Kindling Collective Maine

Sometimes, everything aligns to make a trip perfect. Our first q***r canoe trip on the Allagash was one we’ll never forget: amazing weather, water, wildlife, food, and an incredible group have us feeling so fu***ng lucky. We already can’t wait for next summer’s trip!📍Penobscot and Micmac land and waters

Wow wow wow wow wow!!! Dropped these 6 rainbow QTs off at Churchill Dam to paddle the Allagash River / Walakéskʷihtəkʷ on Friday. Reports from the water say they’ve already seen 2 moose and are still talking about all the gay activities at the Olympics. Hopefully they’ll stay up late tonight to watch the Perseid meteor shower! This shuttle driver was so grateful that they cleaned the back up cam before launch 🧑‍🚀🚙🛶🏳️‍🌈

Q***r Allagash canoe trip prep is going…well?

Member and volunteer Cecilia borrowed a Kindling backpack and brought it all the way to Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania! She said: “We made it to the top of Kilimanjaro! It was *so* hard and so cool! The hyperlite turned out to be a major MVP - our guide used it on summit day!“

Thanks for sharing, Cecilia, and taking Kindling gear on such an epic adventure!

Q***r Intro to Backpacking was extremely cute and so flipping lovely. We hiked, we camped, we cooked, we foraged mushrooms, we giggled, and we left dirtier, sleepier, accomplished, and happy.

Want to join us for a backpacking trip in q***r community? Our 4 Day Backpacking trip has a few spots open and we’d love to have you. Sign up at the events link in our bio!

Diversify Whitewater Southern Maine was joyful, fun, connective, and full of smiles and learning. We love these events so much! Sad you missed it or want to come back for more? Join us for our Bangor Paddling Skills Day on August 24th. Link to sign up is in our bio!

Raffle with

We’re raffling off $100 towards any Kindling trip of your choice OR a personalized trip planning service (we’ll help plan and outfit your dream outdoor trip!). All funds collected will go directly to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund . Each raffle entry is $15 and can be submitted via Venmo . Please include your email address and the word RAFFLE in your memo. You can enter as many times as you like in multiples of $15 ($45 = 3 entries). Our Venmo account is private so all contributions and email addresses are protected.

All entries must be submitted by July 24th at 3pm, and the winner will be chosen at 5pm that day. You must be 18 years old to enter.

You can view all the raffle and auction items from artists and sellers around the country by following . Thank you for joining! If you’d like to help Gaza and aren’t in a position to donate, you can call your reps and ask them to back an immediate ceasefire and/or share this post and help spread the word.

Join and for FREE outdoor Q***r Yoga, this Friday at 5:30 at Hinckley Park in South Portland! Register at the link in our bio.

There’s still time to sign up for Sunday’s paddling event in Limington! Last year was a BLAST, and we can’t wait to play in the river with you all this year. The weather is looking ~perfect~ and we’ve got a super fun day planned.

Sunday’s event is a day of paddling and community for BIPOC and q***r people. Participants will be guided by experienced volunteer paddlers and whitewater instructors. This is a fun opportunity to safely experience whitewater for people with any level of paddling experience! No equipment required; more info and the link to sign up is in our bio.

These goobers are headed into the Nahmakanta Public Reserve Land (Penobscot lands and waters) to backpack the Great Circle Trail for the next four days. See ya next week, cuties!

Heading into the woods over the July 4th holiday weekend? Get your gear reservations in today! We’re only open for borrowing on July 2nd next week, so today’s your last day to reserve that gear you need.

See you outside soon cuties!

Are you looking for buds for your fave outdoor activities? Let us be your adventure cupid 😇 share your favorite outdoor activities and connect in the comments! See u outside soon cuties!

Have you ever wanted to try whitewater paddling but haven’t known where to start? We’re so excited to be offering a series of events with , , , and to make whitewater more accessible for BIPOC and q***r folks.

Our first event is a community paddle on Sunday, July 14th in Limington, Maine. It will be a day of paddling and community for BIPOC and q***r people. Participants will paddle in rafts or other boats, guided by experienced volunteer paddlers and whitewater instructors. We provide an opportunity for participants to safely experience the thrill of whitewater, some for the very first time. No experience or equipment required! Sign up to participate or volunteer at the link in our bio.

We’re finally recovered enough from Portland Pride weekend to post some photos! Thank you to everyone who stopped by our table to chat, came to our first birthday party, and gave Noodle a hug. Special shoutout to for starting out our weekend with so much JOY.

Also, we gotta say it: Corporate Pride is bu****it. Pride sponsored by Amazon is morally bankrupt. Free Palestine.

We’re love our monthly q***r yoga series and are especially stoked for this month’s extra gay, extra sparkly outdoor yoga at Hinckley Park in South Portland! Join us for yoga and q***r community and stick around for treats and pizza at and . Sign up at the link in our bio!

We’re proud to have made the Maine Guide community a whole lot gayer yesterday (Kindling’s Hallie passed their guide test!), and we’re looking forward to breaking down barriers to outdoor access and leadership for people of all identities. We’re currently dreaming about a Q***r and BIPOC Maine Guide Training in 2025 🌞

Pride Month mood board

🇵🇸 CALL TO ACTION 🇵🇸

Join the over 50 Portland-based organizations and small businesses to call on the City of Portland to divest from harm and invest in a free Palestine.

In past seven months, the atrocities committed by Israel in Gaza have escalated, with over 35,000 Palestinians killed and over 2 million people displaced. These worsening conditions require us to take action.
We call on the City of Portland to divest from Israel until the occupation of Palestine has ended. Portland businesses and organizations, join us in asking our city to reflect our values in our investments by divesting from corporations that make the occupation of Palestinians possible.

SIGN ON! @ https://tinyurl.com/divestportlandfromharm or through the link in our bio

SHARE! Amplify this post to help increase its reach and impact

ENCOURAGE! Don’t see your favorite business or org listed here? Get in touch with them and encourage them to sign on.

Oops! We goofed and got the dates wrong on our original post. These are the actual dates for each event!
🌊
Come join for three different events with Maine’s Diversify the Waters! Our goal is to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in paddlesports by removing the barriers that may exist for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), Q***r folks, and their families in kayaking, canoeing, pack-rafting, and surfing by holding free community paddling events. All events are designed for people of all skill levels, from beginning to experienced. Pre-register or volunteer for any of the 3 free events at the link in our bio! These events are sponsored by ✨

The forecast is calling for BLUE SKIES and 80 DEGREES and NEW FUN SKILLS and GAY CUTIES for our Wednesday evening Cast & Hang with .collective! What are you waiting for? Register at the events link in our bio and meet us on Ferry Beach in Scarborough!

Come join for three different events with Maine’s Diversify the Waters! Our goal is to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in paddlesports by removing the barriers that may exist for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), Q***r folks, and their families in kayaking, canoeing, pack-rafting, and surfing by holding free community paddling events. All events are designed for people of all skill levels, from beginning to experienced. Pre-register or volunteer for any of the 3 free events at the link in our bio! These events are sponsored by ✨

Be like Thea. Get yourself a Kindling Collective hat! We’ll have them available tomorrow at the Outdoor Access Fair and they’re always available in the gear library ✨

Oh don’t mind us, just getting AMPED for summer! What summer activity are you most excited about?

We loved learning from how to ground, set boundaries, and protect ourselves in backcountry environments. Big big thank you to AJ and Clara for their excellent instruction—we can’t wait for more Kindling-PAC collaborations!

Thank you to Michelle Fournier for an informative, engaging, and connective foraging walk! We learned about plants like dandelion, burdock, yarrow, and mugwort; discussed the principles of responsible foraging (with wisdom from Robin Wall Kimmerer, final slide); and made a fire so we could share white pine tea and acorn cookies. Thank you for those who joined us and to our hosts at Skyline Farm!

We all owe our plant knowledge to the people who are Indigenous to the land we’re on. In so-called Maine, that’s the people who make up the five tribes of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The land we foraged on for this event, like almost every part of so-called Maine, is stolen land. We encourage ourselves and all other settlers on stolen land to work to honor the roots of plant knowledge and to engage in acts of reparations, like supporting land-back projects.

It’s adventure season, bbs! Have you signed up for membership yet??

Kindling Collective membership includes:
✨Unlimited gear loans for up to 7 days (up to an additional week upon request).
✨Advice, tips, and guidance from our staff and volunteers.
✨Invitations to member appreciation and community events.
✨A welcoming and inclusive community.
✨Investment in maintaining our programs, gear, and space for all.
✨Access to additional gear and equipment supplied by through interlibrary loans.
✨25% off monthly membership at
✨15% off room reservations at the in Conway, NH nestled in the Whites!

All at a price that fits your budget! And we offer no-cost reparations membership for Black and Indigenous folks. All membership levels come with the same benefits. Learn more and become a member at the link in our bio!

OMG OMG SO MANY FUN THINGS!! We’ve got some new events for you cuties. Join us??

✨May 11th at Two Lights Park for for Backcountry Empowermebnt Self Defense with

✨May 22 at Ferry Beach for Gay Cast and Hang with our buds .collective

✨June 16th at for our 1st Birthday Party (no registration necessary—just come hang!)

✨July 17 at Mt. Joy Community Orchard for Herbal First Aid

Register at the events link in our bio!

Have you ever felt nervous about encountering other people in the backcountry? Have you wished you had more skills to respond to tense, scary, or dangerous situations? Join Kindling and and Two Lights State Park for an afternoon of building effective and accessible verbal and physical tools to prevent and respond to microaggressions, harassment, and abuse in the backcountry.

Share tools for managing adrenaline in stressful moments and strategies for setting boundaries, de-escalating situations, and responding physically when needed. While addressing serious topics and situations, this class is engaging and built around the ethic of challenge by choice. There are many ways to participate and you decide what works for you: watch an exercise, participate in a role play, practice a grab release with or without touch. All physical techniques are accessible and adaptable.

Register at the link in our bio!