, then you're outdoorsy because you're outside enjoying nature.

Madeleine (39:04)
Yeah, you're like, yeah, that's it.

Yeah, yeah, and think about all the people that don't do stuff like that. They don't consider themselves outdoorsy because they're like, no, why would I sit outside with a book when I could sit inside? Like, why would I do that? You know, so you are valid in however you are enjoying the outdoors. So I love that. I love what you just said. And yeah, I think sometimes it comes back to that imposter syndrome of like, well, I'm not really, you know, that I'm not super serious about, you know.

you if you're just like a casual backpacker who likes to go out every once in a while, maybe you don't have like the like crazy ultra light gear and therefore you're like, well, I'm not really a backpacker. It's like, no, you backpacked. You are backpacker.

Caitlynn Weeden (39:50)
Yeah.

yeah yeah you're if you backpacked once you're a backpacker it's like crazy to think but like yeah i think it's just it is because like the outdoor space and like i feel like i go to skiing a lot for stuff like this because i think it's just so like well seen in skiing but like a lot of people are so like i don't know like you're not a skier unless you're like doing this this or this and i'm like why like one like

Madeleine (40:04)
Yeah!

Caitlynn Weeden (40:25)
the amount of people that are doing that I like they have to think about it this way in my brain I'm like I'm not an Olympian and like what I'm doing like I'm going out to do these things for fun like I feel like sometimes I get in my head and I'm like like I'm not doing like these kind of hikes or like these kind of like summits and stuff but I'm like I'm literally going to walk like I'm going out for a walk in the woods like that's not that serious like I'm going to have fun and like I just need to chill and go have fun and enjoy nature

Madeleine (40:53)
Yeah, yeah, I think that's so valid. That touches on something that I have talked a lot about, which is enjoying the outdoors doesn't have to revolve around accomplishing a goal or a conquest. You're not necessarily, or even getting better at anything. I mean, the same could be said about being an artist or liking to craft. You're maybe not trying to be the world's best.

Caitlynn Weeden (41:07)
Mm -hmm.

Madeleine (41:20)
painter in the world, but you just like painting. So like go paint and then you're a painter. I think a lot of that has similar crossover with outdoorsy -ness. It's like, well, I'm not trying to like ski black diamonds. I just like going on the blue runs and kind of going for a little nice vibe and that you're still a skier, you know?

Caitlynn Weeden (41:24)
Yeah.

Yeah, and that's

Yeah, and you're still there, you're having fun, like you're, like it's not, I just think it's not that serious. Like I feel like a lot of times I'm just like, it's literally not that serious. Like I feel like it's like a joke, but it's like we're on a floating rock in space, you know, like everything is not that serious. Like go have fun.

Madeleine (41:48)
Yeah.

It's not that serious, it's not a competition, too. We're not competing against each other. There's no prize for who's the better outdoorsman. It's just, we're just existing.

Caitlynn Weeden (42:01)
Yeah.

Yeah, it's like, I'm like, did you have fun today? Like that, the prize is like, did you have fun? Like, is this what you wanted to do? Like go have some fun and relax and enjoy. And like, yeah. And I think that sometimes it's super easy to get caught up. Like I feel like I still get caught up sometimes. And I'm like, like I'm here to have fun. Like I just need to, you know, think about why I'm doing this activity.

Madeleine (42:31)
I love that mental framing of the prize is, did you have fun? Did you have fun today? Great, awesome. If you didn't, maybe don't do that again or figure out why.

Caitlynn Weeden (42:35)
Yeah. Great. Then... And like, I'm not like totally...

Yeah, I'm like not totally against like I feel like when you go and do hard things outdoors It is super empowering like when I have a day where I have a longer day and I'm like wow like I'm super proud of myself for doing something like that and I think like being an athlete for so long has like helped me with this where I'm like I like having some challenges and like tough things thrown at me but also you can like you can sense in your mind when you're like this is past a line of this is a fun challenge like you know

you're doing a scramble and it's continuously, you're unwell and scared, then I'm like, you can tell when you've pushed it too far.

Madeleine (43:20)
Yeah, yeah, there's definitely a big difference there for sure. Cool, well, I was just gonna ask you kind of to wrap things up about future projects, kind of what's next for you, that kind of thing, but is there anything else that you wanna talk about before we kind of wrap things up?

Caitlynn Weeden (43:24)
Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

No, I mean I love this conversation and I feel like it's so important to just like get people outdoors and like talking about the outdoors and like everyone's experiences are so different so it's really fun to just connect and like learn and I'm always open to questions from people if you know you want to know like where I'm going or what hikes I mean obviously I'm not gonna tell you exactly where I'm going, safety, but yeah I don't know I'm just always open to questions so feel free to reach out.

Madeleine (44:06)
Yeah, I love that. And I love your content. It's all super, it feels really approachable and lovely and also just beautiful. Like your photography is so stunning. if people, thank you. Thank you so much. I'm going to put all of your links in the show notes for, so for everybody listening or watching this at home.

Caitlynn Weeden (44:18)
Thank you. I love yours too.

Madeleine (44:30)
You'll have the links to her Instagram, TikTok, and then I also have your just webpage that has links to all of your other stuff that you've got going on, like your website and near prints and things like that. Anything else you wanna plug? Anything else you've got coming up?

Caitlynn Weeden (44:38)
Yeah? Yeah.

Yeah, no. If people are in the Seattle area or if you're not even in the Seattle area, I'm looking to do group travel in the next year. So keep your eye out if you want to adventure with some cool women. I love doing group travel and I've done some this past summer with a friend and so excited to do more of that. And then I'm also doing commercial photography. So if you or anyone you know is looking for photographers or just want to connect.

That would be great and you can reach out.

Madeleine (45:15)
So excited. I'm definitely going to be keeping my eye out for those adventures because I will be joining as long as my foot allows me to. So yeah. thank you. It's doing okay. You know, we're walking. We're making progress. Just slower than I thought, but it's all good. It's all good. Yeah. Thank you. So, so exciting. Awesome stuff coming up. I just cannot thank you enough for joining me on this podcast.

Caitlynn Weeden (45:23)
Yeah, I know. I hope it gets better quick. How's it doing? Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Madeleine (45:42)
Again, if anybody wants to connect with Caitlynn, all of the links will be available to you. But thank you so much for joining us for this episode of Outdoorsy and just remember that you belong out there.