Reading a River: Heather Hansman

Heather Hansman went on a solo pack rafting adventure for the sake of conservation. Paddling the 730 mile Green River, she learned about the future of water in the west and documented her journey in her upcoming book, Downriver: Into the Future of Water in the West.

We talk about her two month pack rafting trip, what it means to write an adventure memoir that's grounded in water conservation, and why addressing environmental issues doesn't have to be intimidating or impersonal. Planning ahead can be like reading a river, a graceful mix of intuition and problem solving.

Women featured in this episode: Heather Hansman

Hosted by Gale Straub

The She Explores Book is now available for presale! Learn more here

In this episode you'll hear:

• How Heather got started as a rafting guide


• Why water conservation doesn't have to be an abstract, hard to understand concept


• (But why it's probably more complicated than you think )


• The reason Heather wanted to pack raft the Green River


• All the logistics involved in planning a 730 mile rafting trip


• Heather's thoughts on adventure memoirs


• Why solo isn't necessarily better when you're on an adventure


• Some of the issues Heather dug into that stakeholders found with water rights in the Colorado River basin


• Why river recreation is inherently tied to conservation


• What we can do close to home

Sponsored by Ritual

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Resources

• Heather Hansman's Website


• Downriver: Into the Future of Water in the West - Available for Pre-order!


• 12 Essential Books on Water in the West, as recommended by Heather


• She Explores Book, available for Pre-order!

If you liked this episode, you'll probably like:

• Episode 56: An (Adventure) Book Club for the 21st Century


• Episode 92: Quitting Can Be A Kindness - Nicole Antoinette


• Episode 72: Fifty Years as an Outdoor Entrepreneur - Sheri Tingey


• Episode 49: Great Lakes, Greater Goals - Traci Lynn Martin

Sponsor Websites and Codes

• Ritual.com/explore

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Music is by Jason Shaw, Nihilore, and Meydan using a Creative Commons Attribution license.