Welcome to Queer IRL, a monthly Autostraddle community photo series that gathers little clips of lesbian, bisexual, queer and otherwise-identified women, trans and non-binary folks, just living our lives in 2017.

Funny story about this gallery! For the entire month of April, I’d look at my inbox and think, “Wow, nothing. They’re not sending anything!” and I even complained to Heather Hogan about it.

How could this be? So many people had specifically requested an outdoor theme for the next gallery! The weather was gorgeous! I put off even starting to upload and format the gallery, because what was the rush? It would take less than half an hour to put together the 15 or so emails I remembered seeing here and there in my inbox. I was so sad. What had gone wrong?

I’ll tell you what: nothing.

See, I’d so cleverly set up a filter for emails with the subject line QUEER OUTSIDE , making each email bypass my inbox and go straight to handy folder, where they sat, unread. All 176 of them. Sometimes it does not pay to be organized!

Anyway, wow, you guys really love the outdoors! I’ve never in my life felt so inspired to hike to the top of something. You’re taking up space and pushing yourself and supporting each other and laughing and eating snacks and hugging chickens and goats. You’re being super alive out there! I’m so grateful to everyone who submitted to this gallery, and I hope you enjoy roaming through over 200 photos of your extended queer family!

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Riley and Alex Santangelo / 27, 25 / Graphic designer; Nanny / Asbury Park Boardwalk, NJ

“My wife and I decided to do an impromptu bridal shower invitation photo shoot against the murals at Asbury Park Boardwalk in NJ. This picture is an outtake from the session (but it ended up being my favorite <3).”

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Kai / 22 / Student, Peace Corps Volunteer (in 2 months!!!!) / Ireland

“In this photo I’m on a backpacking trip in Ireland! It was really cold, but I got to climb a tiny mountain and it was the best.”

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Marissa / 29 / Journalist / Paradise Valley, MT

“I’m fly fishing on the Yellowstone River in February. I love fishing in the winter because fewer people do it. Plus, you feel a little badass for standing in the cold water (protected by waders and warm layers). The Yellowstone the longest undammed river in the contiguous US and one of my favorite rivers.”

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Lauren / 29 / PhD Student and TA in Gender and Women’s Studies / Asilah, Morocco

“I was studying Arabic in Morocco when I came upon this amazing rainbow mural. It was the gayest thing I saw during my entire trip, so of course I made my friends take excessive pictures of me in front of it.”

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Elena Zamarripa (they·them) / 24 / Beer Steward, Barista, KitchenBitch / Whatcom Falls, Bellingham, WA

“My friend snapped this disposable camera shot of me feeling the water in my future hometown. I’d already planned to move there in two years but was apprehensive until I met the falls.”

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Julia H / 18 / Student / Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, AK

“Here’s a candid of me looking as sad as I felt on the inside about hiking in this gorgeous place. I made the questionable decision to have my first-ever backpacking experience be a month off-trail in Alaska…”

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Analicia Hawkins (she·her), Aryn Maitland (they·them) / 23, 25 / Events Associate; Job Developer / Mount Tamalpais State Park, CA

“My partner and I went on a hike in this lovely state park just outside of San Francisco. I had just gotten my car broken into and my suitcase stolen, but this was a great stress reliever and a really cute first date!”

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Ella / 18 / Student / CO

“In the backyard with the family I nanny for in Colorado.”

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Anoma and Robin Stoiber / Late 30s / Police Dispatcher; Officer / Milwaukee, WI

“Taken last year at Milwaukee’s annual Pride fest.”

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Annie (and Lily) / 25 / Furniture Repair Extraordinaire (Faithful Pit Bull) / Blue Ridge Parkway outside of Asheville, NC

“I love hiking every chance I get, and am lucky enough to live in beautiful Asheville, NC where I can make it a reality. Lily is a rescue from the streets of Philly who’s been by my side for two years now. Her happiness in the outdoors and away from city bustle, is pretty obvious from the big grin in this picture! We’ve hiked together all over the US and Canada, and are on track for our goal of hiking 100 miles in 2017.”

Ayesha / 26 / Nuclear Engineer / Carderock, MD

“This was my first time trying outdoor rock climbing. It was a thrill!”

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Eliza / 24 / Factory Tour Guide, Ice Cream Aficionado, Eventual College Graduate / VT

“Basking in the glory of getting up at 4am and making it to the summit of Camel’s Hump just in time to watch the sun rise and drink THE WORST cup of instant coffee on the earth, then take a nap on some rocks. Perpetually chasing trail.”

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Rachel / 33 / Bartender / Los Angeles, CA

“My wife, Lindsey, and I live in Chicago and were visiting L.A. last week. We hiked about 4 miles around Griffith Park, which has several great views of the iconic Hollywood sign.”

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Taylor / 24 / Founder of North Bound ’93 / Gore Lake, CO

“My girlfriend and I went backpacking to Gore Lake, an alpine lake by Vail, CO. This photo is from the hike back two days later, after no sleep and snow at 11,000 ft. Needless to say that was the first and last time we will be hiking that trail!”

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Afton and Anna / 23, 22 / Writer; Audio engineer / Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, CA

“We’re having an amazing wildflower superbloom this year! We love going on adventures outside.”

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Anna and Naomi / Students / Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

“This is us on our way back to the cabin after getting some ice cream. Cause what’s better than bikes and ice cream? This photo was taken at Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba.”

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Selina-Jane Spencer / 21 / Maths Student (starting a PhD in Physics soon!)

“My then-girlfriend and I found a hedgehog on the side of the road that was injured and confused. I picked it up and carried it home, where we spent ages outside trying to make it a safe hospice in the compost heap. It died :(”

“This photo was taken during our 2017 Varsity match (like a grudge match against our local rival university) which we won 40-15! I only started playing women’s rugby this year but I have met so many inspiring queer and sporty women, I love it.”

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Sofia Aralia / 26 / Field botanist / Columbia Gorge, WA

“This was from a recent botanizing excursion to the Columbia Gorge with two other queer femme botanists. We spent the day hiking around, dipping our toes in streams, and screaming about flowers. This particular plant is a Lomatium- a plant genus with over 70 species that are notoriously difficult to identify, although this one (Lomatium columbianum) is pretty easy because it’s HUGE and only grows around the area we were!”

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Charlotte / 42 / Works for the UK government / Beccles, Suffolk, UK

“Spending a week in rural England dog sitting for ‘les’ parents and unleashing my inner sporty lesbian by getting my kayaking game on by the River Waveney.”

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Ari / 20 / Student / Boston University, Boston, MA

“It was so nice and sunny that I went outside to study and ended up falling into an abyss of iced tea and Buffy fanfics. I regret nothing.”

Deborah / Late 30ish / The Shire, New Zealand

“Trying to visit Frodo, or maybe get the “One Ring”… you decide.”

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Molly / 25 / Cartoonist / Edinburgh, Scotland

“Taken by my girlfriend on vacation in Edinburgh!”

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Cheryl Chen / 34 / Operations Director at Future of Fish / South Sister Mountain, OR

“We are on top of South Sister mountain overlooking Broken Top mountain on the Cascade mountain range. Our close group of friends hiked and climbed 12 miles and 5,000 feet to celebrate our friend Al’s (in orange) birthday! It was tough but the feeling of being on top of the world and the gorgeous view up top.”

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Amy / 31 / Works at BAWT (Bay Area Wilderness Training)

Lava Tubes Nat’l Park and Joshua Tree Nat’l Park

“I’ve also got an awesome picture of ice stalactites looking inappropriate, should you ever need such a picture.”

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Liz Follman / 21 / Music Student / FL

“I went to Florida with my roommate for spring break. We walked the sand dunes and got sunburned. It was great.”

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Kerri / 32 / Nature-based Preschool Director / Dunkeld, Scotland

“My wife and I rented a car and drove around Scotland in the fall of 2015. At this church in Dunkeld, of course there was a random cat and obviously it came right up to me and I sat in the graveyard petting it for who knows how long. Because of course, random Scottish graveyard cat.”

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Eva Matthews and Emily Lark / 36, 31 / Runs an adult summer camp for birdwatchers; 5th grade Waldorf teacher / Fort Collins, CO

“We are joined by our two lovable pups: Baba Ghanoush and Cashew. This was taken near our home at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space in Fort Collins, CO.”

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Kendra, Nicola, Steph, Caitlin / 27-30 / Band, TEETH / Edmonton, Alberta

“We’re standing on Kendra’s parent’s lawn, fresh off our first and only ever tour (as you can see from the glamourous tour minivan and sleeping blankets scattered on the lawn.)  This band, born out of Edmonton’s inaugural Not Enough Fest, is the culmination of our shared vulnerability, space we hold for our friendship, and refusal to accept that making noise is something only cis, hetero white dudes get to do. In this polaroid, we’re exhausted, elated, and so so proud of ourselves and each other.”

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Steph and Ali / 28, 27 / Nanny, Birth Doula; Student Affairs Professional / Belmont Plateau, Philadelphia, PA

“We are getting married in the sun because it’s legal and we’re in love.”

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Megan, Shayla, Sir Bud / 28, 21, 10 / Musicians (Megan and Shayla); Homemaker (Sir Bud) / Wright Park, Tacoma, WA

“We decided to take our cat, Sir Bud, for a walk in the park to practice with him on a leash for our wedding there this August. We post a lot of silly selfies tagged #twogaysandacat and this is our most recent one.”

Finn, Maeve, Read / 26, 28, 29 / Teacher; Community support worker; Arborist / Quadra Island, British Columbia, Canada

“We climbed some rocks, drank some beers, and tried not to wear too many clothes. We spooned in the tent and celebrated Maeve’s birthday. Read taught us fun facts about trees and shrubbery. Finn befriended the resident campground cat.”

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Al / 27 / Piano accompanist and teacher, Music director, Barista / Victoria, BC, Canada

“Since I moved to Victoria relatively recently, my mom decided to come check things out and visit my partner and me. We booked a cottage on the water just out of town for a few days to hang out and play music and boardgames and see cute marine life. The photo is by my mom, which is why it is mostly of me and less of the ‘outside.'”

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Amanda Ling / 26 / Stocker

“The parking lot behind work, where the Palo Verde are dropping their bright yellow opinion of our landscaping.”

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Julie / 31 / Librarian / Bottle Beach State Park, WA

“During the last week of my vacation I wanted to hit up all of my favorite spots. Bottle Beach State Park is a short stroll built on tide flats; it’s great for folks interested in shorebirds (and more birds) and local history. I also like climbing on stumps and posing with snags.”

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Clai / 21 / Student / Friend’s farm in England

“I was at a friend’s, mucking out their stables etc. My family do not celebrate Christmas but I wanted to experience a real English Christmas so I got adopted for 10 days by my best friend’s family and had to help out. My friend was thoroughly amused as I am very much a “city girl”. On Christmas day we went for a morning hack on the horses and had roast chicken. Just a standard Christmas right?”

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Michael / 31 / Consultant, Playwright, Student / My backyard in Toronto, Canada

“Today is the first day I’ve had some alone time and a few minutes to kill with nice weather so I’m out having a quick beer before heading out. I’m going to a lecture / debate series on how Basic Income is (or is not, but guys it is) just a trick of the white, capitalist heteropatriarchy to perpetuate precarious labour and poor working conditions under the guise of progress, all underwritten by the government and funded through taxes.  Which is interesting as a topic but also sad/infuriating/horrible as a reality.”

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Chandra / 40 / English Instructor / Various places around B.C.

“I need more hiking buddies. COME VISIT ME.”

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Elena Gross / 27 (in July) / Gallery Associate, Writer / Topiary #3, Soulovely Rooftop Day Party

“Getting lit in (on?) a hedge, feeling my black Grey Garden/adult Alice in Wonderland fantasy.”

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Chiara and Liz / 25, 30

“I’m the one with the curly hair and she’s the one who’s ADORABLE BEYOND MEASURE. In the one where we’re smoochin we’re in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Shenandoah National Park, and the windy one is at the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Liz is the person who taught me about the joy of hiking. Before her, I was a nervous indoor enthusiast. Now I’m a much more active person overall, and hiking is my happy place – when we’re outside together it’s so easy to be completely and totally present.”

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Diana / 24 / TV Professional / A dope Harlem beer garden

“Celebrating a birthday with some of my favorite humans. Alas, not many other queers present to join the photo. Manhattan queer ladies/otherwise-identified trans and non-binary peeps where you at? I need friends.”

Alia Allen / 39 / Academic Advisor / Laugavegur Trail, Iceland

“In July 2016, I backpacked 55km in 4 days through a diverse and surreal landscape of rainbow-colored mountains, lunar-like lava fields, steaming fumaroles, glacier-fed rivers, the greenest sheep-grazing pastures, and the rainiest birch forest. I highly recommend it, but don’t forget to byobourbon!”

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Sara Giza / 33 / Writer, Social Worker / Louisville, KY

“Being outside and with my cat Alice Pawl, are two of my favorite forms of self-care.”

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Lucy and Chiara Gardner / 32 / Automation scientist (I make robots do experiments) and Business Analyst at Cambridge / Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY

“We’re on holiday in NY (were from England) and we went to the park to play catch with our new baseball gloves but we ended up eating strawberries and sunbathing while using the gloves as lovely head cupping pillows.

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Kris / 34 / Wedding and Event Planner / My family’s North Louisiana tree farm

“My family got together on our tree farm for an Easter weekend fish fry. I brought my dog, Alfred Fraggle, and we went on an adventure on the side-by-side.”

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Naomi / 32 / Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

“I’m usually an indoor queer but I was visiting my sister in Denver, and she insisted we get out and See Some Nature. I’m so glad she did – in times of uncertainty, it’s strangely comforting to be surrounded by mountains that have been here long before us and will stand long after we’re gone.”

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Chloe / 18 / Barista, Student / The line between suburban and rural CO

“This is a spot I pass almost every day on my average bike ride. While I’m not a farmer (yet), I love being outside; it’s a refuge for me. I just went through a pretty bad breakup.”.

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Jeh and Law / 20, 26 / Medical student; Chef / Kulleet Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

“I’m always in awe of my partner’s strength. Here we are on an Easter vacation to the beautiful coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia from London, England, where we live.”

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Emily / 25 / Data Analyst, Content Manager / Ohiopyle, PA

“The morning after camping out at the Bidwell Shelters at Ohiopyle State Park. Not pictured: The rainfly over my hammock that I didn’t need but used anyway. I originally took pictures before the sun was fully up, and then took more pictures once I had already started packing up, ostensibly because the lighting was better, but also I was putting off starting the hike back. Photo cred: My phone duct taped to a tree.”

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Amanda and Liz / 26, 24 / Brewery Manager; Teacher / Victory Field, Indianapolis, IN

“Watching baseball from the lawn section, eating veggie dogs, holding hands, dodging running children.”

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Hanna / 35 / Supervisor for people with disabilities / Gothenburg, Sweden

“Photo taken by my friend Mia 70 kilometers north of Gothenburg, Sweden. We’d just been riding Scandinavia’s longest zipline.”

Rose Jackson / 20 / Student, Security / Ben Nevis, Scotland

“Last summer was really horrible because I was working 5 awful jobs, moments like this saved my sanity. The guys I was subletting with at the time invited me along to their Ben Nevis sunrise hike and I’m so glad I went. You can see me with my lil gay topknot in awe of the sun on the right.”

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Alice / 24 / Student / Isla del Sol, Bolivia

“I’m from Italy, but currently travelling through Peru and Bolivia for a few weeks and taking pictures with every llama I see.”

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Lotty Cross / 18 / Lifeguard / Land’s End, Cornwall, England

“My dog and I are at Land’s End, the last place where the sun sets over England and it was beautiful. We went surfing on this trip and I got to spend a week with really cute surfer girls embracing my gay.”

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Maria / 32 / Therapist / Matador Beach near Los Angeles, CA

“I’m traipsing around in the sunshine because Seattle is still very gloomy until July or so, and I get very itchy this time of year to move around and see other places! My honey and I got Cuban sandwiches and are walking around on the beach, because what’s not to like about that.”

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Sarah / 33 / Adventure Vlogger / Split Rock, Wyoming

“I was in the midst of crossing the United States in my camper van when I spotted a vague little sign that simply stated, “Split Rock.” I hit the brakes, ignoring the sound of all of my possessions evacuating their cabinets behind me. It was worth the mess; Split Rock was a geological playground, covered in massive boulders and gnarled, stunted trees. I was filled with childlike wonder as I scrambled and climbed all over that place. I’ll never forget that special place.”

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Emily / 25 / Corporate Drone, Part-time Grey’s Anatomy Podcast Host / Lakefront Path somewhere around 47th, Chicago, IL

“This was the return trip of our 14-mile trek to get milkshakes. It was a damn good milkshake.”

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Jacqueline / 30 / Nursing student / Beacon Hill Park Petting Zoo, Victoria B.C., Canada

“Most people come to Beacon Hill Park petting zoo to see the baby goats, but I’m all about catching up with my BFF, Chester.”

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Bess Anderson / 30 / Graduate Student, UX Designer / Zionsville, IN

“This is me discovering that despite what Werner Herzog says, chickens really are ok. I’m at a friend’s alpaca farm here, during feeding time. I was minding my own business when this creature was thrust upon me and I caught feelings.”

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Renee / 33 / Brand Strategist / Margaretville, NY

“Cooling off after finishing a 6-mile run with my wife. There was 3 feet of snow here just about 3 weeks ago, so the water was ICEY!”

” Hanging out with my wife at our cabin in Margaretville. This was the first campfire of the year.”

“Me and my wife taking a walk in Margaretville.”

“Wife and dog cooking hot dogs!”

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Emma Madorsky and Pat Denbeau / 20, 31 / Student; Program Coordinator at Phoenix Multisport, Wilderness Guide / Joshua Tree National Park

“This from Joshua Tree National Park in California. My girlfriend and I took a camping trip to Joshua Tree and ended up taking a beautiful hike and took this picture! This picture is very special because it was our first camping trip together after spending 6 months apart while my girlfriend was working in Boston. Now reunited, we haven’t stopped camping, climbing and loving one another. We’re also avid climbers and hikers and the outdoors is our home.”

Grace / 24 / Grad Student / Yellowstone National Park, MT

“I live in Southern Montana just north of Yellowstone, which is the only big attraction for hundreds of miles in any direction, so it’s the first place we go when friends are visiting from out of town. In this picture, I was taking a perverse pleasure in getting closer and closer to edge of the cliff, to my friend’s great chagrin.”

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Jess / 24 / Professional Lesbian (at Philly’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce) / Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge

“This is my trying-to-look-editorial-after-running-7-miles-face. I started trail running in February to get myself through a breakup, quarter-life crisis, and daily political devastation & so far 10/10 would recommend. (Pro tip: it feels more bearable when you are surrounded by happy little wild critters, old trees and salty sea air.)”

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Emma and Elyse/ 24, 23 / Graduate student; Research assistant / CO

“Most warm Saturdays, we can be found in one of Denver’s parks playing volleyball, slacklining, and BBQing with friends.”

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Corinna Loo / 28 / Graduate student of Traditional Chinese Medicine / Rubio Canyon, CA

“This is me, going crazy at the tail end of an 8-hour hike with 11 repels. Feeling very “extreme” with my outside queerness in this photo!”

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Cassandra Van Dam and Marion Berger / 23 / Food Corps service member in Detroit Public Schools; University of Michigan

“This picture is from our engagement pics on Belle Isle, Detroit in January. Yes I know it was beautiful in Michigan this past weekend but we really like these pictures and like dang if you’re gonna get engagement pictures you may as well show them to everyone in the world, right?!”

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Al (they·them) / 32 / Self-Employed / North Malibu, CA

“Lipstick queer on a hike in Charmlee trail by the Pacific Ocean. The weather was really nice & was just relaxing with Mary Jane enjoying all the green, flowers, and predatory birds flying. Thank you for all that Rain.”

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Heather Dollins / 29 / Life coach / Siem Reap, Cambodia

“This photo was taken by my wife at Templation Hotel in our pool suite. We had been dreaming of a vacation in South East Asia for quite a while. Nude swimming is glorious.”

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Kate / 27 / English Teacher / Cabo de Palos, Murcia, Spain

“I’m on the Spanish coast for spring break taking my first solo trip in several years. Soaking up the beach, sand and sun before returning home to Madrid.”

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Nikol and Pavlína / 26 / MA Student; Administrative assistant / Svatý Kopeček, Czech Republic

“At least three times a year (spring/summer/fall) we go to Svaty Kopecek for a hike, as it has a beautiful church, a breathtaking view all over the country, and – all in all – it’s a tremendously romantic place where all you can hear are birds chirping and trees rustling.”

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Lj / 28 / Executive Assistant

“My housemates and I decided to hit the beach Valentine’s 2017 because why not. We went to Patar Beach which had white sand, and it is in the municipality of Bolinao, province of Pangasinan.”

“This one’s an oldie but definitely a goodie – totally one for the books. My clients who are based in Canberra sent me for training (but also like a treat) back in March 2016 – it was my first time abroad!”

“The monastery is on top of Mount Resurrection and has a relic of the True Cross –  a 30-foot colossal statue of Jesus Christ overseeing the city. We went here in December 2016 and I loved the sight at the top – all those green trees! (This is except for the fact that I got a little car-sick on the way up!)”

Cait / 27 / Admin / My garden! Leeds, UK

“Watering the plants in the garden, before and after my housemate laughed at me for how few plants we even have.”

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Sam / 27 / Acro teacher, Nomad / Barcelona trip

“Pics are from the last few days, spent in Barcelona. I spent my entire days at the beach or mostly in this park, chilling and playing with my Acro stuff. Oh and I bought this pony balloon.”

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Heather Mangione / 32 / Nonprofit Management / Brooklyn, NY

“This photo was taken at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, one of my favorite places that I grew up going to. My mom took this photo of me on Easter Sunday, a warm day when everything was blooming and the world felt full of possibility.”

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Amanda / 24 / Nonprofit Director of Operations, Freelance Writer / Fort Wayne, IN

I took these pictures in my tiny back yard (that’s really just concrete covered with old plants) after going to my favorite used bookstore. I haven’t spent a lot of time outside yet this year but it was a gorgeous day to stretch in the sunshine.”

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Alison Kennedy / 27 / Museum Educator / Horse show, Columbus, OH

“My horse Tess and I compete in three day eventing. Anytime we get to be out in the cross country field is our favorite! I’ve been riding since I was 9, and the barn has been my safe place ever since.”

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Abby, Clara, Anna Caroline / 25, 25, 22 / Parasitologist; Graduate Student; College Student / Great Allegheny Passage – C&O Canal Trail

“We took a family bike/camping trip from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. It was ~350 miles, only rained half the time, and we only got one flat tire!”

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Marley Parker, Gia Branciforte, Beth Branciforte / 29, 30, 31 / Professional photographer, Science Journalist; IT Specialist; Early Childhood Education Expert

“Hiking Monte das Figueiras, part of the Cíes Islands off the coast of Vigo, Spain.”

“Beth wrangles a rope after rock climbing at Pilot Mountain in central North Carolina.”

“Gia and Beth during a hike in the National Redwood Forest near Trinidad, California.”

“Marley on a 5.9 rock climbing route at Pilot Mountain in North Carolina.”

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Jess / 23 / Digital Marketing Specialist / Sioux Falls, SD

“After months of grueling winter, warm sun filled the South Dakota air allowing me to play outside with the most handsome pup, Poncho.”

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Kellie Simms / 32 / International School Teacher / Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

“This was a beautiful moment in which I’m swimming along normally and all of a sudden, I see this incredibly cute turtle eating weird bubble things on the ocean floor! My first turtle I’ve ever seen! Yahoo!”

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Casey / 19 / Artist and graphic design student / Toronto

“Posing on Queen Street West after shopping for a friend’s birthday gift and cooking supplies! I love this super fun and colourful mural outside of Sanko, a Japanese shop! If you’re ever in Toronto check it out!”

Kat, Anna, Kelly / 31, 25, 30 / Sacramento, CA

“My name is Anna and in the photo is my girlfriend Kat and her wife/my friend Kelly. We’re in Sacramento, CA outside of my apartment. I picked flowers for us all to wear while we laid in the sun and talked about the date I’d had the night before. A happy little poly family sunbathing.”

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Elena Novak / 25 / English Teaching Assistant / Mercado de Abastos, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

“Just me and my bae, panettone, chilling in the outdoor Christmas market in Santiago. This is the biggest panettone (Italian sweet bread loaf) I have ever seen. My heart was all a-flutter.”

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Vicky / 27 / Marketing / France and Spain

“The first photo is me being “undercover gay” when staying with my parents in France. The second photo is being “overtly gay” with my best friend Elena on a beach in Spain. The second photo was a million times more fun and definitely good recovery from the first!”

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Ren (they·them) / 28 / Glasgow

“Discovery of cherry blossom tree by the river, while on the way to get amazing Chinese food at Crazy Wok.”

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Em / 25 / Higher Ed Diversity & Inclusion Administrator / White Mountains, NH

Nauman Campsite, beside Mizpah Spring Hut, on the edge of Dry River Wilderness Area, in the southern Presidential Range, White Mountains, New Hampshire

“This photo is from when I worked and lived in those woods as a backcountry caretaker for the AMC. There are things I now enjoy about having a desk-bound, year-round job, but there are things I miss about the woods – like wearing my crocs, taking to my coworkers over the radio, and waking up to the scent of fresh coffee and fresher mountain air.”

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Johana / Project Manager / Medellin, Colombia

“These pictures are from a couple years ago and were taken at the local botanical garden. My best friend needed to try her new camera and we made a fun day out of it. It happened a few months before she moved out of the country, so I not only love the pictures because I look amazing on them but also because they always remind me of her.”

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Emma / 27

“This is near Heidelberg in Germany, where I went for the long Easter weekend with my little brother. We hired mountain bikes and rode in some beautiful (but extremely steep) hills, saw some very nice cows, discovered a nuclear physics lab and an amusement park with a witch rollercoaster — you know, the usual. My smile is a bit wooden because my face got frozen by the wind on the way down the slopes.”

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Marissa / 22 / Houston, TX

“I live directly next to this huge grapefruit tree. Anyone want some free grapefruits?”

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Bran / 32 / Linguistics student at Simon Fraser University / Vancouver, BC, Canada

“The cherry blossoms in Vancouver are just beginning to bloom, and there are few places better to take them in than one of the city’s parks. Winter can be grey and gloomy for longer than I’d like; the blossoms bring cheery promises of spring and summer.”

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Linsey / 28 / Project Manager / Iron Mountain, San Diego, CA

“I travel for work and am working in San Diego for all of April; this was my first day off in 14 days (after a 92-hour week for the second half), and all I wanted to do with my day was get outside and stay active. This was taken when I felt the most “me”: after a 6-mile run and halfway into a 6-mile hike!”

Amy Garcia and Delsina Trigoura / Miami, FL

“At the Biltmore hotel in Miami, FL on Easter Sunday.”

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Ryan Wyatt / 31 / Carpenter / Olympic Loop, WA

“This was taken last September when I was trying to decide whether or not to move across the country from NC for work. I am impersonating a pensive kangaroo with snacks in my hoodie pocket and coffee because even summers are a lil cold in Washington. Im moved here now, carpentering full time, and I’m looking forward to so many outdoor adventures this summer.”

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Carmen / 27

“This is me halfway up the Taal Volcano in front of the crater lake. I later go swimming in said crater lake of an active volcano.”

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Lauren and Jenny Hartshorne / 30-something, 30 / Kindergarten teacher; Student

“This photo collage is from our backyard in our hammock. Our puppies were determined to ruin my attempt at a selfie. The hammock and hammock stand are best $100 we’ve spent on Amazon — it makes sleeping outside classy and adventurous! Cheers!”

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Sam, Amelia, Chelsea, Caity, Lisa (photographer) / Mid to late 20s / IT Engineer; PhD; Visual Arts Lecturer; Writer, Collections officer / Orleigh Park, Brisbane

“We’re celebrating Amelia’s return from fieldwork and also the long weekend by demolishing three bottles of cold wine and many cheeses. Caity is also teaching-through-showing how to find your angle.”

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Carrie / 30 / Ramp supervisor for an airline

“Last summer I took a train trip by myself from Chicago to Portland and made an impromptu stop at Glacier National Park for a night. I spent the whole day driving around the park and hiking by myself. It was so much fun! It’s the first trip I’ve ever taken by myself and it definitely won’t be the last. No schedule, no one else to worry about, just doing whatever struck my fancy.”

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Yen and Gem / 25, 29 / Communications Aficionado; Gender Studies Academic, PhD candidate, Writer / Pebbly Beach, NSW, Australia

“We drove three hours out of Canberra (the capital of our mediocre nation and where we live) to the beach for the last of the warm days of the summer. We had been making a lot of Big Life Decisions which were causing a lot of Feelings so we needed to see/be in the ocean. I wore my pajamas. We spent the afternoon counting starfish in rockpools and then the world seemed a little easier. Bonus pic of Yen in our backyard with our cat Pixie who likes to ‘nest’ in strange places.”

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Emma / 26 / Food Scientist / Devil’s Lake State Park, Baraboo, WI

“I went to Devil’s Lake with a friend to help her do a family photo shoot. The family was running late so I got to be the model while we waited.”

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Kelly / 35 / Special Education teacher (Former Lesbian Gym Teacher) / Mount Lemmon, near Tucson, AZ

“I get outside on Sundays to gear up for the week ahead!”

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Amanda, Hanna, Kim, Hannah / 22-24 / 3 Teachers and 1 Student / Little Rock, AR

“Took this photo of my girlfriend, Hanna, and some of our flannel-clad best pals on a day trip to the mountain.”

Tina Schuett / 31 / Brewer and Owner, Rare Bird Brewpub (Traverse City, MI) / Ninh Binh, Vietnam

“I was there with my wife on vacation. I bought her the trip as a gift for her 30th birthday. She said she wanted to checkout Asia, and Vietnam was on the top of our list.”

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Sally and Gillian / 35, 30 / Software Development Manager; Textile Designer / At the allotment

“We are at our allotment plot, which was formerly maintained by our local ex-MP, who was ousted after a scandal involving rent boys and scat play (ousted from politics, that is, not ousted from the allotment. I’m sure the committee is very permissive about that sort of thing as long as you keep a well-tended plot). I have been tasked with planting beans, which is a step up because I am usually trusted only to water, or sit and drink beer. Gillian is watering. Probably the kale, because we are lesbians.”

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Susanne / 29 / Grant writer / Little Rock, AR

“I’d just climbed Mt. Pinnacle in Little Rock, AR. I went last year for my birthday weekender – Little Rock is great for outdoorsy adventures!”

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Diane / 29 / Southwestern-most corner of the United States

“Last October, I took a few weeks and rode my bike from Vancouver, BC to Tijuana, camping along the way. This is me after convincing the nice Homeland Security guy to take my picture. I’m smiling because it’s pretty much the first time all trip that it’s not raining…and I’m finally gonna take off the spandex in a few minutes.”

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Mara Hasenstaub / 25 / Marketing Coordinator / Silver Falls Trail Half in Silver Falls, OR

“Currently living in Boulder, CO (because mountains…duh) and adventuring further west whenever I get the chance! You can find me being an REI lesbian outside, biking to a local brewery with friends, or having a Robyn dance party on a Friday night.”

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Amber and Margaret / 25, 32 / Youth Worker; Risk Analyst / Boston

“Enjoying Sunday Funday on a rooftop overlooking the Charles River with some bubbly wine and cheesy photos.”

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Juliette (she·her), Truman, Paige (they·them) / 26, 2, 23 / Nonprofit Communications Manager; Squirrel Chaser and Cuddle Buddy; Media Planner / Louisiana/Texas State Line

“We’re en route to see Paige’s parents in Texas for a weekend visit, where Paige will come out to them as gender non-conforming!”

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Stasia, Emily / 21 / Soon-to-be-graduated students at Reed College and Harvard, respectively / Mount Hood National Forest, OR

“We’re typically long distance and love to get outdoors when we’re together; we had just finished a day hike in this photo and were enjoying the view of Mount Hood. Emily grew up backpacking all. the. time. Since our relationship started, I’ve discovered how much I (Stasia) love getting outdoors and up mountains. Plus, I love defying the assumption that Black people don’t/can’t camp or hike!”

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Mathilde / 25 / Occupation Assistant, Solo wanderer / Beijing, China

“Since I work seasons I try to travel as much as I can in the winter. Last month I went to China, spent a month there. Since I’m flying solo I take mostly selfies or try to put my Gopro on the ground whenever’s possible and hit the timelapse button. Results can be a bit weird or absolutely awesome which is great both ways.”

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Erin Fitzgerald, Adrienne Keel / 31, 30 / Software Developer; Outreach Coordinator

“This photo was taken at Gilroy Gardens in Gilroy, CA (an agriculture-themed children’s amusement park). I was there with my partner and our four-year-old, but clearly I was really just trying hard to blend in with their pristine waterway.”

“This is Adrienne, my partner. I asked if I could take a photo of her to submit and she obliged. We were leaving my uncle’s house in San Jose, CA, after a non-denominational spring celebration. She was embarrassed to be photographed in the North Face fleece, but she’s just ‘into feeling comfy these days.'”

Mandy, Felix, Saar / 33, 2, 33 / Accountant; World’s best toddler; Dog-walker / Rotterdam, The Netherlands

“My wife and I took our son to the zoo on his second birthday, last week. He went nuts over the zebras, his faves. And I wasn’t sure if I was actually shooting pics, hence the confused face.”

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Andrea, Mirah / 30, 33 / Translator; Physicist / Ruine Hinterhaus, Spitz, Austria.

“My girlfriend Andrea was in town visiting me for her birthday, so we took a day trip to the Wachau, a scenic valley on the Danube about an hour outside Vienna. I made her hike up to the castle ruins. She likes to complain that I drag her up mountains, but really, they’re mostly just hills.”

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Emily / 31 / Civil engineer, Non-profit work / Portage, AK

“Portage Glacier is only a one-hour drive from my house in Anchorage. In the summer you have to take a boat to get this view, but in the springtime it is just an hour walk over frozen Portage Lake. A special thank you to my best friend Jeff who took this picture and helped me fulfill my dream of nude photos at a glacier.”

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Kass / 35 / Alt-meat Producer / Wayne National Forest, OH

“I’m taking a break at home after a long day of makin’ vegan bacon in the “city”. My yard borders the forest; everything right now is birdsong, scent of wild olive trees, moss and violet. Dig it.”

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Anna / 23 / Aspiring outdoor educator / England

“Sometimes I leave the US to live with my best friend and her family for a few months, and we play in parks in England with her younger sisters. This was an incredibly happy day.”

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H / 24 / Orkney, Scotland

“On another archaeology road trip holiday with my queer best friend, staring at a Viking cist burial and probably contemplating my own mortality or thinking about how rad Vikings were.”

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Maya / 27 / Teacher / Carrizo Plain Nat’l Monument

“Being too beautiful for my own good.”

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Anne and Vy / 30ish / Esthetician; Homesteader / The Homestead, VA

“We’re posing super hard with our friendliest chicken, Ariel, in between Easter chocolate-eating breaks, transplanting kale, and visiting with our families. Extra thanks to Chris, photographer-extraordinaire!”

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Jennifer / 37 / Houston, TX

“I’m at Arthur Storey Park in southwest Houston, which was really built to channel flood water out of Brays Bayou but doubles as a park. The park is just a couple miles from my house so I come here to take walks around the lake.”

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Ashley / 25 / Mental Health Clinician / Prides Crossing, Beverly, MA

“Exploring rocks and laughing.”

Rous / 19 / Limburg, Belgium

“This is the magnificent vagina cave my dog and I pass on our daily walks. I have convinced myself that once upon a time, queer women from all over the area would meet here at full moon and plot to topple the Patriarchy. Or exchange self-written erotic fiction, depending on the mood.”

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Quel / 29 / Sculptor / Lisbon, Portugal

“Me taking care of those veggie needs.”

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Megan, Meghan / 36, 43 / Librarians / Minneapolis MN

“We’re lounging in Megan’s backyard on one of the nicest spring Saturdays we’ve had this year. You can still see the table cover to the right of me because it was the first time she and her wife had taken it off since winter. Everyone comes outside when we finally get nice days here.”

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Hannah / 18 / Anthropology Student / Joshua Tree National Park, CA

“This is from a recent field research trip to JTNP.  We had spent the morning studying local plant phenology, but we had some time to spare for a bit of bouldering.”

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Maggie / 26 / Grad student / Eugene, OR

“Here lies one of the greatest days of my adult life. My partner and I were at a spa in town that does outdoor hot tub rentals!!! For one hour you can sit and soak and get sprinkled on because it’s always raining here and take a bottle of white wine to the face and then get forcefully dragged out after declaring that you live there now. To sum up, this was a much needed self care day and I’m just happy to be here, thanks.”

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Rural Dykes of American (RDA) and Pepper / 28-76, 2 (Pepper) / Writers, Farmers, Homesteaders, Rascals, Mask-makers and more / Driftless Valley of Wisconsin

“Rural Dykes of America meets once a month at each other’s homes across southern Wisconsin to collectively pitch in to outdoor projects, followed by a vegetarian potluck. Although I (with lopers overhead) joined the group in the past two years–I learned about it through my dissertation project on lesbian and queer farmers–RDA has met for twenty ish years!! On this warm and sunny Saturday that finally felt like spring, we finished building a concrete wall, leveled ground for a rain-water collecting bird bath, trimmed dead pine tree branches, seeded trays with flowers and veggies, made kombucha, and harvested watercress. My personal highlights include visiting a beaver’s dam and the host gifting me a rock from her extensive collection that she said felt like a breast.”

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Alex and Nic / 31, 30 / CT

“We spent a GORGEOUS Sunday afternoon hiking in Connecticut. *Note: no queers were harmed in the staging of these photos*”

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Hanna / 18 / Elgin, OK

“Spent a dreamy afternoon at the Grand Canyon while on my way back from a road trip from California almost a year ago. And in the second photo, from yesterday, in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma celebrating finally shaving off that tangle of hair.”

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Sara / 23 / Nanny, Barista / San Francisco, CA

“Here’s me outside my room, with a cameo appearance by my housemate’s adorable little shit of a cat, Jasper. I feel lucky to have more outdoor space than I expected to have as a city-dweller, between my roof and our little backyard garden, and I try to take the opportunity to enjoy it as much as possible. Favorite rooftop activities include watching the sun set over the houses, and imagining that the cars I can see zooming onto the freeway are actually little alien spaceships taking off one by one into the sky.”

Em / 40 / Adirondack Mountains, NY

“Backpacking the Adirondacks, because sometimes it’s healing to just unplug and go out in nature for a while. A shout out to queer women backpackers everywhere!”

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Lena and Abby / 25, 23 / Nonprofit program coordinator; Editorial assistant / Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

“We roadtripped up from Brooklyn to Bard College to see Neil Gaiman and Bryan Fuller talk about the new American Gods television series.  Since that talk was an indoor activity, we took this photo at a “permanent art installation” on Bard’s campus titled The Parliament of Reality. Unclear if taking this picture means we entered a different reality, but we had a really great day.”

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Ana and Abby / 26, 26 / Customer service; Physics grad student / Eugene, OR

“Taking to the streets for the March for Science, ‘cause science rules.”

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Stephanie / 26 / Zookeeper / Wichita Mountains NWR, Oklahoma

“I was working as a field research technician. This painted bunting was netted, banded, and released.”

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Eliza / 24 / Student / Boranup Karri Forest, Western Australia

“I took a drive and a stroll through the towering karri trees with my family and partner.”

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Maura / 21 / Electrical Engineering Student / Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, CO

“This photo was taken a few weekends ago while I was in Denver for an engineering competition with some of my friends. I climbed up this rock to try to talk to a really cute girl sitting at the top, but unfortunately I am horribly slow, so she had already climbed down by the time I (almost) made it up there. Still got a nice pic though.”

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Bee / 27 / Lagoon Valley in Vacaville, CA

“My friend Nora [the entry below] lives in the Bay Area and I live in Sacramento, and we go hiking at this spot that’s halfway between us.  It’s a lot of uphill but there are nice litte cattle paths for my dog to play on and once you get up a ways, there’s a gorgeous view. It was really windy when this picture was taken and there was a good chance both my dog and I would get blown away.”

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Nora / 28 / Software Engineer / Lagoon Valley Park in Vacaville, CA

“Adventuring with my good friend and her doggo (who is also a good friend) through the hills in cow town. We both enjoy hiking, photography, tiring out her impossibly energetic pup, and are hella queer – this gallery seemed like a great opportunity to showcase all of the above.”

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Laura and Zsuzsanna / 27 / Budapest

“These days, we’re spending a lot of our time outside at demonstrations, because the Hungarian government is trying to close the CEU – an American university where Laura is doing her PhD. Here we are at a demo supporting foreign-funded NGOs, which are next on Prime Minister Orbán’s hitlist, and Zsuzsanna (who is Hungarian) simply loves Laura’s excellent Hung(a)ry pun. This demo later in the night turned into a pro-Europe, pro-democracy outdoor rave at a major Budapest intersection, which hundreds of protesters spontaneously occupied.”

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Lindsey / 24 / Entrepreneur / Somewhere in the SW quadrant of Washington, DC

“I live in Philly but went down to DC for a long weekend with my best friend. We went dancing one night and had a great time, and I think this photo perfectly captures how drunk, sweaty, and happy I was as we walked back to the hotel. We also had the BEST brunch the next day. So take that, Republicans, I’m living the DREAM!”

Vanessa / 28 / PCT thru-hiker! / The Pacific Crest Trail!!!

“This is me posing on the monument on the very first day of my PCT thru-hike. The southern monument is in Campo, right at the Mexico/US border, and it is tradition for hikers to pose with it before beginning their walk. I’ve been hiking for less than a week and I’m still in awe that I ever looked so clean.”

“When you’re hiking a 12 mile day on the PCT and you have to cross a random road in the middle of the trail you stop and pose and make your friend take your photo. That’s just what everyone does, right? It’s like a rule!”

“Here I am trying to look cool by a stream on the PCT even though I’d spend most of the morning crying while hiking. I do think I succeeded though, I mean I think I look pretty cool.”

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Elizabeth and Andy / 22, 20 / Students / Knoxville, TN

“It was a warm Sunday afternoon, we were both off work for once, and we decided to go on a hammock date! This also involved lots of veggie straws and chocolate.”

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Stephanie and DeAnna / 30, 26 / Customer Success Manager; Law School and Social Work Student / Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Brooklyn, NY

“There’s a small 2-week window of time when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom in Brooklyn, and my girlfriend, DeAnna, and I braved the long line to take kdrama-inspired pictures. Unfortunately there were too many people and screaming children to get into kdrama poses, but I guess these are still pretty nice.”

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Azura / 23 / Arts marketing / Penzance, UK

“This was in January, when I visited Penzance on a family holiday. We were walking along the coast to a nearby village, Mousehole.”

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Lex / 18 / Student, Nomad / Austria

“Should I be embarrassed that I dramatically sang the entire The Sound of Music soundtrack while prancing around the summit of an alp and being stared at by tourists? Probably. Am I embarrassed? Nope.”

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Emily / 24 / Haida Gwaii, British Columbia and Saskatoon, Treaty 6 Territory

“In the first photo (from a year ago) I am planting trees, reforesting a cut block, alone in nature, isolated from society. It’s been my joyful job for the past several years and this year I decided to take a break from it and try city life. The second picture is my life now – living in a house, with a dog, in a city. It has been a much needed change and a new kind of adventure, though it hasn’t stuck – I’ll be going back into the bush soon, though not to plant trees. These transitions have been much needed, soul filling, confusing, frustrating, wonderful and exhausting, and have had me deeply questioning what I’m doing and why I’m doing it, but last night the northern lights were so vibrant, dancing magnificently above as we walked by the river, and they told me I am exactly where I need to be.”

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Rachel Molinari, Bree Peacock, Brody / 27, 29, 5 / Job Seeker, Executive Secretary / Salt Lake City, UT

“We enjoyed people watching in the sunshine at Sugar House Park on Easter.”

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Esmé Lloyd-Baldwin / 23 / Web administrator / Malahide, Ireland

“My mum came to stay with me for the weekend and we drove out to Malahide to blow the cobwebs a bit. We walked along the beach and then had chips for dinner by the harbour. I think I need to go to the sea at least once a month to stay sane.”

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Torre / 36 / Residential Construction Laborer / Lesbian Lake, OR

“I am at a queer summer camp called illage. There is a lot going on at that event, but one of my partners built this amazing tree house platform overlooking the lake that is perfect for some peaceful down time. Photo by Cee, pretty sure.”

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Hilary and Maddie / 24, 26 / Sexual and Repro Health Research Analyst; Editor of all things / Banks of the Schuylkyll River, Philadelphia, PA

“Here we are, last summer and this summer, having evening river picnics on the banks of the Schuylkyll in the middle of Philly.”

Nina Vuoso / 28 / Outdoor Science Teacher / Sespe Hotsprings, Los Padres National Forest, CA

“I backpacked 29 miles over four days last week. I spend my entire work days outside teaching science and discovering the natural world with kids, but this right here is a peace unknown and only brought by geothermal activity and spring break.”

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Emma and Molly / 22, 26 / Contemporary dance student; Administrative assistant at a non-profit / The Livingroom Trail, Salt Lake City, UT

“Molly’s twin sister came from Wisconsin to visit last month. She loves the outdoors as much as we do, and we decided to hit up the Livingroom trail because it’s located close to where we live (in downtown SLC), has great views of the city, and is both nature and dog-friendly!!!”

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Rebecca W, Rebecca L, Zoe / 36, 27, 28 / Apprentice; Apprentice; Farm Manager / Amherst, MA

“After a day of mulching blueberries, transplanting peppers and eggplants, and cleaning out the barn loft, we ended the day by dancing hard to Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” and then posing in front of the John Deere — tired and satisfied.”

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Ashley (and Ramón) / 33 / Librarian / San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

“My last dog walk in San Miguel. I will definitely miss the sunsets!”

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Valerie Anne / 30 / Writer of recaps, Avoider of nature / Astoria Park, NYC

“I’m a city girl, born and raised; I like concrete jungles and I’m allergic to most things that flower. My adventurous spirit usually leads me to speakeasies and rooftops, not parks, but a friend of mine wanted to find a specific Pokemon that had a nest (?) in Astoria Park, and I figured I should check out this place that has been a brisk walk away from the apartment I’ve lived in for five years for the first time. And lo! It was the perfect amount of nature combined with a view of the city I love so much.”

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Caylene / 17 / British Columbia, Canada

“My friend and I were in school and decided that we had to skip our last class to get outside because it was so abnormally sunny and warm for where we live, and this is where we ended up! There’s a trail just a little walk from our high school that leads to a big platform overlooking a bird sanctuary so we bought a jar of homemade pickles from a local farmers market and off we went to eat the entire thing. (Way better than Biology, if you ask me.)”

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Lauren / 23 / Graduate Student / Indianapolis, IN

“I spent my birthday last week at the Earth Day Indiana Festival! Here I am likely staring at a fluffy German shepherd.”

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Giselle and Olivia / 23, 25 / Content Strategist; Public Health Student, Nanny / Grand Canyon, AZ

“We went to the Grand Canyon on my first trip to meet her family. This was before we started dating, and now we’re getting married. We should have known from this photo really.”

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Kayli / 24 / WWOOFing volunteer / Olympic Peninsula, WA

“I’m spending this summer volunteering on organic farms trying to figure out what I’m going to do next in life. So far, snuggling baby goats, hiking around the Olympic mountains, and using tools has been very fun.”

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Ashanti / Six Flags Over Georgia

“Spent some time with my close friends and family, riding the coasters and eating as much funnel cake as I could stomach. (Tweety Bird is obviously included in my “close friends).”

Alyssa B. / 28 / Research Coordinator for Cancer Survivorship / Wintergreen Lake, Hamden, CT

“Since moving to CT, hiking has become one of my favorite activities. This picture was taken at the end of my hike at West Rock Ridge State Park that I took on the gorgeous 80 degrees Easter Sunday this year. After my hikes, I like to sit by the lake and read a good book before heading home.”

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Rachel Dougherty (they·them) / 24 / Project Coordinator for Rhize / Great Smoky Mountain National Park

“Omg omg omg. This pic is so old but I love it so much. I went on a month long roadtrip by myself four years ago. This was right after I got to Smoky Mountain National Park. I was filled with so much joy.”

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Queer Girl and Cyrus

“As the five other women on my OKCupid will tell you, small-town life isn’t always fantastic, but at least we have pretty natural spaces! Here are some pics from our regular Monday night walk on the levy, with a bonus gif because Cyrus running back over with his tail waving like a flag will never not be adorable. (Also it was windy.)”

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Alison / 31 / OH

“This photo was taken at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in Ohio. I was apparently super excited to feel some sunshine after a long grey winter.”

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Maggie / 23 / Videographer, Youtuber / My parents’ backyard

“In this charming photo that my dad snapped, I’m sitting alone by our fire pit, wearing s’mores socks and knock-off Birkenstocks, and waiting for my high school friends to come over and catch up.”

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Abby / 28 / Botanist / Cleveland, OH

“I lead groups of field botanists in gathering data about plant communities in my city’s local park system. We set up 20 x 50 meter plots at randomly dropped GPS points, and my day to day job is to hike to those plots and identify every single plant within the plot, regardless of whether it’s flowering, or three centimeters tall, or a huge tree. It’s a total blast, and I love it! My office is the outdoors. These photos were taken in the Rocky River Reservation near Cleveland, Ohio. The photo in the forest was taken mid-springtime plot setup, and right before the photo was taken, my co-worker and I spotted a snake, fat from a recent meal, slither away and hide under the log I am pictured with! And in the photo in the river, our plot for the day was on a tiny sliver of land between sheer shale cliffs and the river, so we had to find a shallow place to cross the river. Just after my co-worker snapped this picture, a giant steelhead trout splashed and swam directly between us!”

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Kay, Grace, Scarlett / 23, 24, 24 / Physics Lab teaching staff; Data Scientist; Software Engineer / South Hadley, MA, right outside Grace’s apartment

“We’re all spending the weekend together as a bit of a reunion, since we all lived together our senior year at Mount Holyoke. Scarlett is moving to Montreal at the end of the month, so we had to get together while we’re all in the same state. Sadly not pictured is Jesse (the final member of our crew), because we forgot to take a photo before she had to dash off to DC for job training.”

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Yvonne Marquez, Gloria Delgadillo, Tungi / 26, 26, 4 / Autostraddle Senior Editor; Union Organizer; Photogenic Pupper / Ennis, TX

“Every April bluebonnets sprout all over Texas and usher in spring. It’s the state’s official flower and along with learning the Deep In The Heart of Texas song in elementary school, Texan children learn it’s illegal to pick them. Ennis, TX, a tiny town an hour south from Dallas, is famous for it’s “Official Bluebonnet Trail of Texas.” The trail isn’t playing and neither is Ennis, TX. The town boasts a “40-mile drive of breathtaking bluebonnets” and the town’s visitors bureau offers their very own app with maps and locations of the trail. We made our way to just one location and were stunned by the FIELDS of wildflowers. They’re really pretty and we had so much fun taking photos. My dog and partner are ridiculously photogenic and I loved hanging out with them that day.”

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Juliette / 19 / Arts and Visual Arts Student / Canberra, Australia

“This photo was taken a few weeks ago when my friends and I went on a mini road trip to a waterfall. My mum thought we caught a bus there – I lied to her after she expressed her fear that I would be getting in the car with a ’newly licensed driver.’ Unfortunately my cover story did not hold up for long but luckily I didn’t get into too much trouble.”

Katy / 27 / Community Engagement at Boston nonprofit

“Me and my qt hiking in western Mass!”

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Rachel / 28 / Managing Editor of Autostraddle / Milwaukee, WI

“This was me “tailgating” (drinking beers) before going to see “Beatles Night” at the Brewers baseball stadium. The Brewers lost, but we got free t-shirts and saw a Beatles cover band that’s been together for 40 years!”

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Megan, Laneia, Slade, Eli / 33, 36, 18, 12 / Trader Joe’s Professional; Executive Editor of Autostraddle; Weirdos / Huntington Beach, CA

“We’d visited California for Megan’s aunt’s Christmas party and this was our last day. Megan grew up in Oxnard but hadn’t seen the Pacific Ocean since 2010, I think? It had been a while. And neither of the kids had seen the west coast since they were babies. I was just glad I could show them how to bury themselves ankle-deep in the shoreline. These are important life lessons.”

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Chris / 29 / Law student / Frankenrock, their favorite boulder, outside New Haven CT

This is Chris in their forest homeland, where they were raised by chipmunks. This was the first really warm day of the spring so far. We don’t know this dog.

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Emma / 36 / Childcare Teacher / Madison, WI

All my photos are taken in South Central Wisconsin, kayaking and hiking, my two favorite outdoor things to do.

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Randi Falconer / 26 / Registered massage therapist / Alberta, Canada

Skiing at Jasper Alberta Canada Pride festival.

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Mickey / 25 / Suburbs

Volunteering / drinking beer at the annual Leesburg Bakers Dozen Bike Race, a 13-hour race / giant party run by the bike shop where my father works as a mechanic. This year was the first Bakers Dozen ever to get cut short due to poor weather conditions. A grueling, muddy day to be on two wheels.

May’s gallery theme will be announced Thursday, May 4th!

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