About

Hey there! I’m Noelle… hiking guide and founder of The Hiker Babe

I teach women how to feel safe, strong and empowered in the outdoors. Whether you’re brand new to hiking or already trail-obsessed, this space is for you.

We’re all hiker babes here, lifting each other up, laughing through the tough climbs, and celebrating every summit, both literal and emotional. No judgment. Just support, sisterhood, and love.

So, how did this all start? Let’s rewind. Here’s my story…

I grew up in a tiny rural village in Illinois… think flat farmland, no mountains, and a sweet, conservative upbringing. We didn’t have much money, but we had so much love. My parents are amazing humans, and they gave me a solid foundation. But like a lot of us, I grew up playing it safe. I was the classic “good girl”… good grades, obeyed the rules, and stayed in my comfort zone.

Then came an event that forever changed my life… I met my future husband at a concert. He was from California. One thing led to another, and I found myself in a long-distance relationship with him that eventually brought me all the way to Los Angeles. It was a massive leap out of my safe little bubble in rural Illinois, and exactly what I needed.

My LA years were full of big, wild energy! I got married, cocktail waitressed at a swanky bar, partied at the Playboy Mansion, brushed shoulders with celebs, chased an acting career, and ran a successful kids party planning business. I was living the Hollywood dream.

Then came the heartbreak.

My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. She was my best friend, my anchor, my everything. Watching her battle that disease, and eventually pass away, rocked me to my core.

Me and my mom on my wedding day

A year later, my marriage ended. I felt completely untethered. Alone. Lost.

I spiraled. I numbed myself with alcohol, disconnected from my body, and felt totally out of alignment with the person I knew I could be. I was living in a giant, noisy city, and couldn’t hear myself think.

Then I discovered hiking…

At first, it was just short hikes in the Hollywood Hills. But my adventurous spirit was hungry to explore more and more. The deeper into nature I went, the more I started to reconnect with myself. I got stronger, more grounded, more me.

I started exploring the mountains in Southern California, and began tackling longer hikes, deeper wilderness, bigger excursions. I borrowed gear for my first backpacking trip to Havasupai Falls (shoutout to my girl Gaiane for the loan!). I did my first solo hiking trip to the Grand Canyon. Once I realized what I was capable of, there was no going back.

In December 2020, after 20 years in the concrete jungle of Los Angeles, I was ready for a major life change… something that involved more nature and less chaos.

I sold my event planning business, kissed the entertainment industry goodbye, packed up my life in LA, and followed my heart (and a man) to Northern California. We moved into a cozy cabin in the mountains, surrounded by trees and wildlife.

Admiring the view of Mount Shasta in Northern California

For the first time in my life, I was living fully immersed in the wilderness. I hiked in the mountains, swam in alpine lakes, and played in wildflower-filled meadows. I apprenticed with a local herbalist, learning the healing properties and medicinal benefits of herbs and plants. I fed apples to the deer in my backyard (just like Snow White!) and even had a black bear rummaging through the garbage. My life was pure magic!

But, of course, life isn’t all fairy tales. I had a miscarriage that shattered me into a million pieces. And my relationship, as amazing as it was at times, was also rocky and tumultuous, with its fair share of traumatic and abusive moments.

After four years of major ups and downs, I finally said enough is enough.

Although it was an extremely hard decision to leave my home in the mountains, I knew it would be healthy for me to have a fresh start and new beginnings elsewhere.

I packed up what I could fit in my car and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. I have found my new home in a place that truly speaks to me. The people are wonderful, the nature is absolutely enchanting, and I have fallen head over heels for the redwood forests and the wild Pacific Coast.

Feeling happy and at home with the Redwood trees

My love for the outdoors continues to grow more and more.

Over the last 10 years, I have hiked on six continents (Antarctica, I’m coming for you one day), summited peaks, trekked through mountains, deserts and jungles, and soaked in the beauty of both world-famous trails and hidden gems.

I recently got certified as a Wilderness First Responder, and currently lead hikes in the San Francisco Bay Area.

I haven’t hiked everywhere, but it’s on my list. I’m thrilled to continue exploring this great big beautiful planet!

Me at Machu Picchu

So, why did I create The Hiker Babe?

Because I know what it feels like to hit rock bottom. To feel stuck, scared, or like you don’t belong. I have been the woman who was scared to leave her comfort zone. The one who didn’t know how to read a trail map, who felt nervous hiking alone, who doubted her strength… mentally and physically.

I know how powerful it is to find healing, confidence, and courage in the outdoors. I created The Hiker Babe as a community where women can come as they are and grow into the couragous adventurers they are meant to be.

I also know the magic that happens when we push past fear, learn new skills, and realize just how powerful we really are.

The Hiker Babe isn’t just about hiking—it’s about empowerment.

It’s about helping women feel safe, confident, and self-sufficient in the outdoors. It’s about learning how to trust yourself—your intuition, your body, your decisions—and taking up space in places that have historically felt off-limits or intimidating to some of us.

It’s also about mindset.

Nature has a way of reflecting things back to us—the hard climbs, the beautiful views, the stillness in between. Hiking teaches patience, resilience, presence. It becomes a kind of moving meditation, where you can reconnect with yourself and Mother Earth in the most grounding, healing way.

Me and my hiking group in the Himalayas of Nepal

I created this community to help women:

  • Step outside their comfort zones (and maybe even onto their first solo trail)

  • Learn trail safety, gear basics, and outdoor survival tools

  • Build real, soul-filling connections—with each other and with nature

  • Heal through movement, solitude, and self-discovery

  • Realize: “Yes, I can do hard things.”

We’re not out here just to bag peaks (though that’s fun too)—we’re here to grow, to reconnect, and to remember who we are when the noise of the world fades away.

This is your permission slip to get dirty, get sweaty, get real. To explore the wild—both around you and within you. If I can help even one woman feel braver, stronger, or more alive out on the trail, then I’m living my purpose.

Hiking changed my life. And now I feel honored to help other women enhance theirs.

Enjoying the sunset with a few of my favorite ladies

I’m in the process of creating educational tools to teach women to feel safe and confident in the outdoors… (Coming soon, stay tuned!!)

  • Books
  • Online courses
  • Master classes
  • In person retreats and hiking trips

Whether you’re navigating your first trailhead or training for something big, I’m here to guide you, support you, and cheer you on.

Let’s hike, heal, and grow together.

Let’s hike with heart. Let’s lift each other up.
Let’s become the wild women we were always meant to be.

All my love and gratitude…

Happy trails,
Noelle

Sending love from my heart to yours

My Hiking Credits + Favorite Places to Trek

Some of my most memorable international hikes:

  • Machu Picchu, Peru

  • Volcán Atitlán, Guatemala

  • Patagonia, Argentina

  • The Himalayas, Nepal

  • Rishikesh, India

  • Petra, Jordan

  • Cinque Terre, Italy

  • Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

  • Amatlán, Mexico

  • Table Mountain, South Africa

  • Vancouver Island, Canada

My absolute obsession? The U.S. National Parks. Some of my faves:

  • Yosemite

  • Zion

  • Bryce Canyon

  • Canyonlands
  • Yellowstone

  • Grand Teton

  • Rocky Mountain

  • Glacier

  • Joshua Tree

  • Lassen Volcanic

  • Mount Rainier

  • Olympic
  • Crater Lake

  • Redwoods

  • Smoky Mountains

  • Grand Canyon

…and so many more. I haven’t been everywhere yet—but it’s on my list.

One of my biggest hiking milestones so far…
Summiting Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States

Me on the summit of Mt Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States