5TH ANNUAL
WILD WOMEN WEEK 2023
March 2nd - 10th
~ SELF CARE IS WILD ~
Help us take over the outdoors March 2nd through 10th in celebration of #Internationalwomensday!
Spend the week being a Wild Woman hiking, biking, strolling, running, kayaking or whatever gets you pumped and feeling empowered. Get outside on your own or join us throughout the week at one of the planned activities found below!
The 5th Annual Wild Women Week is a chance for us as women to celebrate ourselves and each other, to discover opportunities for growth and community and to make ourselves seen and heard.
Who are we celebrating during Wild Women Week?
At Shifting Gears we hope the week can be an opportunity to celebrate the wide spectrum of genders that exist outside of the cisnormative gender binary. While the celebration was inspired by International Women’s Day, gender identity goes way beyond sex assigned at birth. Our community is made up of a beautiful diversity of genders, and during Wild Women Week, we want to get wild and dirty with YOU.
How to get involved
Nominate a wild woman for the 2023 Wild Woman of the Year Award! We are now accepting nominations. Click here for more information and instructions on submitting your entry.
WILD WOMEN WEEK TIMELINE:
Thank you to all of our partners that are hosting Wild Women Week activities! Most of these events are free or are being provided at a discounted price. Those who are interested or able are encouraged to support our WWW partner organizations through donations.
THURSDAY, MARCH 2ND:
Wild Women Week begins!
🌟Connections Breakfast at Her Connection Hub // 7:15 - 9am // Her Connection Hub // Open to all women // Free
Her Connection Hub is dedicating International Women’s Month to YOU! Join us for a complimentary breakfast event (yes that’s right, FREE!) to meet other women and connect + converse. If you’ve been to a Connections Breakfast before you know how much Her Connection Hub emphasizes building community. The entire area of focus will be on getting to know each other while enjoying our breakfast and cheers-ing our coffee. We look forward to meeting you! Space is limited to 50 women!
Register at Her Connection Hub
🌟Wild Women Climbing Session // 3 - 6pm // VITAL Climbing Gym // Open to all women // $14 Day Pass & Rentals
Join Shifting Gears at VITAL Climbing Gym for a ladies climbing session! Come anytime from 3-6pm for discounted day passes ($14) and free shoe rentals, just mention Shifting Gears! We'll be casually climbing and connecting over our love for the outdoors. While the gym will be open to the public, we hope you'll join us as we support each other through rock climbing. All you'll need is clothes you can exercise in and climbing shoes/chalk if you've got it! All levels welcome!
FRIDAY, MARCH 3RD:
🌟 Women's Adventure Film Tour // Doors: 6pm // Kulshan Roosevelt Taproom (K2) // Open to all // Free
The Women’s Adventure Film Tour is a celebration of the inspiring women around us who are doing extraordinary things in the name of adventure. Being adventurous doesn't always have to mean being the fastest, going the highest, or doing the most extreme things. Adventure for most of us is stepping outside our comfort zone and climbing our own personal Everest. The films showcase real stories about women from a variety of cultures and sports around the world. Presented by Shifting Gears & Nuu-Muu, join us at Kulshan Roosevelt Taproom (K2) for a showing and raffle of the Women's Adventure Film Tour.
Doors open at 6pm, Film at 7pm.
SATURDAY, MARCH 4TH:
🌟 Gravel Ride with Cafe Velo // 8 - 10am // Meet at Cafe Velo // Open to all women // Free
Join us for a gravel bike ride on city trails! We will meet at Cafe Velo at 8am and roll out at 8:15am. The ride will take us up to WWU campus for a beautiful view then down the Connolly Creek trails through Happy Valley. Then picking up the Interurban trail we will head south to the bench by Old Sam and turn around taking it back through Fairhaven and the South Bay trail to town. Ending around 10am at Cafe Velo. Around 11 miles, 70% gravel multiuse paths. All abilities will enjoy this ride. There will be a climb up to campus but we will take our time and enjoy a rest at the view from the top. Bring a helmet and water with your bike. All bikes welcome.
🌟 Wild Heart Yoga with Beth Rusk // 10 - 11am // Bow Sanctuary // Open to all women // Free
Join us at Bow Sanctuary for a Wild Heart Yoga class with Beth Rusk. Through yoga asana we will tap into our inner strength, open our hearts and tune into authentic full hearted living. This class will be an all levels flow class. As we move physically we will open energetically and pay attention to what arises. Come as you are, bring your full self to your mat. Stay after the class for an Intro to Forest Bathing led by Among the Trees.
🌟 Intro to Forest Bathing // 11:30am // Bow Sanctuary // Open to all women // Free
After Wild Heart Yoga, stay at the Bow Sanctuary and join us for an introduction to the principles of Forest Bathing and some short practices to connect with nature using each of your senses. Note: we will be outdoors; please dress so you are warm & dry while seated out in the beautiful garden
🌟 Wildcat Cove Wild Hat Swim // 11:00am // Wildcat Cove // Open to all // Free
Join the Bellingham Open Water Swimming group for a celebration of Wild Women Week with a Wildcat Cove Wild Hat Open Swim!
SUNDAY, MARCH 5TH
🌟 Among the Trees Forest Bathing Walk // 9 - 11am // Berthusen Park, Lynden // Open to all // Discounted Price ($20)
If you would like to experience a full length forest bathing walk. Among the Trees is offering half-price registration for Wild Women Week participants for a walk in the Berthusen Park forest in Lynden on Sunday the 5th. Use promo code: WildWomen and sign-up on their Eventbrite page.
🌟 Wild Women Paddleboarding // 12:30 - 2:30pm // Bloedel Donovan Park // Open to all women // Free
Let’s paddleboard in Lake Whatcom! This community paddle hosted by Wildcat Cove Paddle is an open and free event for all women. All levels welcome. This paddle will be social in nature, just for fun and to build up our SUP community. Bring your own paddleboard and safety gear, there are limited rentals available.
Where to meet: Boat launch at Bloedel Donovan Park.
Things to bring: Wear whatever you are most comfortable paddling in, bring layers, optional dry bag, safety gear including PFD and leash if you have one, paddleboard and paddle. * If the conditions are unsafe, we will reschedule or cancel the paddle.
MONDAY, MARCH 6TH
🌟 The Transformative Power of Our Sexual Selves // 6 - 8pm // Wink Wink // Open to all (18+) // Free
Do you feel comfortable exploring sex? Do you ever find it hard to talk about sex–or even know what you might like? We're here to help you embrace this part of who you are! While our culture often teaches us to feel shame around our sexual selves, harnessing this part of our identity can lead to transformation. Embracing pleasure, self-love, radical acceptance, and embodiment creates powerful change that reaches far beyond our bedrooms. This workshop will help explore the roots of sexual shame and the power of sexual liberation, along with strategies for how to get there. We'll also cover sex toys, including what they are, why they can be fun, and how to use them. Get ready to embrace the power of sexuality! This class is taught by Jenn Mason, certified sex coach, sex educator, and owner of WinkWink. Free! Open to all genders Ages 18+. Space is limited
TUESDAY, MARCH 7TH
🌟Wild Women Paddle // 4 - 6pm // Community Boating Center // Open to all women // Free
Join the Community Boating Center and Shifting Gears for an evening on the water in celebration of Wild Women Week on March 7th! From 4:00pm - 6:00pm we will be paddling out on Bellingham Bay to explore the beautiful coastline and hopefully catch a gorgeous sunset on our return. All women and skill levels welcome! It’s extra helpful to our staff if you bring down your own life jacket (we do not allow inflatable life jackets), dry bag, and waterproof jacket. If you don't have these resources available, we’re happy to provide you with all of the necessary gear. Please dress in warm layers. We recommend synthetic or wool garments (no cotton!) and shoes you don't mind getting wet. Safety is our number one priority, running this tour at sunset requires experienced guides, good weather conditions, and mindful participants. We will cancel the paddle if the conditions are not safe. Usually, we can anticipate conditions about 48 hours in advance but sometimes the conditions change just hours beforehand. Experience is not necessary, but be ready to be out on the water most of the time! This is a kayak only paddle and will have sea kayaks available for all participants. If you want to bring your own sea kayak, please reach out to CBC to make sure it passes their safety standards.
This event is free but space is limited so please reserve your spot:
🌟Herstory Trivia & Ladies Night at Gruff // 6:30 - 8pm // Gruff Brewery // Open to all // Free
Join us for Herstory Trivia Night at Gruff Brewery! The Trivia Night is open to all and all women will receive $1 off pints.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8TH
🌟Transition Lunch MTB Ride // 12 - 2pm // Transition Outpost // Open to all // Free
Join Transition and Shifting Gears to celebrate International Women's Day on bikes! Transition will be leading a group lunch ride from 12 - 2pm that is open to any skill level. The ride will break into multiple groups and include a fun route on green and blue trails on Galbraith Mountain. Starting and ending at Transition Outpost, there will be their food truck onsite for anyone wanting to grab a bite before or after. Transition will be offering free demos for all women, come by Transition Outpost by 11:30 to get fitted with a bike (helmets available too). More details will be released soon!
🌟Shifting Gears Interurban Bike Ride // Departs 3:30 - 5pm // Meet at Stones Throw Brewery // Open to all women // Free
Let's kickoff International Women's Day with a bike ride! Join Shifting Gears for a ride on the interurban from Stones Throw Brewery to Larrabee State Park and back! Bring your bike (any), helmet, and comfortable clothes. We encourage you to stay and hang out at Stones Throw for their Beer Release Party!
🌟 Stones Throw Beer Release Party // 5 - 9pm // Stones Throw Brewery // Open to all // Free
Join us at Stones Throw Brewery to celebrate International Women's Day! Stones Throw is hosting an International Women's Day Celebration to celebrate the Women's CDA Brew Release! Brewed in collaboration with Pink Boots and Shifting Gears, as well as some rad local women in the brewing industry, this CDA is pretty darn special! $1 of every pint will be donated to both of our organizations. Come by for a taste, enjoy dreamy tunes by The Sweet Goodbyes and shop artisan items created by local makers in our community.
THURSDAY, MARCH 9TH
🌟 Shifting Gears Glow Bike Ride // Meet at 5:45pm // Boundary Bay Brewery // Open to all women // Free
Join Shifting Gears in a lively and bright Wild Women's Glow Bike Ride! This Wild Women's Week community bike ride is an open and free event for anyone that identifies as a woman. All ages and biking abilities are welcome as we enjoy a leisurely (but surely loud and luminous) ride through downtown Bellingham together in celebration of International Women's Day the day before! Under an expectedly bright moon, the atmosphere of this ride will be friendly, safe, and welcoming, with a focus on building on our community of women who share a love of recreation, biking, the outdoors, or even the simple enjoyment of glow sticks or costumes! On the day of the ride, participants will gather outside Boundary Bay Brewery in the downtown depot area, where they all will be greeted and provided a quick route and safety briefing. The ride is considerably flat, going from the starting point towards Waypoint Park to Little Squalicum Beach, and back towards downtown through Maritime Heritage Park. Ending where we started, noisemakers, costumes, and anything that glows are all highly encouraged! This community bike ride is a fun and empowering event to bring women together and ride wild (safely of course)! Stay post-ride for $5 WWW beers and snacks at Boundary Bay Tap Room (21+)!
FRIDAY, MARCH 10TH
🌟Wild Women Swim // 4:30pm // Larrabee State Park // Open to all women // Free
Join women in the community in a ladies' dip at Larrabee State Park! *Suit up in whatever fashion and make a splash with other Wild Women! Participants are welcome to plunge, toe dip, waddle, swim, or just stroll and cheered on others. The group will meet in the big parking lot (near the grass/stage area) of Larrabee State Park and head to the beach area together! 245 Chuckanut Dr, Bellingham, WA 98229
*Many are wearing wetsuits but it is not mandatory!
🌟 Radical Roots & JoyRider's Gear Gathering // 4 - 9pm // The Bike Ranch // Open to all women // Donation to TBR
Join Radical Roots MTB and the WMBC JoyRiders for our Shifting Gears Wild Women's Week Celebration at The Bike Ranch on March 10th, all ages are welcome from 4-6pm and adults, 18+, are welcome until 8:30pm. The Bike Ranch (TBR) is a privately owned, covered pumptrack just outside of town and a perfect venue for practicing bike handling skills and connecting with our community. All levels are welcomed and Radical Roots MTB will have some coaches on hand to offer pointers for safe, fun progression. We will also be hosting a "Gear Gathering" throughout the night so if you have some new or slightly used cycling gear that you want to pass along (clothing, knee pads, shoes, gloves, etc) we will stage a specially designed "shopping spree" to help riders get and give gear. All sizes are welcome as there will be kids and adults attending. Along with any gear you want to donate, don't forget to bring some warm layers and a helmet, bring a bike or borrow one from The Bike Ranch demo fleet. The ideal bike for TBR is a BMX or Dirt Jump/Pumptrack bike so leave your MTBs at home. Come alone or bring some friends, parking is tight so carpooling is encouraged. We suggest a $5-$10 donation for the venue but no registration or sign-ups are required. We'll have a bonfire going to keep us warm between riding laps on the track and your gracious hosts, Radical Roots MTB, JoyRiders, and Shifting Gears will have snacks and refreshments to keep you fueled. You are NOT going to want to miss this fun bike-centric party at The Bike Ranch with a Gear Gathering!
Parking: Please park in front of the brown shop, next to the truck and trailer going down to the barn, pull in next to the windmill, and if needed, the long straight south side of the entry driveway can also be used. Please try to avoid blocking the driveway by parking large vehicles off to the side (and avoid parking/driving in the grass along the driveway).
For this event we have pre-arranged for overflow parking in the empty space across the street at Glen Echo Gardens (not always the case when visiting TBR)
Let's get WILD!
2023 Wild Women Week Sponsors:
Welcoming Recreation for All Women