Women's Adventure Club
A community of women who value adventure and connection with the natural world
Western PA
Welcome to the Women's Adventure Club
The Women's Adventure Club is a Pittsburgh-based community of women who seek year-round outdoor experiences. We offer frequent opportunities to get outside such as hiking, biking, and yoga hikes. Seasonal adventures are kayaking, rafting, SUP, skeet shooting, archery, Nordic skiing, alpine skiing, snowshoeing, and backpacking. Self-healing experiences include sound baths, drum circles, Qigong, and forest bathing. Our adventurers range in age from 20s to 70s. We are accepting, supportive, and fun!
The Women's Adventure Club isn't a membership-based organization—there's no club to join, just adventures to experience! Discover the thrill of trying something new in a supportive community, build strength outdoors, and embrace Pittsburgh winters in a whole new way. Find more awe and wonder in your days as you explore the beauty of the outdoors. We handle the planning—all you have to do is sign up and show up. See you out there!
“Nature has the power to heal because it is where we are from, it is where we belong and it belongs to us as an essential part of our health and our survival.”
– Nooshin Razani
Our mission:
Create weekly opportunities for the women of Western PA to get outside in a way that feels bold yet safe, supportive, and fun.
Connect with nature and enhance your well-being.
Enjoy the health and wellness benefits of spending time outdoors:
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enhanced calm
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improved focus
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heightened awe
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better sleep
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improved memory
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drop in the stress hormone cortisol
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drop in blood pressure
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drop in heart rate
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reduced inflammation
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decrease in depression, anxiety, and fatigue
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Push past your comfort zone through new experiences
Although we're wired to seek out comfort and safety, taking risks and trying new things is what helps us grow. Adventuring can get you out of your comfort zone. Put yourself out there, try something new, be vulnerable!
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Cultivate camaraderie and friendships
Something about being out on a trail causes us to drop our guard, to be more open and accepting, and allow others to see us as we are. Women on the trails are grounded and real. Connection is important and yet sometimes we want solitude. You are welcome to hike quietly and peacefully, taking in the sights and sounds of nature. Delight in the stillness of your own company while still benefiting from the comfort and assurance of the group.
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Our adventuring looks like this...
Hear from our community
I can't recommend the Women's Adventure Club highly enough! I discovered this group back in 2019 and, because of it, I have found a whole new group of women who love to spend time outdoors. I was nervous before my first outing, but Lindsay is so friendly and everyone was very welcoming. We do all kinds of things - from hiking and biking to skeet shooting and paddleboarding. Beginners are always encouraged! We're active throughout the year and it keeps my body and mind feeling healthy. One of my favorite things about the group is that I can have moments of solitude on an adventure but I know I'm never alone. The camaraderie and supportive vibe of this group of women is honestly good for the soul.
Lindsay is so passionate about getting people outside to enjoy the gifts that nature has to offer! Her thirst for knowledge is such an asset - she's always teaching us about plants, animals, and places. I leave every adventure having learned something new about the outdoors and about myself! There's such a wide variety of adventures that women of all ages can give it a go - I even took my 83-year-old Mom on a relaxed hike recently. The other women in the group are friendly and welcoming. Come give it a try!
Julie, Ohio Township
The WAC is full of fun, adventure, challenge, kindness and encouragement. It’s an honor to explore with such courageous, humble, thoughtful women.
Elizabeth, Sewickley
Mandy, Wexford
Meet our Guides
Lindsay Gibson
Lindsay is the founder of the WAC and loves spending time in nature. Some of her favorite outdoor experiences include kayaking the Napali Coast, Nordic skiing and fatbiking in Anchorage, and sharing time on the trails with the Women's Adventure Club. Lindsay is a mother of three and a former elementary school teacher. She is a certified Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide. Lindsay is certified in Wilderness First Aid, First Aid, CPR, and AED. She looks forward to adventuring with you!
Nancy Latimer
Nancy is an avid hiker, biker, camper, and backpacker. She found her way to becoming an outdoorswoman later in life and enjoys continuous growth in outdoor pursuits, crocheting, and playing the ukulele. She has led trips with various outdoor organizations since 2008 and loves to share her knowledge with others, especially those new to outdoor adventures. She has been trained in Wilderness First Aid and is certified in First Aid, CPR, and AED.
Megan Caplan
Megan’s favorite outdoor activity is hiking, but she also enjoys cycling rails-to-trails and snowshoeing. Recently she took up (and fell down) cross-country skiing. One of the main reasons Megan enjoys time outdoors is because of the positive impact it has on mental health. Previously she worked at outdoor retailers, REI and Public Lands. She is certified in First Aid, CPR, and AED.
Meisha Haddad
Meisha grew up in the Allegheny National Forest and has a strong passion for the outdoors. Meisha loves the WAC because it inspires women try something new within the safety of the group. She loves to travel and has been lucky enough to hike in China, Hawaii, and all over the US. Her favorite activities include hiking, biking, skiing, SUP, and getting her hands dirty in the garden. Meisha is certified in First Aid, CPR, and AED, and is a certified yoga instructor.
Abby Scheg
Abby enjoys hiking, rucking, exploring new trails, and just taking a walk in a new place. She and her husband are on a mission to visit every National Park—they've checked 18 off the list so far, with plenty more to go. Abby loves being outdoors in all four seasons and can’t wait to share her passion for the outdoors, especially with those new to outdoor adventures. Abby is certified in First Aid, CPR, and AED.
Our Friends & Partners
Joe Triebsch
Senior Trip Leader
Joe loves to share our local woodlands and trails with others of all skill levels and backgrounds. As a high-school teacher for Pittsburgh Public Schools, Joe ran the ski club for many years and co-sponsored an outing club where he took students hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, snowshoeing, and white-water rafting. Joe later volunteered his time as a trip leader for Venture Outdoors. After retiring from teaching, Joe worked at REI for 16 years where he enjoyed helping folks plan their own outdoor adventures. He also taught many classes for REI's Outdoor School in hiking, backpacking, cycle touring, and snow sports. We are so fortunate to have Joe as a friend of the Women's Adventure Club! Joe looks forward to co-teaching classes with WAC guide Megan and leading cycling and hiking events for our community. Thank you, Joe!
Karen Romano
Certified Sound Healer and Drum Circle Facilitator
The Women's Adventure Club loves partnering with Karen to offer Sound Baths and Drum Circle experiences. Karen combines her passion for music and wellness with her intuition to lead the Inner Light Sound Healing program. She is always looking at creative ways to tap into the benefits of vibration on the body, mind, and spirit. Karen is a certified Sound Healer, Drum Circle Facilitator and Reiki Master, specializing in the use of sound healing in her energy sessions. She leads Sound Baths, Drum Circles, and coordinates special events and concerts at Inner Light. She also takes Drum Circles and Sound Healing into schools, hospitals, senior living centers, yoga studios, community events, and private parties. In addition, Karen is a semi-professional musician, currently the drummer for Monte’s Pythons and The Mingo Creek Band, two gigging Pittsburgh rock bands.
Dr. Doug Jones
Certified ANFT Forest Therapy Guide
Dr. Doug has partnered with the Women's Adventure Club to offer Forest Therapy Walks (forest bathing) since 2020. He received his certification as a Forest Therapy Guide in 2020 from the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs (ANFT). Prior to beginning his Forest Therapy practice, Dr. Doug worked as an independent psychologist in Sewickley, Pennsylvania and at Sewickley Academy for over 30 years. In retirement, his goal is to guide walks as a way of staying in service to others and nature. The encounters that occur during a Forest Therapy walk provide participants with the opportunity to recollect and embody their sense of being at home in nature and with themselves. The ANFT motto is: “The forest is the therapist, the guide opens the doors.”
Read more about Dr. Doug and Forest Bathing
Connect with Dr. Doug to request a private Forest Therapy Walk
Jessica Schaefer
Certified Yoga Instructor, RYT-200
Jessica has been practicing yoga since 2006, and received her 200 hour certification through One Point One Yoga in 2021. Her classes have roots in vinyasa, which simply stated, is linking poses together seamlessly through breath. Expect a focus on anatomy and mobility, with elements of breathwork, meditation, and yoga philosophy sprinkled in. Jessica teaches weekly classes at ASCEND Climbing Gym and rotating Saturdays at 3 Rivers Outdoors Co. She is currently working towards her 500-hour certification and looks forward to sharing the strength, power, and confidence yoga has given her with the Women’s Adventure Club.
Check out more of Jessica's yoga offerings @jessicaschaefer.yoga
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