Woodswomen, Inc.

[3] The name 'Woodswomen' was first used in 1977 when Judith Niemi, Elizabeth Barnard, Shirley Helyer, and Trudy Fulton organized a Boundary Waters Canoe Area trip for women.

This means that each woman has her own Woodswomen history and no one person started out to make a business out of adventure travel for women.

Also in 1982, the organisation coordinated and sponsored an expedition commemorating theo jonston 's 1905 George River trip in Labrador, Canada.

[6] In 1987, Denise Mitten secured a grant from the Emma B. Howe Foundation and started the Women and Children Bonding in the Outdoors Program.

Expanding their reach, in 1989 Mitten answered a request for proposals from the Minnesota Department of Corrections and secured funding for the Wilderness Experiences for Women Offenders Program.

Woodswomen guides and "adult supporter team members hope that sense of self and success will help gay and lesbian youth negotiate a time fraught with difficulties.

[15] In addition to learning new skills and becoming comfortable in the outdoors, one of the main results of Woodswomen trips was increased self-esteem in participants.

[2] The trips focused on activities including biking, rock climbing, backpacking, cross country skiing, kayaking, canoeing, whitewater canoeing and rafting, winter camping, sea kayaking, snorkeling, SCUBA diving, mountaineering, horse packing, llama packing, wild ricing, and dogsledding.

Hollis Giammatteo, writing for Ms. magazine, took a leadership course that included climbing Mount Adams in Washington state.

'"[9] Giammatteo wrote that Mitten taught the hostess concept, meaning that one guides in areas in alignment with one's ability.

Trips were designed to expose LGBT youth to the outdoors and to provide them with positive interactions with adults, potentially leading to higher self-esteem, a greater affinity for nature, and hope for the future.

[7] Woodswomen affiliates taught various classes and workshops about the outdoors at colleges and schools around the Twin Cities metro area, in subjects ranging from log-cabin building, Minnesota ecology, feminism and ecology, botany, the history and literature of women and living in the wilderness, first aid, knots and ropes, bike touring, kayaking, bird watching, orienteering, working consciously and conscientiously with women in the outdoors, and camping with children.