You can’t help but shake your head after hearing Erica Nelson share some of her exhilarating experiences.
When someone tells you about her two-month cycling excursion around the Baltic Sea, how else can you react? Or her Pan-American Highway motorcycling journey of 14,000 miles? Or the week-long dogsledding adventure she haphazardly added to the conclusion of a Northern Swedish backcountry ski vacation?
When the 50-year-old Nelson isn’t exploring the world, she’s working as a captain for Portland Fire & Rescue, the only female officer in her position at the moment. She will, however, be retiring from her position at Station 27 at the end of the year, capping a prosperous and arduous career in a field that has historically and continues to be dominated by men.
Over the years, my work has been a perfect fit for me. Nelson remarked, “It’s almost like this job and I found each other.” The lifestyle it has enabled me to lead is among its many wonderful aspects.
However, she claims that the lifestyle and the work were never that dissimilar in the first place.
While traveling through Scotland on a motorcycle, Erica Nelson strikes a pose.Thanks to Erica Nelson
Nelson makes it a yearly ritual to go ice climbing in Ouray, Colorado.Thanks to Erica Nelson
ONE OF A FEW
Nelson is just one person at Portland Fire & Rescue.
According to department spokesperson Rick Graves, only 54, or roughly 8%, of the roughly 690 members of Portland Fire & Rescue are female. Graves said that because the department is experiencing a large wave of retirements, those figures are currently subject to change.
Nelson stated that she is encouraged to see so many intelligent, strong, and energetic women moving up the ranks, with several holding battalion chief and lieutenant positions. Even though women have succeeded at Portland Fire & Rescue—such as previous chief Sara Boone, who retired in 2023—working in the male-dominated field still presents difficulties.
According to a 2017 research, harassment, improperly fitting safety gear, and insufficient training are just a few of the inequalities faced by female firefighters. Researchers from the Center for Fire, Rescue, and EMS Health Research and Kansas State University conducted the study, which connected such problems to problems with female firefighters’ recruitment and retention.
According to the authors, this element is a significant public health concern because women are among the responders who defend communities across the United States.
Nelson was explicit about the main obstacle she has encountered in Portland, but she chose not to discuss the details of her difficulties there.
“I always encounter doubt,” she stated. It is crucial to have self-awareness and confidence in oneself in this line of work, when one’s gender and size can occasionally cause one to be questioned.
Nelson, pictured above on a ski trip across Norway’s Fjords, is an adventurer without limits.Thanks to Erica Nelson
Nelson’s retirement plans include kayaking excursions like this one along the Olympic Peninsula.Thanks to Erica Nelson
STRENGTH THROUGH ADVENTURE
Nelson has asked herself the same questions throughout all of her experiences, including building projects in Antarctica, ice climbing in Colorado, and three-rafting expeditions across the Grand Canyon: Am I truly capable of this? Can I actually do this?
She claimed that although she is motivated by curiosity about what her body and mind are capable of, as well as about the people and places she encounters along the route, what ultimately attracts her is the sheer physical challenge.
Nelson stated, “I frequently push my own physical limits out in the adventure world.” I also use that to my work because I am aware of how capable the mind and body are of completing tasks.
As a world traveler and a firefighter, Nelson has encountered difficult, physically taxing jobs that necessitate meticulous planning in order to remain safe. Fighting fires on the outskirts of Forest Park has allowed her to draw on the difficulties she encounters when, for example, mountain biking the Great Divide.
It’s assurance. “Just confidence,” she added. It’s the assurance that I know I’m capable and have what it takes.
However, firefighting has turned out to be much more than just a physical job. According to Nelson, the most difficult aspects of the job are frequently the emotional ones, which are frequently unsaid. Being on the front lines frequently means meeting individuals at their most vulnerable, and Nelson said the work has frequently been stressful, particularly for someone who places such a great value on interpersonal relationships.
According to Nelson, the majority of people go through one terrible trauma in their lifetime, and we go through it frequently throughout the month and year. Being able to see life in all its complexity and diversity is a true gift, but it also carries with it heartache.
According to her, the exhilarating excursions serve as mental health respites for her, allowing her to take a deep breath—or some really deep breathes. She also once went to Bhutan for a meditation retreat, but she preferred riding a motorcycle through Nepal.
Nelson will immediately begin adjusting to her full-time life of adventure after retiring at the end of December.
She will be surfing in Costa Rica in January. Her yearly trip to Colorado for ice climbing is scheduled for February. Skiing and mountain riding are scheduled for March and April, respectively, while a bikepacking trip through the Balkans is scheduled for May through July.
According to Nelson, she has a spreadsheet with about 200 trips she wants to take, such as wing surfing, telemark skiing, long-distance canoeing, and sea kayaking. She believes she has plenty of time to finish the list because she is just 50 years old.
She added that her travels frequently demonstrate that women are capable of leading this kind of adventurous lifestyle, which is another field that is frequently dominated by men. She claimed that as a fireman, she always enjoys engaging with girls and opening doors that might not have otherwise occurred to them. She also experiences similar interactions when on her trips.
According to Nelson, when young women and girls see me, their eyes immediately light up because they start to picture themselves. We must witness more women going alone, riding motorcycles, and assuming non-traditional roles. We require it.
–Jamie Hale co-hosts the Peak Northwest podcast and writes about travel and the outdoors. You may contact him at [email protected], 503-294-4077, or HaleJamesB.
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