At BearVault, our mission has always been to keep wild adventures going. This has been the driving force behind our continued search for a better way to protect bears.
Each year, we partner with a small group of passionate hikers and outdoor lovers to be part of the BearVault Ambassador Program. These individuals bring more than just miles — they bring stories, creativity, resilience, and a deep respect for nature.
They embody the Ne laisse aucune trace principles guiding responsible recreation and help protect the places we all love to explore. From securing food to respecting wildlife, they remind us that every action on trail has an impact.
This year, we’re proud to introduce three adventurers who hike with heart, tread lightly, and inspire us to go farther.
Cassandra is stepping into her first full season of backpacking with humor and honest reflections on mental health. After reconnecting with hiking last year, she says it felt like finding a missing part of herself.
Now, she’s sharing her journey of healing, joy, and rediscovery on the trail.
Hi! My name is Cassandra Loiselle-Walker, and in my little end of the world, I’m known as The Extra Ordinary Life of Me on my blog and socials — and no, it’s not a spelling mistake. My life is so ordinary, it is extra ordinary.
I have spent a lot of time in the outdoors, particularly in my younger days. After wanting to get back to hiking and exploring the outdoors this past year, I finally got back to hiking, and to say I found myself again is an understatement. I am recovering from complex PTSD, depression and anxiety. I have been sharing some of my journey with people, but there is something about being outside hiking that brings relief, clarity, and peace — all things that I had been working on for a long time.
It’s been like rediscovering a missing piece, and it just fits.
I’m excited to be a part of the Ambassador Program this year to share my journey with hiking and to start backpacking. It feels weird to say, as I did a couple of backpacking trips before, as a teenager … only a few decades ago (now I feel old), but it’s different now because of my age and size — it’s a new adventure.
🎉 Follow Cassandra: @extraordinarylifeofme
🇨🇦Location: Canada
🏕️BearVault Model of Choice: BV475
Mike found joy in life through hiking at 35. As a person living with PTSD, the trail has become a space of healing, connection, and artistic expression.
From photography to public lands advocacy, Mike brings depth and perspective to every step.
I love hiking. I enjoy it more than anything else. I have PTSD, and it was through hiking that I began to discover joy in life at the age of 35.
I love America’s trails system, which is an uncommon wonder. The USA doesn’t “preserve” most of its public lands in a pristine state; it aims to “conserve” the land for responsible human use now and forevermore. The financial investment to create such a thing is small, but the required investment of time and love required is staggering. America has made outdoor recreation a core component of our cultural identity for such a long time, and I wish we could embrace that more fully again. Historically, spending time in nature was an automatic part of day-to-day life for human beings. Today, we can get all the benefits of being outside while luxuriating in the massively reduced risk provided by modern information and technology. I also wish natural areas were more accessible to the average American and more people were encouraged to use the parks already in their neighborhoods. Raising awareness of local conservation efforts is every bit as important as the work done by NPS, USFWS, and other agencies.
I also love art. I often listen to music, stories, or stand-up comedy while I hike. I make a point of listening to the ways other cultures around the world and throughout time have expressed themselves. And while I’m hiking, I love photography. The landscape is what it is, and, exactly like thru hiking, I must simply surrender to the scenario. That sunlight, that cloud, that flower: in contrast to the wisdom of “the mountain will always be there,” no moment exactly like this will ever exist again. Sometimes those moments are beautiful, and I use my camera to share those moments with other people.
Sometimes I talk to strangers while I hike. Strenuous hiking has a way of stripping pretenses and regressing to a more primal humanity. These people tell me about their hopes, dreams, motivations, and fears — and I hear a lot about myself in their stories. My first thru-hike may have been inspired by a need to “seek fellowship with the wilderness,” but I also found fellowship with humanity. I’ve experienced so many wonderful places and met so many fascinating people from so many beautiful cultures, and I will be forever grateful for those experiences. Hiking has completely changed the way I see the world and the way I see myself, and my grand ambition in life is merely to inspire someone else who may need to take a little walk as desperately as I once needed it.
Thanks for sharing a part of my strange journey today. Now go outside and play.
— Mike
📸 Follow Mike: @portraitofahiker
🗣️ Motto: #GoOutsideAndPlay
🎧 Trail Soundtrack: Music, stories, and stand-up
Paige is a researcher with a background in social work and public health, and a passion for long-distance hiking. After finishing the PCT in 2023, she’s now tackling the 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail.
For Paige, hiking is about connection to self, community, and the land.
My name is Paige, trail name Brainstorm, and I am a researcher with a background in social work and public health. After finishing graduate school in 2023, I thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Now I’m setting out on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) in 2025, walking 3,100 miles from the Mexico border to Canada.
This journey is more than just miles; it’s about reconnecting with what matters.
Nature has always been a grounding force in my life, and I believe it holds the power to heal, create community, and inspire change. In a world filled with division, I hike to remember what connection feels like within myself, with others, and with the land.
I’m using a BearVault on this hike because protecting wildlife and preserving wild spaces is essential to me. Keeping my food secure means I can coexist responsibly with the environment I love. It’s one small action that supports a much bigger picture: living lightly, treading carefully, and respecting the natural world.
🥾 Follow Paige: @paigemcombs91
📍 Trail: CDT
🐻 Why BearVault: To protect wildlife and tread lightly
Watch as these three incredible humans share what it really means to #KeepWildAdventuresGoing.
They’ll offer trail updates, tips, and honest reflections all season long.
Video courtesy of Paige Combs
© BearVault 2025
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