How a Hike Led Me to MyTrailPals
About Me
I’m Gunjan — a mom of two, longtime technology professional, avid hiker, community builder, and founder of MyTrailPals.
The outdoors wasn't always a big part of my life.
In 2018, a friend asked if I wanted to join her for a weekend hike. I said yes. We kept hiking, started sharing our outings, and soon friends began asking to join. Friends brought friends, and over time those weekend hikes grew into HikeQueen Buddies, a Bay Area women's outdoor community.
What interested me wasn't just that more people were joining. I watched women try trails they wouldn't have attempted alone, build friendships, gain confidence outdoors, and eventually begin leading others themselves.
In December 2021, after one of our hikes, a woman came up and thanked me for organizing it. A few days later, she wrote to tell me how much that experience had affected her confidence and outlook.
That stayed with me.
I started thinking more seriously about what was happening within our community — and why.
From Community to an Idea
As the community grew, women who had originally joined as participants began stepping forward to lead.
They shared trails they knew, introduced others to activities they enjoyed, encouraged beginners, and brought their passion into the experiences they created.
It made me realize that outdoor experiences don't always have to come from professional guides or involve traveling somewhere far away.
They can be simple and local. Which brings lot more to be outdoors & not once but repeatedly.
A hike on a favorite trail. Someone helping beginners try camping. A nature photography walk. Birding in a nearby park. Outdoor yoga or an urban walk through.
And often, what makes the experience special isn't only the place.
It's the person who knows it, loves it, and wants to share it.
Those people exist in communities everywhere.
At the same time, I knew firsthand how much effort it could take to create these experiences and reach people beyond an existing community.
That led me to a question:
What if there were a place where people with outdoor knowledge, skills and passions could turn what they love into experiences others could join?
That question became MyTrailPals.
MyTrailPals Today
MyTrailPals is a marketplace for outdoor experiences led by passionate locals.
The idea is simple: give people who have something to share outdoors a place to create an experience around it, and give others a place to discover and join those experiences.
We're still learning alongside our hosts and community, but the belief behind MyTrailPals hasn't changed:
You shouldn't always have to travel far or plan a big adventure to experience the outdoors. Sometimes there's something worth experiencing much closer to home — and someone nearby who can introduce you to it.
That's the idea I'm building MyTrailPals around.
I hope I'll see you at a neighborhood walk, on a local trail, learning something new outdoors — or maybe leading an experience of your own.
— Gunjan Utreja
Founder, MyTrailPals