News

Check out what's new with Switchback below! If you want to stay in the loop, sign up for our mailing list (link here!).

November 2023

The Rundown

Hello Friends of Switchback!

As per usual, the Switchback team has been BUSY! We've been onboarding new volunteers and community advisory board members, securing fantastic partnerships with local similar-minded organizations, and hosting and attending lots of events. It's been quite the fall season! We've also been hard at work putting the finishing touches on our Gear Library. We promise it's launching soon-- stay tuned! 

One big thing to look forward to - we are having a Chipotle Fundraiser on Saturday, December 9! See more information below. 

Fall Pop-Up Sale

On Sunday, November 12 we hosted our 5th Pop-Up Gear Sale! This sale, which took place at the Chapel Hill YMCA, featured over 300 outdoor gear items. Overall, we raised over $1,000, all of which will go towards funding our Switchback Gear Library.

Stay tuned for future Switchback Pop-Up Sales!

Chipotle Fundraiser!

Looking for an easy (and delicious) way to support our mission? On Saturday, December 9th, come out to Chipotle (Chapel Hill location - Franklin Street) for our first Switchback/Chipotle fundraiser! 33% of sales will go to Switchback IF you mention us/show the flyer below.

All you need to do is order from the 301 W Franklin Street location on Saturday, December 9th between 4-8pm. Make sure to mention Switchback Gear Collective when you order!

Show this flyer if you order in person, or order online using code B9X3H4F.

Connecting with Fridie Outdoors

Last month, we got the opportunity to chat with Lestarya, the founder of Fridie Outdoors! 

Fridie Outdoors is a mobile app that empowers people to get camping by making the “know-how” of camping accessible from anywhere. “It’s one thing to go and prepare for a trip,” she explained, but “a whole other thing to get out there.”

During her experience of learning to camp as an adult, she noticed that much of the camping information available online was focused more on buying gear, and less about learning the necessary outdoor skills themselves. This realization inspired her to create a resource for all things camping skills. She explains that even with all the outdoor gear, it is only helpful if you know how to use it. It is also just as important to learn outdoor skills like how to build a campfire for friends to gather around, how to cook yummy camp food without the convenience of your kitchen at home, and more to experience joy, confidence, and freedom outdoors!

In addition to being a resource to get people new to camping prepared, Fridie Outdoors is designed to be used when people are out camping and often offline with little or no cell service.

Download the app (iOS | Android) and check out their website to learn more!

New Volunteer Opportunity

We are seeking volunteers who can help out in-person at Durham Parks and Recreation for a minimum of 4 hours per month on Tuesday, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. This is flexible!

As a Volunteer Gear Librarian, you would be responsible for cleaning and organizing camping gear to make sure it’s in working order for folks who will be checking it out through the library system.

Volunteer Gear Librarians can be anyone 18 and older. We encourage friends to volunteer together! 

You can apply to volunteer at this link.

Living Out the Switchback Mission

Here are a couple of ways you can live out the Switchback vision where experiencing the outdoors is accessible, inclusive, safe, and affordable for all people!

October 2023

The Rundown

We loved hanging out at the Bull City Campout, which was hosted by Durham Parks & Recreation! They host several family-focused outdoor events throughout the year, and we will continue to keep these on your radar. We love partnering with Durham Parks & Rec and are super excited for our Gear Library partnership with them, coming early 2024!

This month, we also participated in the Chapel Hill Community Center's Trunk-or-Treat Halloween event! In sticking with the Switchback mission, we brought our trusty tent and came donned in costume. Thanks to CHCC, who we love working with and regularly hosts events for kids and families!


Fall Pop-Up Sale

Switchback is continuing to grow and we have a lot of gear to sell. We will be hosting a secondhand gear Fall Pop-Up Sale at the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA on Sunday, November 12! Stop by to meet the team and browse great outdoor gear at pay-what-you-can pricing. All funds from our pop-up sales will directly fund our completely free Switchback Gear Library, which will open in early 2024.

October Flora

We sure have seen lots of Goldenrod flowers blooming on roadsides this fall! Anise-Scented Goldenrod is native to North Carolina and much of the east and southeast US! Each plant can grow up to 5 feet tall and has several clusters of small, golden-yellow flowers at the top. Nectar from this plant attracts all kinds of pollinators! And to top it off, Goldenrod is drought-tolerant. This means it does not need as much water to thrive, which can help conserve water resources AND save money on watering!

See if you can spot this plant on your next drive!

Check out our Instagram for more flora posts.

New Volunteer Opportunity

We are seeking volunteers who can help out in-person at Durham Parks and Recreation for a minimum of 4 hours per month on Tuesday, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. This is flexible!

As a Volunteer Gear Librarian, you would be responsible for cleaning and organizing camping gear to make sure it’s in working order for folks who will be checking it out through the library system.

Volunteer Gear Librarians can be anyone 18 and older. We encourage friends to volunteer together! 

You can apply to volunteer at this link.

Living Out the Switchback Mission

Here are a couple of ways you can live out the Switchback vision where experiencing the outdoors is accessible, inclusive, safe, and affordable for all people!

September 2023

The Rundown

Hello friends of Switchback! We hope everyone is enjoying this transitional season as we move into cooler fall temps, changing colors, and new sights and scents outdoors! We have been working on the details behind some exciting new projects coming soon... In the meantime, join us at the Chapel Hill Community Center for their Halloween event at the end of October (see "trunk-or-treat" below)!

This month on our Instagram, we featured the gorgeous cardinal flower, which is in bloom through early fall!

These plants are native to most of the United States, and are identified by their size (4-5 feet tall) and their group of small, bright red flowers at the top of the plant.

Hummingbirds looooove cardinal flowers, as their shape, color, and sweet nectar are the perfect match for this bird, who is a master pollinator! As they move from plant to plant, sucking out the nectar, pollen gets stuck to the hummingbird's beak and is carried from one plant to the next. 

Join Us For Trunk-or-Treat!

This year, we'll be joining the Chapel Hill Community Center's "Haunted Hill" community Halloween event! Join us on Saturday, October 28 from 5:00-6:30 pm for "Trunk-or-Treating," or in our case, "Tent-or-Treating!" This is a family-friendly event – can't wait to see you there!

Find more information about Haunted Hill here! This is a drop-in event; no registration required.

National Public Lands Day & The Connection Between Parks and Health

On September 23, we celebrated National Public Lands Day! According to the City of Raleigh Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources, this day celebrates the connection between people and green space in their community, inspires environmental stewardship, and encourages use of open space for education, recreation, and health benefits. 

Here are some evidence-based reasons as to why access to parks and outdoor spaces are beneficial to everyone's health:

Source: (White et al., 2019)

Source: (Bratman, Hamilton, Hahn, et al., 2015). (Cox, Shanahan, Hudson, 2017). (Bratman, Daily, et al., 2015). (Duncan, Clarke, Birch, 2014). (Haluza et al, 2014).

Source: (Gladwell, Brown, Wood, et al., 2013).

Source: (Stellar, Gordon, Piff, et al., 2017). (Zhang, Piff, Iyer, et al, 2015).

Source: (Zelinski, Dopko, Capaldi, 2016).

Source: (Vienneau, Danielle et al., 2017). (Xu, Lixia et al., 2017). (James, Hart et al., 2016). (Gascon, Triguero-Mas, Martinez et al., 2016). (Brown, Lombard, Wang, 2016).

Source: (Lachowycz and Jones 2014). (Wolch, Byrne, Newell, 2014). (Maas et al., 2006). (Mitchell and Popham 2008).

Living Out the Switchback Mission

Here are a couple of ways you can live out the Switchback vision where experiencing the outdoors is accessible, inclusive, safe, and affordable for all people!

Fall at Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina

August 2023

The Rundown

Hello friends of Switchback! As the summer comes to a close, we a have been getting back into the swing of things. We recently hosted a Climbing Pop-Up and Community Meet & Greet at the Chapel Hill Community Center. We had an awesome time connecting with so many climbers, who enjoyed free climbing during the event! This fall, we look forward to planning more events and preparing for our very exciting gear library partnership with Durham Parks and Recreation (launch date to be announced soon)! The summer's nearly over, but we're just getting started...

For those of you who like to plan ahead, we'll also be at the Bull City Campout on September 30th! Hosted by Durham Parks and Recreation, this is a family-friendly event with campfire stories, river explorations, night hikes, s'mores, and stargazing! Registration is required, and is $8 for Durham residents and $13 for non-city residents. Spots are still available, and a limited number of tents and sleeping bags are available for the event. Hope to see you there!

Last but not least, we recently welcomed a new member to the Switchback team! Welcome Willow, we're thrilled to have you on our marketing team. For folks who are interest in getting involved with Switchback, check out our Member Interest Form!

Climbing Pop-Up with the Chapel Hill Community Center

We had an awesome time hosting a climbing gear pop-up and meet & greet at the Chapel Hill Community Center last weekend! It was great to meet so many passionate climbers of all ages and experiences. 

We sold mannnnnnny pairs of rock climbing shoes, chalk bags, clothes, and other climbing accessories. If YOU have climbing shoes to donate, we have a climbing shoe donation box at the Durham Triangle Rock Club location! This also marks our FOURTH pop-up in the last year. Thank you all so much for supporting us. We are so grateful to our community and excited for what's to come.

The Chapel Hill Community Center hosts climbing every Sunday from 1:30-4pm and Tuesdays & Thursdays from 6:30-9pm. A single admission for climbing is $5 for residents and $8 for non-residents. Thank you to the Community Center for having us and providing this affordable rock climbing opportunity! 

Connecting with Kindling Collective

Earlier this month, we had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Kindling Collective, a queer-centered outdoor gear library based in the greater Portland, Maine area. Kindling's focus on supporting and affirming queer people's access to the outdoors is central to their mission. When we chatted with Hallie at Kindling Collective about how queer identities shape the work they do, they explained that Kindling works to "flip the script by centering queer people in the work we do," going on to emphasize that "we put a queer lens on every decision we make, from setting up the gear library, to our website design, to how we teach our classes and workshops." 

We also appreciated hearing what outdoor equity in their community means to them:

"To us, outdoor equity means that people of all identities have access to forming relationships with nature (and access to outdoor activities) that feel joyful, connected, and free. It also means that all people's relationship with nature is supported by their larger communities and are able to access outdoor spaces and activities without fear or threat from other humans."

- Hallie from Kindling Collective

Photo from Maine Public. Check out the article here! 


We love chatting with and learning from other gear libraries and outdoor equity-focused organizations – if you know of an organization that we should check out, please let us know!

Living Out the Switchback Mission

Here are a couple of ways you can live out the Switchback vision where experiencing the outdoors is accessible, inclusive, safe, and affordable for all people!

Use the map tool to search for queer spaces in your area! Here's a snapshot of the NC Triangle area. 

July 2023

The Rundown

Howdy Switchback friends! We hope everyone is enjoying their summer with friends and family. At Switchback, we've been busy onboarding new members to the team, planning our end-of-summer and fall events, and of course, recreating outside (while trying to beat the summer heat!). 

While we've taken a pause on our community events to plan for the future, we wanted to include a new component to this edition of the Switchback Newsletter, our Triangle Trails feature! We hope that you will use this resource to try out some new trails, travel to a different part of town, and get more info about where to play outside! As always, we'd love to hear from YOU – where are your favorite places to walk/hike/bike/swim/play in the Triangle? We will update and add to this feature periodically and would be thrilled to include your suggestions of locales in and around the NC Triangle area.

Carolina North Forest

Trail Vocabulary

If you are new to exploring trails, here are some quick definitions to help you out!

Trail system: A pathway or series of interconnected pathways for walking, hiking, biking, and other recreational activities

Nature preserve: An area of land that is managed to conserve wildlife, plant habitat, or other natural features

Greenway: A shared-use path along a strip of undeveloped land, in an urban or rural area, set aside for recreational use (usually paved)

Single-track trail: A narrow trail where hikers or bikers must travel single-file; most commonly used for mountain biking

Double-track trail: A wider trail where people may travel side-by-side

Multi-use trail: A shared-use path intended for pedestrians and bikers

Boat launch: A ramp or sloped area for putting boats in water

This information is also available on the Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC) website. On their website, you can see even more information about local trails. 

Check out TLC's Calendar of Events for guided hiking opportunities, including birding walks, morning hikes, and night hikes!

Keepin' it Cool: Tips on Staying Safe in the Heat!

It's hot out! Here are some tips on recreating safely & responsibly in the heat of summer:

Living out the Switchback Mission

Here are a couple of ways you can live out the Switchback vision where experiencing the outdoors is accessible, inclusive, safe, and affordable for all people!

June 2023

The Rundown

Helloooooo dear newsletters receivers, readers, and skimmers! Have you missed us? We have been busy, busy, busy over at Switchback! To recap, all eight original founders graduated in May from our public health graduate program. That then started a slurry of well-deserved vacations, frantic moves, and exciting new jobs beginning. I think it also really highlights how despite that, it's even more impressive we held a Pop-up and a Camping 101 Workshop!

Our June Pop-up, in collaboration with Durham County Public Library, was a success! Although it was hot with the sun beating down on our tents and gear, we were able to sell over 90 donated items! Proceeds from this sale will go directly towards financing our gear libraries (fingers crossed will be opening soon!). A big THANK YOU to all who came to support us.  

Switchback team members presenting at our June Camping 101 Workshop! (From left to right: Kate, Abby, Sierra, and Chloe).

June Camping 101 Workshop

A week after the Pop-up, Switchback hosted our second-ever workshop at the Durham County North Public Library! We hosted a Camping 101 workshop in which community members discovered how to choose a campsite, practiced setting up tents, and learned how to safely start and put out a campfire. We so appreciated the thoughtful questions from workshop participants and loved exchanging our upcoming goals for camping and outdoor recreation. This workshop emphasized the importance of building confidence, creating community, and spending time in the outdoors as a way to strengthen connections and spend time with those most important to us! 

We hope to do more workshops in the future with our amazing community partners. You, my dear newsletter receivers, readers, and skimmers will definitely be in the know. Keep an eye out for more workshops coming this fall :) 

Switchback Spotlight: Southeastern Queer Climbers

To wrap up Pride Month, Switchback sat down with Ethan Chandler (he/him/his)— the founder of the Southeastern Queer Climbers (@southeasternqueerclimbers on Instagram) to learn more about the work he is doing to grow an inclusive climbing community just south of Asheville! 

Based on his desire to build community among other queer climbers and overcome barriers to involvement, Ethan began to consider how he could create a climbing space “where people of all gender identities could feel welcome, climb, and simply be without having to explain themselves or their identities”. In September 2021, the “slow process of building community” began. This effort started with small, impactful steps like initiating discounted day passes once a month for queer-identifying folks at the climbing gym he worked at. He also began spreading the word about monthly climbing meet-ups. During the first five months, only he and three other climbers attended; now the group hosts meet-ups twice a month at two gyms to accommodate a growing community.  As more people joined, Ethan noted, “There have been many moments of witnessing people use this space for what the hope of it was: to meet new people, to find a new interest, and to broaden engagement with that interest with other queer-identifying people."As the group continues to grow, Ethan hopes to:

We LOVE the work Ethan and his community are doing to build inclusive outdoor spaces!  Follow them on Instagram at @southeasternqueerclimbers to keep up with all they are doing and to learn more about how you can support them!

Meet Our New Leadership!

As we transition to new leadership on July 1, some of our founding members will be taking a step back, leaving space for new leadership to take the helm! Founding members will still be connected to the organization in the background, but will be less involved with day-to-day operations. We're REALLY EXCITED to welcome the following new members to Switchback's leadership team (from left to right):

Living out the Switchback Mission

Here are a couple of ways you can live out the Switchback vision where experiencing the outdoors is accessible, inclusive, safe, and affordable for all people!

April 2023

The Rundown

In March, Switchback turned one! It's wild to think that we started this non-profit one year ago in pursuit of trying to reduce barriers to the outdoors in the Triangle. Since our debut to society, we have accomplished a lot(!):

In celebration of our first birthday, the Switchback co-founders, along with our partners and friends, went camping to celebrate. We had a really beautiful celebration at the end of March at Jordan Lake. Since our celebratory camping trip (yes this is technically now not a monthly newsletter, life happens okay, keep reading to find out!), we have been busy little bees since then!

As we mentioned, we are all wrapping up the end of our Masters in Public Health program here at UNC, so our class load has increased. During this time we managed to not only carve out some (more) time for strategic planning to give Switchback the time it deserves as we work towards mapping out Switchback's future goals, but we also put on our first workshop! We cannot thank Durham County Library for their incredible partnership and hosting the workshop. Please check out their events page for more awesome events and workshops they host!

Jordan Lake at sunset taken by co-founder Chloe during the March celebration Switchback trip

Switchback co-founder Amy demonstrating how to use a gas camp stove during the Camping 101 workshop at the Durham library

Co-founders Joanne, Jing, Abby, Sierra and Amy during the March celebration Switchback trip

Get Involved with the Switchback Network

Our Member Interest Form is still live! If you are in the Triangle area and want to get involved with Switchback IRL, checkout our Member Interest Form!

We have different ways to get involved. Our Volunteer Network are for people who are interested in assisting with collecting gear, poppin' up at pop-ups and gear drives, or lending their knowledge of the outdoors and outdoor gear. The Leadership Team is for folks who want to help Switchback advance outdoor equity. Last but not least, our Community Advisory Board (CAB) is an opportunity to offer guidance to Switchback's decision making and ensures that community voice and needs are being heard. Below this blurb is a detailed flyer about each way you can get involved.

If you're interested in joining Switchback, fill out the Member Interest Form. 

Living out the Switchback Mission

Here are a couple of ways you can live out the Switchback vision where experiencing the outdoors is accessible, inclusive, safe, and affordable for all people!

March 2023

Switchback co-founders (L-R) Abby, Jing, Sierra, and Sara

Right photo: A picture of part of our pop-up set up at the Downtown Durham YMCA

The Rundown

We had a pop-up! On Saturday, February 25th, we had our first pop-up of 2023 at the Downtown Durham YMCA. What an incredible turnout it was. Despite the gloomy, gross day, our community showed up and showed out in a major way. We sold a lot of great pieces of gear to a lot of folks who were checking out Switchback largely for the first time! After it's all said and done, we made about $1,700. This is so, so, SO huge. All of the money will directly go towards buying three pilot camp set ups making us that much closer to our goal of opening up a gear library in the Triangle!

Huge thank you to our community partner and host site, the Downtown Durham YMCA. It was such a pleasure to meet new folks, see old friends, and support our community. We are so deeply grateful to everyone who came out and checked out Switchback!

Surprise Sneak Peek of our Merch Drop!

I told y'all I gotchu. We made t-shirts! This is a limited drop of our Switchback t-shirts. I'll tell ya what, you, the newsletter receivers, readers, and skimmers, are getting the first sneak peak of the shirt. Next week, when we release the information for orders, you better run to our Square shop. When I tell y'all we made a limited number, I'm not playing around. There are a small amount of shirts ranging from S - XL. If you want one of these limited shirts keep your eyes peeled for an email next week detailing the drop and shopping options.

Get Involved with the Switchback Network

We are launching our Member Interest Form. If you are in the Triangle area and want to get involved with Switchback IRL, checkout our Member Interest Form!


We have different ways to get involved. Our Volunteer Network are for people who are interested in assisting with collecting gear, poppin' up at pop-ups and gear drives, or lending their knowledge of the outdoors and outdoor gear. The Leadership Team is for folks who want to help Switchback advance outdoor equity. Last but not least, our Community Advisory Board (CAB) is an opportunity to offer guidance to Switchback's decision making and ensures that community voice and needs are being heard. Below this blurb is a detailed flyer about each way you can get involved.

If you're interested in joining Switchback, fill out the Member Interest Form. 

Switchback Spotlight 

This month's Switchback Spotlight is on the Downtown Durham YMCA. As y'all know we hosted our pop-up with them. They were amazing partners who assisted in the organization, marketing, and execution of this successful event! Located in "the heart of Durham," only blocks away from the Durham Farmer's Market on Morgan Street, this YMCA provides wonderful opportunities to the families and individuals of Durham. They have a Kid Zone, multiple family programs, and of course fitness and gym availability (and an indoor pool!) Check them out; tell them Switchback sent you!

YMCA Families On! Challenge is an exciting upcoming event the A. E Finley YMCA in Raleigh is hosting on May 6. The YMCA Families On! Challenge, is an exciting, family fun run specifically designed for all ages and athletic abilities. Family, friends, co-workers and teammates experience “Get Out & Go!”, the run theme, on an outdoor adventure course.

This self-paced, 2+ mile outdoor adventure course features 20+ creative challenges. Participants will play in the mud, slide down a massive slip and slide and so much more! Everyone is encouraged to race at their own pace and have a great time.

If you're interested in more information or registering, click the link here. 

Living out the Switchback Mission

Here are a couple of ways you can live out the Switchback vision where experiencing the outdoors is accessible, inclusive, safe, and affordable for all people!

We hope to see you in all in the Switchback Volunteer Network. In the meantime, Happy March and happy Women's History Month! From everyone at Switchback, we wish the community much growth and blooming going into spring!


xoxo,

Switchback

January 2023

The Rundown

Good golly miss molly, can you believe we're already at the end of January?! While we all know time is fake, Switchback has already put on our first donation drive of the year! On Saturday, January 14th, we held a donation drive at Fullsteam Brewery in Durham. It was our first event in Durham and a great outreach event for us!

Looking to February, we will have a pop-up at the downtown Durham YMCA. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook to see the details when we release them! I'll tell ya right now, friend to friend, a little insider trading if you will...there is some quality gear in February's pop-up. But you gotta come out and see it for yourself. 

Our one-of-a-kind limited edition holiday candles! 

Our candles in the wild! These are photos some of the Switchback team members received from people who ordered our candles. 

A quick blast to the past

You may or may not recall, because let's be real remembering is hard...in our last newsletter we hinted that Switchback was going to drop some surprise holiday gifts. Well.. we. did. that. In a limited quantity drop, Switchback dropped three different, hand-poured candles. The scents were: The Outer Banks, The Piedmont, and The Blue Ridge Mountains. Once again, shameless plug, make sure you're on our mailing list and follow our social media handles as who knows...there could be another drop in the works. 

If that wasn't already tough enough to remember, in that same newsletter, we mentioned that some Switchback members entered the UNC Gillings Pitch Competition. If you're interested, read (or let's be honest, skim) the article that features Switchback Gear and all the other participants from the competition. 

New Year, New Us: Durham Edition!

In the name of setting New Year Resolutions, one thing that Switchback is committed to is using Durham Parks and Recreation services more! Durham Parks and Rec has a really handy events calendar that lays out all events they are putting on from January to June (as of right now, they will update it with events later in the month, because honestly who even knows what they're having for dinner tomorrow let alone their plans in July). Some events we have our eyes on this upcoming February is the Botany Bar Crawl, where people aged 21+ can learn how plants are used/made into adult beverages. There is also their Fourth Friday Fire, where all ages are able to come and enjoy sitting by a bonfire. If you're interested in seeing what other events are offered give their calendar events page a look, there's so many great events for all!

Living out the Switchback Mission

Here are a couple of ways you can live out the Switchback vision where experiencing the outdoors is accessible, inclusive, safe, and affordable for all people!

November 2022

We're Thankful for You!

The Switchback Team had a busy last few weeks. We first want to say a great, big THANK YOU to those who came out to one (or both!) of our events on November 13th! We had a great time meeting a bunch of new friends at the Chapel Hill Arts Thanks + Giving Rodeo and accepting donations at Flyleaf Books. If you donated items to our secondhand gear initiative or money to our gear library fund, just know that we are so grateful for your support. We have so many exciting things planned for 2023, and we are looking forward to expanding Switchback's reach in the new year. 

Pitch Competition

As if two events over last weekend weren't enough, some of our Switchback Founders participated in the UNC Gillings Pitch Competition! For the last couple of months, three co-founders of Switchback have been fine-tuning a pitch for the Gillings School Pitch Competition, with their mentor, Nicole Bates (thank you, Nicole, for being such an inspiration to us!). On Thursday, November 17th, Chloe, Joanne, and Abby gave a live 5-minute pitch asking for funding for the Switchback Gear Library. The team powered through their nerves and delivered a fantastic pitch, ultimately placing THIRD out of over a dozen organizations and winning the People’s Choice Award! A BIG thank you to all who supported us through this process, watched the pitch competition live or over zoom, and voted for us in the People’s Choice award category. The $950 prize will go towards funding a “starter camping kit” for our gear library. Shout out to all the Switchback team members that helped with this process and to our marketing team who made the most stunning PowerPoint presentation for us to use!

Apply for our Community Advisory Board!

We are firm believers that Switchback’s direction should be driven by the community. As an active member of your community, you know best what your neighbors need to access the outdoors more easily. Here at Switchback, we want to help facilitate the process of overcoming these barriers. That is why we are creating a Community Advisory Board! 

We envision that the members of this Board will play an active role in deciding Switchback’s priorities and direction. We are looking for nine community members to join our CAB to help us make the outdoors more accessible. If you (or anyone you know) are interested in joining our CAB, please fill out this application. And if you have any questions, send us an email at helloswitchback@gmail.com!

Seeking Donations

Do you have any outdoor gear you’d like to donate? Let Switchback give those items a new home! We are actively accepting any outdoor gear related to camping, hiking, boating, and outdoor sports… the list is endless! The only gear we cannot accept is climbing equipment (such as ropes and harnesses), cooking stoves, or gas canisters.

The best part is, we will come and pick up these items from you for free! All you need to do is leave the gear outside your home. If you’re interested, please fill out this form with pick-up information and preferred date. Alternatively, send us an email at helloswitchback@gmail.com if you’d rather drop off items yourself.

Living out the Switchback Mission

Here are a couple of ways you can live out the Switchback vision where experiencing the outdoors is accessible, inclusive, safe, and affordable for all people!

This holiday season as you prepare to spend time with loved ones and/or exchange gifts, consider sustainable options such as buying second-hand, gifting experiences, and supporting environmentally sustainable and ethical businesses. Keep an eye on your email because Switchback will be offering a few surprise holiday gifts that are both a thoughtful presents for someone you love, and a way to help grow our organization. 

Continue to recycle your old gear! Switchback will continue to accept gear donations throughout the next few months - contact our team to arrange donation pick-ups/drop-offs. 

Follow us on social media! @switchbackgearcollective on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated on upcoming events!

October 2022 Newsletter

The Rundown

Switchback is hard at work! After the success of our first pop-up at CommunityWorx in August, the Switchback team got together to do some brainstorming and future planning. One of the things that came out of our brainstorm is a mild rebrand. It is our great pleasure to introduce y'all to our re-designed logos and color palette!

Additionally, behind the scenes, Switchback has been working on UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health's Pitch Competition. The Gillings Pitch Competition invites students with innovative ideas to solve a critical public health problem. Our team made it to the final round y'all! Wish us luck as present our pitch on November 17th.

Autumn Gear Drive

And if that weren't enough, on top of being full-time graduate students, we are so excited to announce our second gear drive! On Sunday, November 13th from 12:00 PM noon - 4:00 PM we will be at Flyleaf Books accepting used gear!

Switchback Spotlight

In an effort to live out the Switchback mission, Switchback will highlight other organizations doing The Work™️ in the local area.

This month's spotlight is shining on GALS (Girls on Outdoor Adventures for Leadership and Science). GALS is a free summer science program for high school students to learn science hands-on while overnight camping and backpacking through the wilderness. GALS was created to increase opportunities for students who identify as female or gender nonconforming, students of color, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and other groups underrepresented in fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). GALS strives to cultivate a passion for environmental science and stewardship, develop leadership abilities, enhance critical thinking skills, and promote teamwork. This program provides students with the unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in science and experiential education while immersed in a supportive community of peers.

GALS is currently hiring adult leaders for the summer backpacking trip which is paid and any woman over 21 can apply. They will be hiring 6 Wilderness Leaders. These leaders will work in teams of 3 leaders per group of 8 students. There will be 2 groups (each consisting of 3 leaders and 8 students) that will function as both a larger group (all 22 people) and smaller (maximum 11 people) backcountry groups.

If you are interested in applying and seeking more information about the job here is the link for more information: https://form.jotform.com/222305903924149  

For more information on GALS NC check out their website: sciencegals.org

Living out the Switchback Mission

Here are a couple of ways you can live out the Switchback vision where experiencing the outdoors is accessible, inclusive, safe, and affordable for all people:

September 2022

The Rundown

On Saturday, August 27th, we held our first gear pop-up! Thank you to anyone and everyone that supported us, whether that be via our GoFundMe or by stopping by our tent. We would not have been able to hold this event without the incredible support of CommunityWorx, who generously allowed us to use their space and provided us with tables and clothing racks! 

We made a total of $441 at the pop-up. With this, coupled with the $705 we have a total of $1,146. We're rich! This money will first and foremost pay back the folks on our team who personally paid for fees up front such as our incorporation fee and the money we had to pay to acquire 501c3 status (yay the State of North Carolina recognizes us and can tax us!). We will use leftover funds to continue to hold events such as other pop-ups and workshops later this year, so you better stay subscribed to our newsletter to get the Switchback tea 👀

Live out the Switchback Mission

In the mean time, here are a couple of ways you can live out the Switchback vision where experiencing the outdoors is accessible, inclusive, safe, and affordable for all people:

August 2022 Newsletter

Getting Off the Ground

@Craftboro Brewing Depot

WELCOME to all of those who are new to the Switchback Gear Collective community! On July 31, we had a fantastic showing of folks who donated, got a beer, and visited with us at Craftboro Brewing Depot. THANK YOU to all who came out, and a special thanks to Jason at Craftboro for letting us use the space and entice people to learn about Switchback while also enjoying a few beers.

Next Up: Pop Up

@CommunityWorx Thrift Shop

Join us and encourage others who may be interested in exploring new outdoor activities to visit our first "pay what you can" pop up on August 27, from 12-4 PM outside CommunityWorx Thrift Shop on Jones Ferry Road. We will still be taking donations at that time!