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SMILES OVER MILES
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CHIEF MOUNTAIN CANADIAN BORDER
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Shilletha Curtis, trail name "Dragonsky", is an established writer, professional hiker, and outdoor influencer from New Jersey. She graduated from Rutgers in 2014 with a Bachelor’s in Social Work but found her calling in the outdoors in 2020. That calling was the Appalachian Trail. She joined the “Appalachian Trail Facebook groups” where she experienced overt racism and wrote an article that prompted conversations around the world about racism and the lack of Black people in the outdoors. Shilletha is an activist who shares her story about living and hiking with mental illness in hopes to breakdown the stigma within the Black community to promote and inspire healing in the outdoors.
Shilletha aspires to be the first queer black woman to achieve the Triple Crown of hiking (AT, PCT,CDT). She completed the Appalachian Trail in 2021, the Continental Divide Trail in 2023 and is preparing for the Pacific Coast Trail in 2025. She is honored to work with top international brands and magazines, as well as leading figures in the hiking community. She is especially excited when projects allow her to inspire others, meet new people and travel to new places.
Shilletha aspires to be the first queer black woman to achieve the Triple Crown of hiking (AT, PCT,CDT). She completed the Appalachian Trail in 2021, the Continental Divide Trail in 2023 and is preparing for the Pacific Coast Trail in 2025. She is honored to work with top international brands and magazines, as well as leading figures in the hiking community. She is especially excited when projects allow her to inspire others, meet new people and travel to new places.
Speech Topics
why I hike empowerment, accomplishment, and mental health
Shilletha talks about the impact hiking has had on her struggle with mental illness and how it improves not just her physical but mental health. She elaborates on the accomplishment of conquering the trail and how it allows her to conquer challenges off the trail.
breathe it's ok to slow down
When the mountain tells you to slow down, you have no choice but to abide. It’s in those moments that Shilletha realized the importance of that lesson. In our society, we are taught we must always be doing something for us to feel productive. When we stop and breathe, we see more, learn more, and begin to find out who we are. Join Shilletha as she tells stories from her time on the trail, how she applies what she learns to everyday life, and how you can do the same.
you're not stuck: how a journey through the mountains changed my journey through life
It’s easy to think that you must pick a path in life and that’s it. So often (most times) Shilletha sets out on path on the mountain and whether by choice or necessity, the path changes. Nature forces her to adapt instead of resist. In that adaptation, comes growth. Shilletha’s original plan was not to become the first lesbian Black woman to complete the triple crown, and write a book about it, but here she is. In this talk Shilletha discusses what it takes to discover your dream and make the changes to turn it into a reality.
overcoming adversity: how navigating ups and downs on the trail helps me navigate life's struggles
No two days on the trail are the same. Some days are just harder than others. Some days things don’t go your way. Some days, the obstacles are the size of a mountain. But there’s always a way. Shilletha talks about the strength and creativity she didn’t even know she had in overcoming obstacles and succeeding on the trail and how you can discover your own hidden abilities that allow you to succeed.
"Shilletha Curtis, also known as Dragonsky, has bared her soul in this memoir, which is deeply personal, brutally honest, and endlessly inspiring."
— Jessica Nabongo
author of The Catch Me if You Can: One Woman's Journey to Every Country In the World
— Jessica Nabongo
author of The Catch Me if You Can: One Woman's Journey to Every Country In the World
Previous Engagements
- Black Sports Business Symposium
- Williams College
- Arc'teryx
Books
Pack Light: A Journey to Find Myself
This memoir will trace Shilletha's thru-hike from Georgia to Maine as she decided to confront the roots of her trauma. Growing up, Curtis suffered from a fractured family life, bullying at school, indifferent teachers, and abuse from people she trusted. Then she discovered the Appalachian Trail, which she successfully hiked in 2021. It took her eight months and four seasons to hike through 14 states, even more impressive given her lifelong struggle with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and ADHD.
“A stark reminder of the healing powers of nature." -- Jessica Nabongo, author of The Catch Me if You Can: One Woman's Journey to Every Country In the World
This memoir will trace Shilletha's thru-hike from Georgia to Maine as she decided to confront the roots of her trauma. Growing up, Curtis suffered from a fractured family life, bullying at school, indifferent teachers, and abuse from people she trusted. Then she discovered the Appalachian Trail, which she successfully hiked in 2021. It took her eight months and four seasons to hike through 14 states, even more impressive given her lifelong struggle with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and ADHD.
“A stark reminder of the healing powers of nature." -- Jessica Nabongo, author of The Catch Me if You Can: One Woman's Journey to Every Country In the World
Related Links
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
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INSTAGRAM
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APPALACHIAN TRAIL CONSERVANCY
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GARAGE GROWN GEAR
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© 2024 Lynn Johnston Literary, Inc.