Asha Shoffner

Trail Guide

Asha (she/her) is a queer, first generation immigrant via transnational adoption, who lives and works in the traditional homelands of the Dakota people, Imnížaska Othúŋwe (Saint Paul, Minnesota).
She is the proud auntie of three nephews, a mediocre cat mom to Mouse Slayer “Slay” Shoffner, and the creator of BIPOC Outdoors Twin Cities. She loves to fish, canoe, run, hike, cycle, camp, sit by the water, take photos, eat food that someone else cooked, and be in community with BIPOC and queer folks.
While she loves to be active outdoors, she is not an elite athlete or an expert naturalist. Rather, her legs hurt when she walks with her “across the alley neighbor turned friend” each day. She catches small fish, not big ones, but finds herself at a body of water 6x a week May - October for the opportunity to slow down and connect with herself and the natural environment around her.
As a geriatric millennial who spends a lot of time in nature, Asha has found that this time is essential for her physical, emotional, and social well-being. It’s important to Asha that folks like her who have been historically and intentionally marginalized and excluded from the outdoors can connect to nature in ways that are meaningful, accessible, sustainable and empowering. It has become Asha’s life’s work to help make this happen.