Ecofeminism and Whitewater Kayaking on the Grand Canyon

Every year, approximately 800 people summit Mount Everest – only 150 people self-support kayak down the Colorado River of the Grand Canyon, and barely a fraction of that are women. Most river trips include a raft to carry essentials (food, tents, and clothes), but self-support kayaking carries all supplies in your kayak, sometimes more than 100 pounds of essential gear. My project explores Ecofeminism, a theory lying at the intersection of feminism and ecology which counteracts the belief that humans are separate from nature. Ecofeminism theorizes that forces that oppress people based on identity are the “same ideology that sanctions the oppression of nature,” and without ending abuse of nature, no kinds of oppression can stop (Gaard 1). Prominent scholar Greta Gaard states, “creating change globally – this is not something you can do in your spare time. We all have to live in it” (Gaard 3). From December 26th, 2024, through January 8th, 2025, I embarked on a self-supported trip down the Grand Canyon engaging in ecofeminist approaches to existing within wilderness: I used my kayak in this space to define an ecofeminist connection I have with nature, to “live in it.”

 For fourteen days, my morning would start by packing up camp – deflating my sleeping pad, repacking my sleeping bag and clothing, disassembling my tent, preparing my food for the day’s journey, ensuring it all was waterproof by sealing all of my belongings into nine various-sized drybags which I would then methodically fit in my over 12-foot long boat. This process took around two hours. Eventually, my group, consisting of 4 women and 6 men, would start kayaking down the river, around twenty miles a day, to then set up camp and unpack everything again hopefully before sunset and the dropping temperature. My days consisted of paddling through big-water rapids, endlessly staring up at canyon walls, hiking up magical side canyons, and eating ramen noodles on the side of the river. This simple lifestyle eventually became routine – a complete and highly needed shift from my regular busy life as a college student.

With the participation of three other women kayakers on the expedition –  Rachel Buys, Stella Campana, and Ruby Milligan – I conducted emotionally intelligent group journaling. This activity promoted Ecofeminist thought which opposed popular patriarchal devaluing of women's emotions as insight, showing how “when deprived of a more traditionally feminine perspective of the natural world, we are missing our understanding of ourselves in relation to nature” (Brisson 6). Every three days, I gave various prompts to lead contemplation, discussion, and reflection on ecofeminism throughout our trip. For example, the prompt for day nine stated: “Ecofeminism destroys the human/nature binary, and ‘places humans and animals within a wider conception of nature’ (Gaard, 6). How would you describe your relationship with nature at this point in the trip?” I collected and reviewed these journal entries, then collected and analyzed how an Ecofeminist experience as a female whitewater kayaker creates a clearer and multifaceted exploration of women in the outdoors.

Here is one of the most meaningful quotes I wrote in my journal: “There is something unnamable that empowers me like no other experiences do – overcoming big physical and mental challenges, pushing myself to the limits, working with nature. I know I can take this experience to get through ‘regular’ life challenges.” My self-supported kayaking trip down the Grand Canyon pushed me mentally, emotionally and physically in ways I have never experienced before. When you are inside glorious canyon walls for two weeks, there is nothing to do but paddle, think, unpack, pack, and keep paddling. Thus, the journal entries collected from my interview group proved insightful into how wilderness experiences strongly influence, affect, and strengthen women.

When thinking of outdoor spaces like the Grand Canyon, words that come to mind might include “beautiful”  “untamed” and “wild.” This vocabulary mirrors frameworks historically used to describe and oppress women and minority groups. During my project, I lived in the Canyon and participated in Ecofeminist thought opposing such a framework. Ecofeminism simultaneously destroys the binary of how humans think of nature (natural versus man-made) and rejects gender binaries (male versus female). The women participating in this trip inherently defeated patriarchal hierarchies that disallow women into these extreme “wild” spaces. Rachel Buys pondered the vocabulary of patriarchy in whitewater kayaking, on day nine stating, “we describe running rapids as ‘dominating’ or ‘controlling’ the rapids. Kayaking was pioneered by men and is still entirely male dominated…that same idea of ‘owning,’ ‘controlling,’ a wild and uncontrollable force that is the river” (Buys). By needing to “conquer” rapids, humans do not respect the river and its power, similar to patriarchal thought. On this trip, I never tried to “control” a rapid – in a 12-foot, 55-pound (not including gear) Stinger XP kayak, it is harder to turn my boat than usual, emitting a sense of mobility I traditionally experience in a kayak. Thus, self-supporting the Colorado River forces you to work with the river, rather than overcome or control it. It is a powerful idea to be a part of a natural space so deeply you must solely live with it, and this journey enabled a symbiotic connection with the river and the canyon.

One of the most notable aspects of our trip were the leadership roles in group dynamics. It is not often that you see a woman trip leader, and Rachel Buys served as our guide. As a first-time Grand Canyon kayaker, I felt inspired by her. With her as our lead, we had a rotating daily trip-leader, equalizing the playing field of power within our group. Being trip-leader for the day meant holding and referencing a map, leading rapids, and choosing a campsite. On day eight, I was the daily trip leader (TL), the day before writing “tomorrow I am being TL, so I am getting ready for that. Excited to show leadership.” Women in outdoor leadership roles is an empowering and vital action, however since such leadership roles are not always premeditated for women, group journal entries showed it as a cause for internal doubts and tension. Milligan stated, “I feel like often I have felt b****y or bossy for taking leadership roles. That is really challenging, and I am not sure if others are perceiving me that way, but it feels like such a double standard because I am sure that role wouldn’t be perceived in a man.” Her experience directly ties into one of Buys’s entries where a male group member jokingly described Ruby as “bossy,” and Rachel “knew he was joking but I still felt a need to push back.” She then describes how this interaction did not happen on their previous trip when there was a male trip leader. This was repeated when Campana wrote “There was one day where I was TL and a member of the trip kept trying to lead as well. I think sometimes some men feel like they need to protect you on the water and offer input when they may not give that advice to other men. I think they have no poor intentions but it is sometimes frustrating when it feels as though they are questioning my leadership, skills, and decisions.” This presented itself as the greatest negative dynamic on the trip, showing the need for normalizing women in leadership roles, to eventually counteract beliefs of women as “bossy” and needing help in outdoor leadership, both internally and externally in group dynamics.

With that being said, since our group was curated by powerful female kayakers, it felt more supportive than the usual world of whitewater kayaking, proving itself to be a powerful trip in whitewater kayaking. On day six, Milligan wrote “the lack of feeling like I have something to prove has allowed me to enjoy whitewater and the canyon so much more,” contrasting with her usual feeling of “every time I show up to kayak with strangers they assume like I am the worst and I constantly have to prove my worth, which is really challenging and makes it hard to find the fun.” Embarking on our Grand Canyon trip becomes an abnormal space, with complete immersion in nature and kayaking, and not the constant comparison of gender dynamics. This is further enforced in Stella’s journal, stating on day six “throughout this trip there has not been as much masculine toxicity surrounding kayaking.” These entries show how important it is to introduce women into outdoor sports and spaces to create more positive and enjoyable dynamics in the backcountry, opposing usual patriarchal dynamics in extreme sports and extreme spaces. Since a small minority of young girls are introduced to the sport, very few women have the background and ability to participate in a trip such as this. One needs to have whitewater knowledge and solid kayaking experience to have the opportunity to self-support kayak the Colorado River. There needs to be a push for women in whitewater kayaking, which would translate into more women venturing into trips such as this and gaining important skills and empowerment.

For me, the most difficult aspect of our trip for me was my mental state. Although the Grand Canyon is notoriously an extremely physically demanding trip, I often felt proud of my tired body but shameful of complications in my mind. To frame situations such as this, I presented my peers with prominent Ecofeminist scholar Emily Ford’s idea of “three dimensions of time and space – mental, physical, and verbal – shared as starting points to empower women in a variety of outdoor pursuits.” These spaces were:

1. Mental space: “Be aware of your internal dialogue and how it is shaped by your surroundings” (Ford 10).

2. Physical space: “Show up” and “Empower yourself and others with physical movement” (Ford 12).

3. Verbal space: “Be aware of how you speak and respond, and the language you use” and “Know some phrases to counter classic sexist comments and behaviors” (Ford 14).

I referenced these dimensions every three days, seeing how they would shift. Alas, mental state was the most discussed topic among all four women. Buys reflected that  “I feel like I have been using her 3 states as a way to help me better understand how my mentality can affect my actions, paddling and leadership style. I think my mentality has been my biggest struggle on this trip,” which parallels my statement “my mental state has been the hardest part of the trip.” However, Milligan stated “I found that my mental state is much calmer due to the simplicity of the day to day down here,” showing the contrast between mentality among us. I was expecting the trip to be physically difficult, working through rough conditions and long days, but I did not expect my mentality to be so challenged. However, overcoming getting lost in my thoughts deeply empowered and grounded me. I harnessed Ecofeminism when I related my thoughts with the river, starting “to feel my emotions come and go like the river’s waves,” combining my personal experience with the greater natural world in order to understand myself better.

My relationship with nature ebbed and flowed throughout the trip. Sometimes I felt immensely connected to nature, basking in the beautiful isolation and feeling incredibly at peace. Sometimes, however, I felt contempt, as I found myself longing for my usual comforts – a bed, non-freeze-dried food, or a phone call to my mom. This oscillation proved beneficial, as I became so grateful for my “regular” life while simultaneously grateful for the intensity and overwhelming nature of the trip. Buys felt another sort of push-and-pull, stating “I find such a dichotomy out here in my relationship with nature. Sometimes I feel so at peace and both my natural authentic self while I live this peaceful very simple style of life for 14 days. But at the same time, I don’t always feel welcome or at home in these male dominated spaces. Especially kayaking and being taught by men.” When living in a space not made for women, I felt a nagging “why am I here?” Overcoming this internalization proved crucial to my understanding of Ecofeminism during my trip. I found myself writing and thinking affirmations, such as “I am strong and proud.” This allowed me to internalize strength and ability, understanding that barely any women get to embark on a Grand Canyon self-support trip, lest it be a women-led trip! On day twelve, I wrote “By embarking on this self-supported Grand Canyon trip, on a woman-led trip, I put myself in uncomfortable and hard situations. Unpacking and packing a boat and camp everyday, paddling big rapids in a giant kayak, and being an outdoors woman oppose standard norms of what a woman can do. It feels good, and I am proud of this trip.” Being so immersed in nature to an extent where I created a new daily routine to accommodate the demands of the Grand Canyon easily inspired one of the strongest connections I have ever had to nature.

Overall, group-journaling showed a need to push women into natural spaces through sports like whitewater kayaking. A grand sense of empowerment and strength comes with being able to participate in outdoor, skill-based trips, providing a sense of strength and self-advocacy transferable to everyday life. Ecofeminism provides a framework to better understand the experiences of women in extreme sports and wilderness settings. Buys stated “I feel like this whole trip is my contribution to the ecofeminist movement. I just learned about it but I feel like I’ve been a part of it my whole life without realizing it,” which deeply resonated with how I felt when I first learned about the movement. I finally felt my experience as a woman whitewater kayaker contextualized by a theory, in turn helping me understand my past and present experiences. Thus, my trip and group journaling show the importance of both educating women on theories that resonate to specific experiences and introducing girls to outdoor sports. Whitewater kayaking has changed my life. It took me on a two-week self-support trip down the Grand Canyon, where I could fully intertwine myself with nature in a meaningful and complex way that I will be able to carry with me throughout my life.

By exploring women in whitewater and Ecofeminist thought, my project humanizes the experiences of women in the river, adding to a larger conversation where voices of women in wilderness are infrequently heard. I think my project’s biggest immediate impact were the impromptu discussions the group had over the campfire, spurred by the journaling prompts. Examples include long conversations about pro-women kayakers such as Nouria Newman, or how the intense pressure on class-five female boaters. These conversations are needed and not normally had.

Contextualizing and understanding our experiences through theory provides insight into how societal systems influence individuals actions, thoughts, choices and life. Self-support kayaking down the Grand Canyon empowers, inspires, and challenges traditional narratives. It is a powerful idea to be living in Ecofeminist theory by participating in what we love to do, and I hope my project inspires people of all genders to participate in outdoor sports and spend as much time as possible outside.

Thank you to the Keller family for supporting my project. This experience has not only expanded my research skills, but also allowed me to fulfill a personal goal I have had for more than a decade. Completing this trip is a powerful accomplishment, and highlights the importance of sharing women's stories in outdoor spaces. The Grand Canyon is an incredibly amazing and complex natural space, and I would also like to thank Rachel, Ruby, and Stella for their wonderful journal entries!

Works Cited

Brisson, Sami. “Women’s Connectedness to Nature: An Ecofeminist Exploration.” Regis University, May 2017, epublications.regis.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1856&context=theses.

Ford, Emily. “The Greater Unconformity.” Western CEDAR, 31 Oct. 2018, cedar.wwu.edu/s2ss/vol3/iss1/3/.

Gaard, Greta, and Lori Gruen. “Ecofeminism: Toward global justice and planetary health.” Society and Nature, vol. 2, 1993, pp. 234–257, https://lgruen.faculty.wesleyan.edu/files/2011/05/Gaard.pdf.

Gaard, Greta. Ecofeminism: Women, Animals, Nature. Temple University Press, 1993.

Hennum, Taylor, images 6 and 8, 2024 and 2025.

Ross, Tracy. “Want to Float One of the West’s Most Popular Rivers? You Have Roughly a 2% Chance of Getting a Permit.” The Colorado Sun, 28 Dec. 2023, coloradosun.com/2023/03/22/west-river-permit-system-flood/.