Jennifer Mabus

Last updated

Jennifer Mabus
Born (1989-11-06) November 6, 1989 (age 34) [1]
Reno, Nevada, United States
Other names"The Whimsical Woman", [2] "Starburst" [3]
Alma mater University of Nevada, Reno [4]
Occupations
  • YouTuber
  • hiker
  • engineer
Known forThru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail
Spouse
Owen Frederick
(m. 2019)
Children1
Website thewhimsicalwoman.com

Jennifer Mabus (born November 6, 1989) is an American YouTuber and hiker. She spent 173 days thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail solo in 2018, filming every day of the journey, and posting vlogs to her YouTube channel covering every day of the journey as she hiked. She competed collegiately in cheerleading for the Nevada Wolf Pack.

Contents

Background

Mabus was born November 6, 1989, in Reno, Nevada, United States. [1] [5] As a child she was a gymnast and dreamed of competing at the Olympic Games. [5] Due to multiple injuries she took an alternate pathway, instead graduating in 2012 with her bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno where she was a student athlete, competing as part of the Nevada Wolf Pack as a cheerleader. [4] [5]

Career

2017–2018

In 2017, Mabus started blogging and publishing videos on her YouTube channel. [2] On October 15, 2017, she filmed a thru-hike with her friend Emma at The Enchantments, publishing her first vlog of a thru-hike on YouTube three days later, October 18, of their hike. [6]

2018 Pacific Crest Trail northbound thru-hike

For 173 days in 2018 she thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, PCT, from south (United States-side of the United States–Mexico border) to north (Canada), making the 2,653-mile journey on foot on her own (solo) and vlogging the journey as she hiked. [7] [8] She started hiking the trail with her father on Saturday April 14, 2018, and finished the trail solo on Wednesday October 3, 2018. [7] The trail name she earned during the journey was "Starburst" in allusion to her brightly colored backpack. [3] Video footage of the hike she published on YouTube as she hiked included every day of her 173 day journey, she edited her own videos, and posted the vlogs as she hiked with a few of the videos delayed in posting due to trail conditions, such as a lack of internet/cell phone connectivity, as well as running out of storage space on her filming device. [7] She was one of 1,186 hikers to make history in 2018 by setting an all-time record for the most number of hikers to cross the finish line in a given year of the trail's over 65 years of existence, which is a record that remains unbroken as of mid-April 2022. [3] The total thru-hike cost her $8,446.81, which included supplies, food and lodging, and miscellaneous expenses such as excursions to the spa and to see a SpaceX rocket launch. [9]

From the duration of the thru-hike, Mabus published 130 videos on YouTube that she filmed while hiking on-trail between day one and day 173, inclusive. [7]

Video type# of videosFirst video published dateFirst video publishing delayLast video published dateLast video publishing delay
Vlog of day(s) on-trail124April 17, 20183 daysNovember 14, 201842 days
Update while on-trail2May 30, 2018September 2, 2018
List of supplies (hiking gear for on-trail)1June 10, 2018June 10, 2018
Question and answer2June 20, 2018September 21, 2018
Compilation of highlights from a section of the trail1July 8, 2018July 8, 2018
Total130April 17, 20183 daysNovember 14, 201842 days

2019–2021

October 2019 she married U.S. Navy diver Owen Frederick and in October 2021 they had a son, Finley "Finn" Mabus Frederick, together. Following their marriage, Mabus coped with his deployment through the COVID-19 pandemic by continuing her joined thru-hiking and YouTube pursuits, vlogging her thru-hike of the 171-mile Tahoe Rim Trail in August 2020, which she accomplished hiking with fellow thru-hiker and YouTuber Dyana Carmella for the entirety of the trail. [10] [11] On August 14, 2020, she competed the trail and was inducted into the "165 mile club" of hikers who had completed the thru-hike by the Tahoe Rim Trail Association. [12]

2020 Tahoe Rim Trail thru-hike YouTube documentation

The following videos Mabus published on YouTube documenting her 2020 Tahoe Rim Trail thru-hike. [11]

No.DayDate (hiking)MilesVideo durationDate (video published)Video title
11August 1, 20200 – 7.524:10August 23, 2020"Tahoe Rim Trail // Tahoe City to Ward Creek - Part 1"
22August 2, 20207.5 – 19.420:51August 27, 2020"Tahoe Rim Trail // Ward Creek to Bear Lake Outlet - Part 2"
33August 3, 202019.4 – 33.321:40September 2, 2020"Tahoe Rim Trail // Bear Lake Outlet to Fontanillis Lake - Part 3"
44August 4, 202033.3 – 42.814:05September 6, 2020"Tahoe Rim Trail // Fontanillis Lake to Lake Aloha (Desolation Wilderness) - Part 4"
55August 5, 202042.8 – 54.015:29September 13, 2020"Tahoe Rim Trail // Lake Aloha to Echo Chalet for Resupply - Part 5"
66August 6, 202054.0 – 69.413:28September 18, 2020"Tahoe Rim Trail // Saying Goodbye to the PCT - Part 6"
77August 7, 2020np [a] 15:06September 26, 2020"Tahoe Rim Trail // Star Lake - Part 7"
88August 8, 2020np [a] 16:12October 10, 2020"Tahoe Rim Trail // Epic Campsite - Part 8"
99August 9, 2020np [a] 9:11October 20, 2020"Tahoe Rim Trail // Spooner Lake Trailhead - Part 9"
1010August 10, 2020np [a] 11:57October 28, 2020"Tahoe Rim Trail // Spooner Summit Trailhead to Marlette Peak Campground - Part 10"
1110August 10, 2020np [a] 12:48November 4, 2020"Tahoe Rim Trail // Water Pumps and Thunderstorms - Part 11"
1211August 11, 2020np [a] 18:22November 16, 2020"Tahoe Rim Trail // Relay Peak - Part 12"
1312August 12, 2020np [a] 16:19December 2, 2020"Tahoe Rim Trail // Relay Peak to Brockway Trailhead - Part 13"
1413August 13, 2020np [a] 12:37December 14, 2020"Tahoe Rim Trail // Last Full Day - Part 14"
1514August 14, 2020np [a] 13:27December 22, 2020"Tahoe Rim Trail // FINAL DAY: Tahoe City Bound - Part 15"
a Miles hiked not in video documentation.

YouTube documented thru-hikes

No.NameLocationDirectionMilesTypeStatusDate startedDate finished# of days# of videosRef
1 The Enchantments Washington Out-and-back20.0Duo (2 people)FinishedOctober 15, 2017October 15, 201711 [6]
2 Pacific Crest Trail United States, Canada Northbound2,652.8Solo (1 person)FinishedApril 14, 2018October 3, 2018173130 [3] [7]
3 Tahoe Rim Trail Nevada, California Counterclockwise171.0Duo (2 people)FinishedAugust 1, 2020August 14, 20201415 [11] [12]

Influence

Making the unknown visible

One of the full-time hikers Mabus has influenced is Lily Tagariello, who in part derived her motivation and confidence for successfully thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2021 from watching Mabus's vlogs, which made a trail she had not been to before tangible virtually from afar, stating to Kinute of the impact, Lily Tagariello said, "Thru-hiking became the only thing I cared about, even before I ever stepped foot on the PCT." [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Crest Trail</span> Long-distance hiking and equestrian trail in the western US

The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie 100 to 150 miles east of the U.S. Pacific coast. The trail's southern terminus is next to the Mexico–United States border, just south of Campo, California, and its northern terminus is on the Canada–US border, upon which it continues unofficially to the Windy Joe Trail within Manning Park in British Columbia; it passes through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Continental Divide Trail</span> Long-distance scenic trail in the western United States

The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail is a United States National Scenic Trail with a length measured by the Continental Divide Trail Coalition of 3,028 miles (4,873 km) between the U.S. border with Chihuahua, Mexico and the border with Alberta, Canada. Frequent route changes and a large number of alternate routes result in an actual hiking distance of 2,700 miles (4,300 km) to 3,150 miles (5,070 km). The CDT follows the Continental Divide of the Americas along the Rocky Mountains and traverses five U.S. states — Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. In Montana near the Canadian border the trail crosses Triple Divide Pass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Muir Trail</span> Trail in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California

The John Muir Trail (JMT) is a long-distance trail in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, passing through Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. It is named after John Muir, a naturalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Discovery Trail</span> Long-distance hiking trail across the United States

The American Discovery Trail is a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast hiking and biking trail across the mid-tier of the United States. Horses can also be ridden on most of this trail. The coastal trailheads are the Delmarva Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean and the northern California coast on the Pacific Ocean. The trail has northern and southern alternates for part of its distance, passing through Chicago and St. Louis respectively. The total length of the trail, including both the north and south routes, is 6,800 miles (10,900 km). The northern route covers 4,834 miles (7,780 km) with the southern route covering 5,057 miles (8,138 km). It is the only non-motorized coast-to-coast trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tahoe Rim Trail</span>

The Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT) is a 170-mile (274 km) long-distance hiking trail that forms a loop around the Lake Tahoe Basin in the Sierra Nevada and ranges of Nevada and California in the United States. The trail ranges in elevation from 6,223 feet at the outlet of Lake Tahoe to 10,338 feet at Relay Peak in Nevada. About 50 miles (80 km) of trail above the lake's west shore are also part of the national Pacific Crest Trail. Additionally, 96 Miles of the trail along the east and south sides of the Lake Tahoe basin are designated as a National Recreation Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Outdoor Book Award</span> Annual literary awards

The National Outdoor Book Award (NOBA) was formed in 1997 as an American-based non-profit program which each year presents awards honoring the best in outdoor writing and publishing. It is housed at Idaho State University and chaired by Ron Watters. It is sponsored by the National Outdoor Book Awards Foundation, Idaho State University and the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education. As of 2021, awards have been presented in 13 categories, although not all categories are awarded in any given year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thru-hiking</span> Style of hiking

Thru-hiking, or through-hiking, is the act of hiking an established long-distance trail end-to-end continuously.

Scott Williamson is an American thru-hiker, most noted for being the first person to complete a continuous one-season round trip of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). He is also noted for his speed records for hiking the PCT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dardanelles and Freel Roadless Areas</span>

The Dardanelles and Freel Roadless Areas are located 7 miles (11 km) and 3 miles (4.8 km), respectively, south of Lake Tahoe, California, and both are managed by the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the US Forest Service.These areas are contiguous, separated only by the corridor of highway 89. The historic Hawley Grade, an immigrant wagon road, now a hiking trail, is within the Dardanelles Roadless Area, as well as the watershed of Lake Tahoe's largest inflow, the Upper Truckee River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triple Crown of Hiking</span> Three major U.S. long-distance hiking trails

The Triple Crown of Hiking refers to the three major U.S. long-distance hiking trails:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Alpine Club</span>

The California Alpine Club (CAC) is an all-volunteer, outdoors-oriented social group centered in the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento areas that organizes hiking, skiing, member dinners, and wilderness trips. Club members also manage the California Alpine Club Foundation, which gives grants to California-based wilderness preservation, conservation, outdoor recreation, and education projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Pharr Davis</span> American hiker

Jennifer Pharr Davis is a long distance hiker from the United States of America who serves on the President's Council for Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. She has been called "the Serena Williams of long distance hiking" by Baratunde Thurston and is also an author, speaker, National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, and Ambassador for the American Hiking Society. She has hiked over 14,000 miles on six different continents, including thru-hikes on the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, the Colorado Trail, the Long Trail in Vermont, the Bibbulmun Track in Australia, and numerous trails in Europe and South America (e.g., the Tour du Mont Blanc, West Highland Way, Laugavegur, GR 11, GR 20, and the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, Cotahuasi Canyon and the Inca Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tahoe–Yosemite Trail</span>

The Tahoe–Yosemite Trail (TYT) is a long-distance trail in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California. The trail courses 186 miles (299 km) from Meeks Bay at Lake Tahoe to Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park. The trail is a foot and equestrian path that passes through the Desolation, Mokelumne, Carson-Iceberg, Emigrant, and Yosemite Wilderness Areas and the Meiss Country (Dardanelles) Roadless Area.

Gottawalk is an American hiking team Ken and Marcia Powers sometimes used to refer to Marcia Powers specifically. The term Gottawalk was first used in print after the team completed through-hiking the American Discovery Trail by Backpacking Light magazine.

Trevor Thomas is the world's only professional long-distance blind hiker and as of 2022 has hiked over 22,000 miles (35,000 km) solo. He was the first blind person to complete the Appalachian Trail on an unassisted solo hike, in 2008. He hikes with a guide dog, and uses sophisticated digital technology, emailing his route to his phone to convert to audible sections, using echo location to identify obstacles, and having a satellite beacon which updates his Facebook page with his location every 10 minutes: if he is in the wrong place or not making the expected progress his expedition coordinator is alerted. He supports himself through speaking, writing, blogging and sponsorship, and has set up the Team FarSight Foundation to support young blind people in outdoor activities.

Elizabeth Thomas is a thru-hiking champion and former women's unassisted speed record holder for the 2,181-mile (3,510 km) Appalachian Trail. She holds the hiking "Triple Crown," having completed the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail. She is the pioneer of the Chinook Trail in Washington and the Wasatch Range in Utah. She is Vice President of the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West, an ambassador for the American Hiking Society, and an outdoors writer for Wirecutter, a New York Times publication. She is also Editor-in-Chief of Treeline Review, a hiking gear publication. As of 2018, she completed 20 long-distance wilderness hikes.

The Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation and management of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, a 2,650-mile hiking and equestrian trail in the western United States that runs through California, Oregon, and Washington. The southern terminus is in Campo, California at the Mexican border approximately 50 miles east of San Diego. The northern terminus is at the US–Canadian border at E.C. Manning Provincial Park, which lies just north of the border between Washington and British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dicks Peak</span> Mountain in the state of California

Dicks Peak is a 9,974-foot-elevation (3,040 meter) mountain summit located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in El Dorado County, California, United States. It is the third-highest peak in the Desolation Wilderness, and is set on land managed by Eldorado National Forest. It is situated six miles (9.7 km) south of Lake Tahoe, and approximately eight miles (13 km) west of the community of South Lake Tahoe. Topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises over 2,300 feet above Rockbound Valley in approximately one mile. One-half mile east of the peak the Pacific Crest Trail and Tahoe Rim Trail traverse Dicks Pass, which provides an approach option for those climbing the peak. Inclusion on the Sierra Peaks Section peakbagging list generates climbing interest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twin Peaks (Placer County, California)</span> Double summit mountain in the state of California

Twin Peaks is an 8,878-foot-elevation (2,706 meter) double summit mountain in Placer County, California, United States.

References

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  2. 1 2 Giecek, Rudy (September 19, 2017). "The 'Whimsical Woman' shares what she learns on the trail". The Everett Herald . Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "2,600 miler list: 2018". Pacific Crest Trail Association. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "53 Wolf Pack Student-Athletes Set To Graduate". Nevada Wolf Pack . May 18, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 "The Whimsical Woman". Explore Washington State. March 27, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Mabus, Jennifer as The Whimsical Woman (October 18, 2017). "Enchantments Thru-Hike | Larch Madness". YouTube . Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Mabus, Jennifer as The Whimsical Woman (October 20, 2019). "Pacific Crest Trail 2018". YouTube . Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  8. Egan, Erin. "Hiking Thru - Episode #45 - Starburst aka Jennifer Mabus". hiking-thru.com. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  9. Mabus, Jennifer as The Whimsical Woman (September 30, 2019). "This is how much it cost me to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail". YouTube . Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  10. Peterson, Samantha (May 4, 2020). "How one Navy spouse will literally walk through her husband's next deployment". wearethemighty.com. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 Mabus, Jennifer as The Whimsical Woman (April 10, 2021). "Tahoe Rim Trail Thru-Hike 2020". YouTube . Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  12. 1 2 "165 Mile Club: 2020 – 2021". Tahoe Rim Trail Association. 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  13. Lawrence, T.H. (February 11, 2022). "The outdoors 'feels like home' to hiker". Kinute. Retrieved April 15, 2022.