We want to begin by offering a huge thank you to The Trek and the team at Backpacker Radio for producing such a thoughtful and inspiring episode featuring our very own board member, Mary “Fireweed” Kwart. Their platform has become a powerful storytelling space for the long-distance hiking community, and we are grateful for the care they took in sharing Mary’s journey—one that reflects the very soul of the Bigfoot Trail Alliance.
In this episode, listeners are introduced to a true trailblazer. Mary Kwart is not only a passionate advocate for the Bigfoot Trail, she is a pioneer in wildland firefighting, one of the first women to serve on an elite hotshot crew during the 1980s—a time when women’s presence in fire camps was almost unheard of. Her story is one of courage, resilience, humor, and deep commitment to the protection of our wild lands.
Mary’s voice reminds us why trails matter—why connecting biodiversity, geology, fire ecology, and human history through a single footpath is so much more than recreation. It is stewardship. It is empowerment. It is legacy.
Today, we’re honored to bring that conversation home to the Bigfoot Trail Alliance community, to celebrate Mary’s contributions, and to invite you to walk this path with us: a path shaped by fire and forest, by challenge and change, and by people like Mary who lead with purpose.
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