Freya: Outdoor adventure photographer. Expedition paddler. Homeschooled. Feral upbringing in the best way.

Freya’s dad designed wooden kit kayaks, so growing up meant being surrounded by boats, paddles, and half-built kayaks at all times. As a kid, she’d help assemble kayak pieces for ten cents each before spending summers out on long paddling expeditions.

Along the way, she got deep into Greenland-style kayaking, learning how to roll a kayak in what feels like a million different ways. In 2015, she competed at the Greenland National Kayaking Championships in a boat her dad designed specifically for her, earning one of the top rolling scores at the competition.

But really, Freya just likes being out there. Long crossings. Camp at sunset. Up early. Paddling all day with women who are always down to keep going. And honestly, that’s how she likes to shoot too. Fully in it. Honest. Immersive. Actually adventurous.

Over the years, the paddling world got smaller in the best way. Women she grew up looking up to, like legendary paddler Ginni Callahan, eventually became women she’d paddle alongside and photograph.

That’s kind of how women’s adventure communities work. Stay out there long enough and the women who inspired you eventually become your crew.

Ingrid: Producer, paddler, Canadian-born logistics wizard. Always calm in the chaos.

Ingrid’s Baja story started in her twenties after taking a job with NOLS on their Baja sea kayaking courses. She drove down from Northern Canada, eventually settling into a rhythm of pickup trucks loaded with gear, kayak courses running between the Bay of Concepción and Loreto, and long days spent on the water.

Baja clicked immediately for Ingrid. The simplicity, the dryness, the grit of the landscape. It’s not the lush version of Mexico people expect, which might be exactly why the people who love it keep coming back.

These days, she still heads south whenever she can. Motorcycle trips to Loreto. Camping on islands with friends. One birthday trip involved four girlfriends flying straight from the airport to a panga with rolling suitcases, a dutch oven birthday cake, and just enough gear to disappear onto an island for a few days.

And according to Ingrid, there’s just something about the light in Baja.

Rachel: Creative by trade, resourceful by nature. Would rather play 10 sports than pick one.

Grew up on the water – summers on the South Umpqua and always happiest outside. She’s the kind of person who says yes fast, jumping on this shoot with 24 hours’ notice and immediately down for the adventure.

First trip to Baja was at 10 years old, crammed into a Volvo station wagon with her family on what became an annual trip south. It’s still the place she goes to reset, surf, eat ceviche on the beach, and stay out a little longer.

Somewhere in between all that, she built her jewelry business from the ground up—now running it out of a converted school bus and making pieces people hang onto for years.

Gaby: PNW Native Drives Hours In A Camper Van Just To Surf Freezing Water On The Weekends. Heads To Baja For Warmer Water And A Bigger Playground. Skis, Surfs, Kayaks, Trail Runs, On Repeat.

Tulie: Carpenter. Cross-country ski clinician. Built strong from seasons that don’t stop. Dry humor. Can carry more gear than most people and still somehow beat everyone into the water.