Rick and Stephanie Cheehy began their joint backpacking adventures in 2005.  They bravely strapped on their 40 lb. packs and tromped off on a back breaking, knee busting, ankle wrenching disaster down Little Devils Stairs in Shenandoah National Park.  They were so busted, that by day two they had ditched their packs at a park snack bar (swarming with ravenous AT thru-hiking rock stars), and limped up Skyline Drive to their car. They drove back shame-faced to get their packs.  Sweaty, broken, and smelly, they were already planning their next trek saying things like, “I bet I could shave 5 pounds off that pack weight,” and, “Do we really need that snake bite kit?”

In a story about the founder of Whole Foods in the back-waters of Backpacker magazine, Rick saw the name Gossamer Gear.  He was nuzzled all snug in his bag while visions of gossamer wings danced in his head.  The enlightenment was at hand.

Four years later these two coffee shop managers are dedicated weekend warriors. They take on trails in all four seasons: from the soggy bogs of Vermont in the Spring, the wild Summer thunderstorms on lonely ridges in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the crisp Fall colors of their beloved Shenandoah National Park, and the freezing winds of Assateague Island National Seashore in the Winter.

Home: Washington, DC Suburbs

Age: He: 34, She: 26

Favorite Training Ground:  The cool green tunnels of Shenandoah National Park.

Current Plans:  They will soon finish their goal of hiking all 500 miles of Shenandoah National Park and plan to write a book about backpacking and backcountry camping in Shenandoah National Park.  They champion ultralight backpacking as a means to get the greater public involved in the backcountry and it’s preservation.

Favorite Gossamer Gear Product: His: Mariposa™ Plus Hers: Murmur