There are a lot of factors that can keep people from accessing outdoor sports. Along with time, safety and transportation, there are also financial and social burdens, plus a lack of information.
Leah Wzientek and her husband, Rusty Donlon, own Gear Hut, a consignment shop that sells outdoor gear. I was talking to her about the shop’s monthly trail cleanups at Huffaker Hills Trailhead—an event she says is dog-friendly, kid-friendly and “very entry-level”—when I mentioned that they do a lot to make nature accessible to people who might not be outdoorsy.
“Yeah,” she replied. “I think we’ve had people who show up who have never really hiked before, but come out and try this and (realize), ‘Oh, this is cool. … I live in such a special place. We have all these (hiking) options.’”
Despite challenges—“My car got crashed into last night at our event, and my toddler’s sick, and Rusty’s in Mexico, and I’ve been on the phone with insurance, so my brain is cuckoo”—Wzientek’s eyes remained bright behind her glasses as she talked, seated criss-cross-apple-sauce on the beige, felted bench at the back of the store, with her back resting on used camping tents.
Christina Thayer, Washoe County’s trail program coordinator, insisted that my outdoors reporting should take me to Gear Hut. “I’m constantly impressed by how much work they do year-round,” Thayer said. “I love this young couple’s enthusiasm for trails and their education of the community … They constantly advocate for trails and etiquette.”
Gear Hut was born in 2018, inspired by the couple’s frequent visits to outdoor hubs. Though neither Wzientek nor Donlon had retail or entrepreneurial experience, their outdoor experience gave them the knowledge they needed.
“Personally, I like to say I’m mediocre in a lot of things,” Wzientek said—before noting that she enjoys hiking, climbing, paddling, backpacking, and skiing.
This jack-of-all-trades mindset is what she thinks makes Gear Hut a good jumping-off point for beginners. “One of the goals with the store is to have people who have never done something before come in,” she said.
In Northern Nevada, we have access to nearly every outdoor opportunity, from cross-country skiing to mountain biking and birding. However, Nevada residents do not participate equally. According to the 2016-2021 Nevada Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan from the Nevada Division of State Parks, “One cause for concern is that outdoor participation remains largely wealthy … with one‐third of participant households earning $100,000 or more per year.”
A new backpacking tent can cost well over $200. “I think if you go to a mainstream ski shop or a mainstream climbing shop, you are going to get specs thrown at you,” Wzientek said, adding that these conversations can lead to sales associates recommending top-of-the-line gear, like a $700 ultra-light tent, that a beginner might be pressured into purchasing. Considering there are four necessary pieces of gear for backpacking, a beginner could easily get roped into spending $1,500 just to get started.
“If you’re trying something for the first time, you kind of want to make sure it works for you and you enjoy it before you dive into those financial commitments,” Wzientek said.
She admitted that even she feels intimidated walking into gear shops to buy climbing gear. “If I did have a question, I don’t know if I’d feel comfortable asking it,” she said. “So, we always want to put out the vibe of, ‘Ask 100 percent, because, no judgment.’ We all started somewhere.”
Beyond financial burdens and a lack of information, social barriers also can prevent outdoor engagement. Gear Hut’s solution is to hosts events such as trailhead cleanups and skills clinics.
“Yesterday, we did a mindset talk about finding community—how you show up to things, impostor syndrome, and that fact that everybody started somewhere, and we all grow,” Wzientek said. This particular event, hosted at the shop, allowed beginners and advanced enthusiasts of all different activities to come together, a mingling that normally doesn’t happen.
“Just because you’re a fantastic and experienced gravel rider, maybe you don’t hike as much,” Wzientek said. “And this person loves hiking, and you guys can find these common grounds in other places and learn from each other. That’s cool.”
In April 2023, the couple adopted the Huffaker Hills Trailhead and open space (which includes Rattlesnake Mountain) from Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful (KTMB) to conduct monthly cleanups. They once hauled out as much as 80 pounds of dog poop in one day. These cleanups, like other events, are a perfect space for beginners—even people who don’t normally hike or consider themselves “outdoorsy”—and advanced enthusiasts to form a community. It’s a great way to get outside, particularly if you are looking for new parks, trails and open spaces to explore within the region while meeting others of varying levels of outdoor knowledge.
Because Gear Hut is an independent shop, Donlon and Wzientek have complete control over programs and events at their store. “I feel like in a lot of other establishments, good ideas get run over, and things never happen,” Wzientek said. “As a small business, I can do what I want. If I want to host skills clinics, we’re doing it.”
Gear Hut is located at 318 Broadway Blvd., in Reno. Upcoming events include the Caffeine, Carbs and Cleanup at Huffaker Hills Trailhead on Alexander Lake Road in Reno from 9 to 11 a.m., Sunday, April 14. To learn more, visit gearhutreno.com, Gear Hut on Facebook, and Gear Hut Reno on Instagram.
Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful offers opportunities for businesses to organize cleanups at local parks, trails and neighborhoods, or along the river through its Adopt-a-Spot and Neighborhood Cleanup Program. Learn more at www.ktmb.org/adoptaspot.