It’s a crisp autumn morning and the sounds of hikers and mountain bikers filled the air of the parking lot at Brighton Ski Resort. Each unloaded day packs crammed with essentials. The Women’s Wine Hiking Society of Utah packed something a little extra for their day in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
“Hey everybody, I expect it to be about two hours today, so hopefully you guys brought your snacks and your Bloody Marys,” warned Cherie Zajdzinski, the leader of the hike bound for Lake Mary, the namesake of today’s signature drink.
Twenty years ago, co-founders Cindy Vance and Angelique Fish wanted to seek out like-minded women to share their love of the outdoors and a refreshing beverage while they were at it.
“Finding other women who like hiking, backpacking and wine drinking can be tough in Utah,” Vance said.
The society is open to all women of legal age, regardless of their skills in the outdoors. Alcoholic beverages other than wine are allowed — and so are teetotalers. This is Utah, after all.
Though numbers have shifted, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been in the majority culturally and population-wise. For newcomers who aren’t part of the faith, that’s made it tricky to find their people, especially if you’re someone who likes the occasional drink.
Rapid population growth has been part of the shift as the number of transplants coming to Utah has soared. Projections from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute say that will continue as the state will add half a million residents by 2033.
In a t-shirt emblazoned with the title “Head Wino,” Zajdzinski started the introductions.
“I just celebrated my one-year anniversary in Utah,” she told the hikers. “For those that don't know, I moved here from Alaska and I immediately dived right into this group. I love you guys so much, and you guys are kick ass.”
Zajdzinski came to Utah to co-parent her teenage son. It’s fairly common for adults to make friends through their partners or kid’s playdates, but those circumstances did not apply to her, “so this group is perfect,” she said.
Sixty-six-year-old New Yorker Cindy Prassas is in the same boat. Her kids are grown and when she moved here with her husband four years ago, she was anxious to meet people and to socialize. She’s tried gyms, “but this is way more social, here you actually spend a lot of time with the other women,” she said. “It's been great for me.”
First-time wine hiker Kyra Melssen is new to Utah too. Three years ago, she moved from Chicago.
“I didn’t really know anyone besides my family and it’s really hard to make friends as an adult,” she said. “I saw the wine hiking society’s Facebook page and the trek to Lake Mary is my first one — though I did attend a pole dancing event organized by the group.”
While it can be a challenge to make friends in adulthood, research shows those connections are key to our well-being. For Utahn Cherissa Alldredge, finding new like-minded people became essential after a messy divorce.
“The gratitude that I feel for this group makes me emotional,” she said as she teared up. “It’s a place where you can find other people who empower you and build you up and then we laugh about, you know, crazy things like sports bras.”
Another Utahn, Audra Martinez, had a hard time growing up in the state as a woman of color. That difficulty persisted into adulthood, but the Women Wine Hikers Society has a different vibe altogether.
“It's so welcoming, and nobody cares where you're from or what color your skin is or how slow of a hiker you are.”
After an 800-foot elevation gain, the women cheered loudly when they arrived at the shores of Lake Mary. They assembled small hiking chairs or perched on alpine rocks to share stories, snacks and beverages. Conversations on menopause, sports bras and how to poop in a bag filled the air, along with raucous laughter.
“A lot of times, when the first person who goes and they come back with their poop bag, they all get a standing ovation, and everyone's cheering for them and saying, way to go,” Vance said.
Eventually, the newly-bonded women trundled back down the mountain. Many planned to attend more hikes, while others stuck around for brunch, underscoring a group motto that the Women’s Wine Hiking Society of Utah is an inclusive social group with a hiking problem.
