For anybody who wants to get out into the great outdoors, but doesn't know where to start, this one is for you.

Packed with the experiences of different women throughout their journeys of searching and finally finding a community where they belong, FGH is an informative guide to hiking and how you can witness and appreciate the beauty around and within you. It's truly inspiring.

This is the book that I didn’t know that I needed. This was such an interesting book to read, and the photos are stunning. I really want to pick up a physical copy, because I think it would be a gorgeous book to flip through and the photos would stand out even more.

I REALLY wanted to read this book, but I stopped at the second page when it got political. I read to escape what’s going on in the world. I don’t want to read about political opinions in a book that has absolutely nothing to do with politics. Our country is already so divided by politics.

What a great book! I wish every book could make me feel like this one. Being a larger girl I enjoyed the book immensely but it’s more than that— the author does everything possible to acknowledge all who may at times feel less than. Also a wonderful homage to nature and the great outdoors that we are able to explore no matter our background or ability. Thank you NetGalley and Timber Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

This is a great book for knowing the basics of hiking .

#sizedoesn'tmatter

Do what you really want to do without thinking of others as it is quite easy to be judgmental.

Yes yes yes! Loved this. Want to shout from the rooftops about the sheer delight of finally seeing this in the world.

I really enjoyed this as it gives ideas for what to wear- their group- group members - van life and hikes that are great hikes. I'm really glad more and more people are getting out in the outdoors since they are for everyone and from reading these stories I really hope people remember everyone is welcome and its everyone's public land.

Love this book! Anyone who wants to start hiking or being outdoors more and thinks they don't belong should pick it up. It is geared towards more beginner hikers, but I did pick up some tips, such as - I should start carrying a whistle! I did skim through some of the sections, it's a guidebook and not something that would be read cover to cover necessarily. Some of the content didn't interest me, such as guides for trails in different states and info on "van life."
Most relatable quote:
“I would often be sweaty, out of breath, and the slowest person on the trail, but when I made it to the summit or waterfall or whatever my destination was, it always felt like another seed of trust planted within me.”

As a fat girl who loves to hike and be outdoors, I absolutely loved this book. It had something for everyone. Advice and encouragement along with real stories from members.

This book was a solid 3.5 stars for me. Great photography and I really enjoyed the empowering messaging about Fat liberation and reclaiming the power of existing in nature even in a body that is not represented in "outdoor recreation." This book had down to earth practical advice that has me genuinely excited to get outside this year and do some hiking.
However, there were some issues I had with the book. The chapter on "van life" in the book while obviously a passion area for the author felt very out of place. Additionally while I liked a lot of the community profiles and they featured interesting and inspiring people they tended to cover a lot of the same material and topics. I am also a fat person I know that finding inclusive sizing in exercise and outdoor hobby specific clothing can be difficult but by the end of the book I was really frustrated that it was a topic brought up by the author as well as nearly every community member.

Overall I do recommend this as a great resource for any marginalized person (though specifically fat person) looking to reconnect with nature and get outside.

Thank you to the author, Timber Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is part memoir, part motivation and encouragement, part personal testimonies, part practical advice and guidebook - and includes gorgeous nature photographs. As a fat person who loves to be outdoors, but who also shies away from group activities because I hate being the one to hold others back, I loved the essays and encouragement on changing our way of thinking about ability. The thoughts the author shared really resonated with me. However, I was expecting more practical advice and guidebook content, and was not prepared for the intense focus on members of the FGH community - this made it a bit too "insider" for me.

I loved this book so much.

Fat Girls Hiking: An Inclusive Guide to Getting Outdoors at Any Size or Ability is a combination of practical advice + gorgeous photography + motivation + encouragement + guide book + activism + self help + memoir all wrapped up in a message of body acceptance and positivity. It includes stories from multiple women of various sizes from different backgrounds, and every single one of them is inspiring.

Nature does not belong to white people in smaller bodies, and Summer Michaud-Skog and her fellow hikers are doing amazing work reclaiming space for people in larger bodies or with mobility issues to comfortably and confidently spend time outdoors.

As a plus size woman, this was the book I needed. I loved the personal stories throughout the guide and the photos were absolutely beautiful. I’m very self conscious of my weight, especially when I go on walks or try hiking but this guide gave me the confidence to do that without feeling awful about myself. This book is definitely worth checking out!

I’ve been waiting for a book like this! Summer Michaud-Skog, the founder of Fat Girls Hiking, has blessed us with this invaluable volume full of trail reviews, advice, stories, and profiles, alongside beautiful photographs. #TrailsNotScales!

This book is absolutely gorgeous and so beautifully inclusive. It really does have It all with helpful advice, personal stories and lots of great recommendations for gear and trails.

The imagery and pictures included are really top tier and really take the book to the next level, I will most defiantly be buying a physical copy for my coffee table to flick through. Never has a book made me want to keep reading yet simultaneously put it down and get outside.

A must read for anyone interested in hiking but especially for larger people who may feel self conscious about hitting the trails, a book clearly written with love and total inclusivity at its heart.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! Fat people are so often excluded from athletic pursuits/spaces, so often discouraged from movement, and so often completely unacknowledged in guides that it feels an act of rebellion to make a guide specifically catering to us. I hope so many people can get this book and see themselves on the page and realize that they have just as much reason, and right, to pursue hiking (or anything else they jolly well please!) as anyone else.

This is a wonderful combination of a practical guide to hiking, especially issues unique to hiking in a larger and/or different abled body and/or as a member of a marginalized community, as well as trail reviews, personal memoir, profiles of other hikers, and a self-care guide. It's a deeply affirming and inspiring read, even for someone as "indoorsy" as myself. On top of all that, the photography is stunning! I'm looking forward to getting my own copy, and I would love to see this in community libraries!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

This book really intrigued me because, even though I’m a thin person, my ability is variable and I want to spend more time outdoors. I grew up canoeing and camping so I hope this book would help inspire and give me advice on how to continue that journey as an adult.
My main critique of the book is that it is billed as “An Inclusive Guide to Getting Outdoors at Any Size or Ability” but contains mostly personal essays. I enjoyed this content but it wasn’t what I expected. I also would have enjoyed more “how-to” content. The author’s perspectives and tips for finding good, comfortable gear were really interested and I think if this segment were expanded it would have been really helpful to a lot of people.
I loved the photography throughout the book - it had me itching to pull out my hiking boots. I imagine it will look stunning in the physical book. I also really liked how the community profiles were spaced throughout the book rather than grouped together. I think if it had been the latter I would have skipped over many of them. It was great that so many community members had additional outdoor interests - kayaking, bikepacking, rock climbing - as this really connected the book to the wider world of outdoor recreation.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to following Fat Girls Hiking on social media.

Summer saw the lack of inclusivity in the online fitness/hiking community. She didn't want to hike with a goal of losing weight, but just wanted to enjoy the outdoors and do something she enjoyed without being judged, so she created groups for people just like her.

This book is about the groups and community she created, along with hiking tips and information about various trails in the US, told by both Summer and other inspiring women. I liked the design of the book and the way the content was interspersed with plenty of images. I would recommend picking up this book if you enjoy hiking but feel you don't fit into the stereotype of the typical "hiking girls."

Fat Girls Hiking: An Inclusive Guide to Getting Outdoors at Any Size or Ability is a outdoors guide and reference book by Summer Michaud-Skog. The eBook version is around 262 pages.

Michaud-Skog is the founder of the Fat Girls Hiking community, and this book is full of heartfelt stories, practical advice, and personal profiles of members of that community. It also includes helpful trail reviews! I really appreciate that the author has created a safe space for folks with marginalized bodies, and especially with the empowering idea that outdoor recreation should welcome everyone, no matter what they may look like or what kind of previous experience they have had in that sphere.

The cover art is beautifully illustrated and includes women with larger bodies, one wearing a headscarf and another with a differently-abled body as well. The book is dedicated to friends and family of the author, but also "to every fat person who was told they couldn't or shouldn't and did it anyway, I'm proud of you." There are multiple color photographs throughout the book that show people with bodies similar to my own, and I have never felt so seen.

Chapters detail how Michaud-Skog founded Fat Girls Hiking, a helpful guide on how to hike, how to find joyful movement while simultaneously dealing with fitness trauma, and pitfalls of hiking like bugs or humidity. It is so important to have information on accessible trails with inclusive information, including whether bathrooms at a trailhead are gendered or gender neutral. The prose is easy to read and parse. There are also multiple profiles of community members, to showcase the importance of multiple perspectives, along with several reviews of trails across the United States. Lastly, there are tons of resources in the back of the book in case you want to read further about body liberation, fat activism, fat positivity, and outdoor recreation.

Fat Girls Hiking is an inspiring book for those whose body image or self belief is holding them back. Its full of tips, inspiring words and stories of curvy/fat/fluffy (insert the word that makes you comfortable) women who are hiking.
The photography is divine. If you live in the US, go hike those trails depicted! For me, in the UK, it's inspired me to look for similar places on my home ground that offer accessible trails and such awe-inspiring scenery.
Thank you to Netgalley, publisher and author for allowing me to review this fabulous book.