This past August, Brandy Brooks had just moved into her new house in Wrightwood, California.

77 miles northeast of Los Angeles she welcomed us one sun-filled afternoon into the home she shares with her mother and daughter. She fed us from her garden, took us to her coffee spot in town, and led us on a few of her favorite local hikes.

Brandy Brooks has no filter.

She’s real, she’s raw and she’s open. She’s real about empowering women to take up space in the outdoors. She’s raw about her struggles with addiction and being three years sober. She’s open about her “self-inflicted tragedies” in hopes that her journey will inspire others.

Hikerkind:

Why do you hike?

Brandy Brooks:

I hike to contemplate life's bigger questions and I really think that I find myself and my inner peace when I am outdoors. I especially find my will to live to keep going one foot in front of another despite it all when I am on top of a mountain. 

It puts everything into perspective and it keeps you going.