Daily Inspiration: Meet Julia Davila

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Davila.

Hi Julia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been someone who enjoys taking photos and videos. I grew up hiking often with my family in California and have so many great childhood memories exploring Yosemite National Park, visiting Lake Tahoe, or hiking a new coastal trail. When I moved to Colorado about a year and a half ago, it rekindled my love for the outdoors. Now I had an abundance of new trails, national parks, and mountain towns to explore and I started hiking every weekend, getting outdoors as often as I could. I wanted a place where I could share all of this with people who loved the outdoors as much as I did, so I started my Instagram account @juliatakesahike in December of 2021.

I also started the Colorado Hiking Girls a few months after as a place for women in Colorado to meet new like-minded people and connect with others who wanted to hike together and experience new things (like me)! Since then, we’ve done multiple group hikes across Colorado and it’s been an amazing platform to bring women who love the outdoors together.

Recently, I started doing more hands-on community work, attending and organizing park and trail cleanups in Colorado. While enjoying the outdoors is fun, protecting and preserving it is extremely important. It’s so fulfilling seeing tangible results from these events and I’ve also continued educating about Leave No Trace principles and how to recreate responsibly on my social media platforms.

It’s been such a rewarding experience getting to encourage others to get outside, meeting real-life friends from the online hiking and travel community, and working with brands and tourism boards that have the same values as I do. I can’t believe it’s only been eight months since I started, and I’m looking forward to all that’s coming next!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Fortunately, it has been for most of the time! While I’ve been so lucky to experience quick growth with my account, that also comes with some negative side effects, like hateful comments and trolls who don’t care about the fact that you’re a real person too. I haven’t let these get to me as the people who do support me far outweigh the others!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Recently, I started doing more hands-on community work, attending and organizing park and trail cleanups in Colorado. While enjoying the outdoors is fun, protecting and preserving it is extremely important. It’s so fulfilling seeing tangible results from these events and I’ve also continued educating about Leave No Trace principles and how to recreate responsibly on my social media platforms.
It’s been such a rewarding experience getting to encourage others to get outside, meeting real-life friends from the online hiking and travel community, and working with brands and tourism boards that have the same values as I do. I can’t believe it’s only been eight months since I started, and I’m looking forward to all that’s coming next!

How do you define success?
Doing what you love, finding happiness in whatever brings you joy, and having a supportive community of loved ones that will always be there for you. And if the money comes with it, that’s great too! 😉

Contact Info:

• Website: juliatakesahike.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliatakesahike/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@juliad1998