Bend woman gears up to hike Continental Divide Trail, fundraising for a cause

Britney Ingram wants to promote inclusivity , diversity in the outdoors

BEND, Ore., (KTVZ) -- Blisters, exhaustion and sore muscles will soon be a reality for Britney Ingram. In two weeks, the Bend woman will begin a five-month trek on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.

While she's no stranger to thru-hikes, the CDT, as it's known, is harder and more rugged than her previous experiences.

Ingram is hiking to raise both funds and awareness for inclusivity in outdoor activities. Every mile she walks is $1 towards Big City Mountaineers.

"I'm just really trying to focus on creating a more inclusive environment for BIPOC and really diversifying the outdoors in whatever capacity I can as a white woman," Ingram told NewsChannel 21 on Friday.

Tommy Corey, a fellow hiker and outdoor photographer from Bend, also believes in diversifying the outdoors. He started a short film series highlighting people of colors' experience on these treks.

"For me, as a gay man doing the trail, I kind of realized that there wasn't a lot of diversity in the hundreds of people I met -- and that goes for not just LGBTQ community, but people of color specifically," Corey said.

While most people would consider a hike like the CDT daunting, Ingram says it's the endurance high that keeps her going.

"It's just like the high, the runner high, every day," she said.

Britney will start her trek in New Mexico at the Crazy Cook Monument and travel through four different sections of terrain. She expects to finish her journey, five months later, at Glacier National Park in Canada.

The trail is 3,200 miles long and stretches across five states. Ingram is planning to stop every five days and visit 30 towns along the way.