PHOTO GALLERY: Queer On The Outside

Nina Vuoso / 28 / Outdoor Science Teacher / Sespe Hotsprings, Los Padres National Forest, CA

“I backpacked 29 miles over four days last week. I spend my entire work days outside teaching science and discovering the natural world with kids, but this right here is a peace unknown and only brought by geothermal activity and spring break.”

Emma and Molly / 22, 26 / Contemporary dance student; Administrative assistant at a non-profit / The Livingroom Trail, Salt Lake City, UT

“Molly’s twin sister came from Wisconsin to visit last month. She loves the outdoors as much as we do, and we decided to hit up the Livingroom trail because it’s located close to where we live (in downtown SLC), has great views of the city, and is both nature and dog-friendly!!!”

Rebecca W, Rebecca L, Zoe / 36, 27, 28 / Apprentice; Apprentice; Farm Manager / Amherst, MA

“After a day of mulching blueberries, transplanting peppers and eggplants, and cleaning out the barn loft, we ended the day by dancing hard to Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” and then posing in front of the John Deere — tired and satisfied.”

Ashley (and Ramón) / 33 / Librarian / San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

“My last dog walk in San Miguel. I will definitely miss the sunsets!”

Valerie Anne / 30 / Writer of recaps, Avoider of nature / Astoria Park, NYC

“I’m a city girl, born and raised; I like concrete jungles and I’m allergic to most things that flower. My adventurous spirit usually leads me to speakeasies and rooftops, not parks, but a friend of mine wanted to find a specific Pokemon that had a nest (?) in Astoria Park, and I figured I should check out this place that has been a brisk walk away from the apartment I’ve lived in for five years for the first time. And lo! It was the perfect amount of nature combined with a view of the city I love so much.”

Caylene / 17 / British Columbia, Canada

“My friend and I were in school and decided that we had to skip our last class to get outside because it was so abnormally sunny and warm for where we live, and this is where we ended up! There’s a trail just a little walk from our high school that leads to a big platform overlooking a bird sanctuary so we bought a jar of homemade pickles from a local farmers market and off we went to eat the entire thing. (Way better than Biology, if you ask me.)”

Lauren / 23 / Graduate Student / Indianapolis, IN

“I spent my birthday last week at the Earth Day Indiana Festival! Here I am likely staring at a fluffy German shepherd.”

Giselle and Olivia / 23, 25 / Content Strategist; Public Health Student, Nanny / Grand Canyon, AZ

“We went to the Grand Canyon on my first trip to meet her family. This was before we started dating, and now we’re getting married. We should have known from this photo really.”

Kayli / 24 / WWOOFing volunteer / Olympic Peninsula, WA

“I’m spending this summer volunteering on organic farms trying to figure out what I’m going to do next in life. So far, snuggling baby goats, hiking around the Olympic mountains, and using tools has been very fun.”

Ashanti / Six Flags Over Georgia

“Spent some time with my close friends and family, riding the coasters and eating as much funnel cake as I could stomach. (Tweety Bird is obviously included in my “close friends).”