This Is Why I Go

Getting outside, hiking with my kids, watching the sunrise from a mountain trail, road tripping through national parks: these are the things my soul has always craved. And yet for so long, one word kept standing in my way. But. That big, heavy, convincing BUT that talks so many of us out of the lives we actually want to live.

For me, the BUT showed up in the form of waiting. Waiting for someone to invite me, encourage me, or come along with me. It took me years to realize how much of my life I had handed over to that one word, holding back from experiences I knew my body and spirit needed, simply because I had not yet given myself permission to go alone.

Growing up as a Muslim Arab American, the idea of a woman adventuring alone, let alone camping and hiking solo with her children, was considered taboo. I was raised inside that belief, even though it never fully felt like mine. Something in me always knew that a woman who understands her limits, takes the right precautions, and plans with intention can do all of those things and more. The culture said otherwise, and for a long time, that voice was louder than my own.

I have always been someone who is drawn to the outdoors. As a child I wanted the dirt paths over the paved ones, the Tupperwares over the toy tea sets. That instinct toward exploration never left me. It just got quieter for a while under the weight of fear and expectation.

So many women face the same barriers: cultural expectations, safety concerns, a lack of accessible information, and almost no representation of women who look like them enjoying the outdoors freely. When I began carving out space for myself in hiking and camping, I searched for voices that reflected my experience as a Muslim hijabi woman doing this solo or with my kids. I found almost nothing. That absence became my motivation.

Do not wait until everything is perfect, because it never will be. Our minds and bodies need adventure far more often than our everyday lives tend to allow. If we keep waiting for the right moment, the right gear, or the right person to come along, we may wait forever. The right moment is the one you decide to create for yourself.

To read about my interview with The Great Wanderlust, click here.