“Never in a million years did I think these would be on my feet,” Tara Greenberg said, looking down at the pair of snowshoes strapped onto her winter boots.
Greenberg moved to Portland about a year ago. Before then, she lived in New York and Massachusetts. She’s no stranger to snow, but before Saturday she had never taken an interest in winter sports.
“I hibernate all winter,” she said with a smile. “So this is amazing, that after 41 years I’m out here.”
Standing on a thin layer of crunchy snow outside Pineland Farms Outdoor Center in New Gloucester, Greenberg was surrounded by more than 30 other Maine women. For many of them, it was their first time on snowshoes.
All of the women are members of the new “ Maine Beginner Hiking/Snowshoeing Meetup for Women,” an online group organized by Kendra Wheeler, a 25-year-old health coach from the Lewiston area. Wheeler created the group in late October. It’s free to join. So far, more than 240 women have signed up.
“It surprised me because obviously this is a niche — a need,” Wheeler said. “Women need this and they want it, and I think it’s because it hits on so many things — social, mental and physical.”
The group is hosted by Meetup, which claims to be the largest network of local organizations in the world. Since Meetup’s inception in 2002, it has attracted more than 24 million members from 178 countries, and these members have formed more than 200,000 Meetup groups geared toward a wide array of interests, from stock market investing to wine tasting.
“Outdoors & Adventure” is one of the three largest Meetup communities.
In Maine, outdoor-related Meetup groups include the “ L.L.Bean Freeport Outing Group,” “ Katahdin Communities Outing Club,” “ Bangor Area Hikers Meetup Group” and the “ MITA [Maine Island Trail Association] Meetup.”
“I’ve been a part of Meetup for quite a while — but not necessarily going to any of the meetups,” Linda Ripley, 55, of Gray said. “But you know what it was about this one? It’s all women. It didn’t feel as intimidating as some of the others.”
Ripley, who often snowshoes with her dog on local trails, showed up to the group Saturday by herself. Although she considers herself a bit of a wallflower in a crowd, she was determined to break outside her comfort zone and meet other women.
“I work from home and can be a real hermit,” Ripley said. “I joined this to get out and meet people and find people who want to do the things I want to do.”
Despite the weather being exceptionally cold and windy Saturday, the Pineland Farms outing was the Meetup group’s largest gathering yet, with 33 women showing up for the event. The group sounded like a small army as it tramped along the Muskrat Hollow Trail, led by Pineland Farms educator Kathryn Daly.
Wheeler snowshoed at the back of the large group, taking up a position often called “the kaboose,” ensuring no one would get left behind.
During the 2-hour snowshoe, Ripley chatted with several women, including Julia Trefethen, 59, of Wells.
“I’d never been here, and I’d never snowshoed. I got these for Christmas,” Trefethen said, motioning to her lime green L.L.Bean snowshoes. “I had to check them out.”
Both women are signed up for the group’s big overnight getaway in western Maine scheduled for March. The trip will be a snowshoe excursion to Maine Huts and Trails Poplar Hut, a beautiful, heated lodge and bunkhouses — with hot showers and homemade meals — near a scenic waterfall on Poplar Stream Falls.
At the end of the hike, the two exchanged phone numbers so they could stay in touch.
“Many women in this group just want a reason to get out of the house,” Wheeler said. “They want to be social and get outside.”
“I think women have difficulty setting aside time for themselves,” she added, “making themselves a priority … and forgetting about their to-do list.”
Wheeler started the Meetup group partly as a marketing tool, a way to spread the word about her health coaching business, fitGOALS, which she began about a year ago after losing her father to cancer. Conversations she had with her father while he battled the disease inspired her to help others live healthier lives — physically, mentally and socially.
Wheeler especially enjoys coaching women in their 50s, she states on the fitGOALS website, and much of her coaching takes place through technology such as Skype, making it especially convenient for her clients.
“Women have this amazing ability to be caring and nurturing,” Wheeler states on the website. “But when it comes to taking care of ourselves, we are essentially toddlers. We have a hard time managing time, stress and saying no.”
A certified personal trainer, Wheeler studied kinesiology at Husson University and especially enjoys being active outdoors, whether she’s hiking or doing yoga.
“I go to the gym, but I prefer to be active outside, and I think Maine is such a beautiful place to do that,” Wheeler said. “There are so many resources we don’t use.”
So far, the hikes and snowshoes Wheeler has planned for the Meetup group have been located in southern Maine, usually between Augusta and Portland, but she has plans to expand for more extensive outings in places such as the Camden Hills and the Moosehead region. So far, in addition to Pineland Farms, the group has hiked or snowshoed at Augusta Nature Education Center, Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park in Freeport and Fuller Farm in Scarborough.
“I’m the facilitator,” Wheeler explained. “I’m not an expert hiking guide. I’m giving you a time and a place. It’s an adventure.”
Usually Wheeler contacts the land trust or organization that manages the trail network to let them know her group is coming and learn more information about the trails and visitor rules. She also researches whether there’s a good spot nearby for the group to grab coffee or lunch.
While members of the group hike at different paces, they stop at trail crossing to regroup, Wheeler said. And they always finish as a team.
To learn more about the Maine Beginner Hiking/Snowshoeing Meetup for Women, visit meetup.com/Maine-Hiking-Women.