Hey, there adventure babes! 🌞

We hope the sun is shining where you are. If you aren’t aware, Pchy is headquartered in the Inland Northwest. Washington State to be exact, but the eastside. Most people think of Washington as Seattle and rain, but there is so much more. The eastide of Washington gets a lot of snow and a lot of sun but we are in that weird in-between space now where we cannot wait for spring.

Speaking of, thank you all so much for your support of our Take the Trail Back walk. It was a small showing probably because it snowed the first morning and was cold and rainy all weekend. Womp womp.

We would like to continue safe walk events, especially on the Centennial Trail in Spokane, WA. Keep an eye out for some upcoming walks. We will plan for an afternoon instead of three days and maybe something like 6 miles instead of 35.

If you’d like to organize a Pchy safe walk in your area reach out to us at [email protected].

Anyway, we love you. We hope you feel safe doing whatever the heck you want to and we are here to support that.

What’s in the newsletter today

• One woman asked a Facebook group about traveling to Spokane 😕

• A Utah women’s basketball team visited Idaho and ugh 🤬

• Do you want to join our book club? (Revisiting this convo finally) 📗

Facebook groups are noisy

This is really where the heart of Pchy was born. In searching for information in a sea of opinions, comments, long threads, and noise.

When planning a solo trip or adventure, we love to be prepared. Taking risks and getting out in the world is a part of exploration, and experiencing things for what they are is a part of the fun. But preparation can help us to feel safer. Especially when visiting an unknown hot spring or hiking trail, or even taking a different highway or route.

Will there be cell service? Is the hot spring a frequent party spot which could mean glass or nudity? Is the hiking trail isolated or known for car break-ins at the parking area? Is the highway nicknamed “Blood Highway” because of the frequent horrible accidents on a two-lane highway frequented by semi-trucks and the inability of emergency services to get to the accidents? (True highway google it).

We came across this question in a Facebook group for women travelers and the comments that came with it were, um, well, noisy. And false. And full of disinformation.

This was one of the many many responses that of course ignited a lot of responses and wow. This woman just wanted some recommendations on places to stay and hike while in Spokane.

It is so important for women to be able to share information to help each other feel safer while traveling and adventuring. Still, it can feel overwhelming when seeking out specific information. We liken it to thrift store shopping at Goodwill and searching through a sea of junk for that one gem.

That’s what Pchy is striving to provide.

Please share your reviews with us! Where have you visited lately that you could share your experience with others in a straightforward, kind, factual way that would be important for women? Did you go to a movie theater, a grocery store, or a coffee shop in a small random town? A hotel, a hot spring, a hiking trail?

Visit our Review Page to submit and we will share your review (anonymous of course) here in our weekly newsletter.

Review here ✅

You are the real MVPches. 🍑🏆

Utah women's basketball team visited Idaho

This one really hurt. 🤬

Here’s what happened.

During the NCAA tournament, in which Spokane WA had the pleasure of hosting some of the games, the Utah Women’s Basketball Team was unable to find a hotel in Spokane due to a lack of hotel space. We have to pause and ask why. Why would Spokane host such an event without the capacity to house athletes? And why were they directed to book a stay in Idaho?

We wish that there was an app for that! How cool will it be when traveling women's sports teams can use an app where women are sharing safety-specific information to inform their travels?

Anyway, so they go to Idaho and have a horrible, unacceptable, and honestly downright embarrassing experience with our neighbors to the east.

Is this a true statement? Idaho isn’t a safe place for women or Black people or people of color. It would seem that way with the laws they are passing and through experiences like this. We are working to identify businesses, accommodations, outdoor spaces, and ways to travel through Idaho that are safer and supportive of those who support us.

You can read more about the Utah women’s basketball team’s experience over at the Guardian.

Do you want to do a book club!? 📗

We had planned on reading The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker, however, if you want to join, we think that it would be fun to submit book suggestions and have a vote on what we want to read. We have a few books in mind but would love to hear from you.

First things first, do you want to do a book club with us?

Till next week! We love you!

Team Pchy 🍑