Paulina Dao is California born and raised. She didn’t grow up in a traditionally outdoorsy way, but somehow ended up going to college in Santa Cruz, where she eventually realized she was hiking to class amongst the redwoods every single day. Dao found the beauty of playing in nature and sleeping in the dirt after graduation and hasn’t looked back since. She enjoys dabbling and being quite mediocre at most activities.
As an intensely lazy person, Dao believes that the best adventures have delicious snacks and nap breaks, which is probably why she loves bouldering so much. She has climbed up to V8, so far, with V10 being a perpetual goal. Climbing is her number one love, which is quickly being followed by gravel biking after impulse purchasing a steel steed named Susie. She will reluctantly walk, grumbling about how much her legs hurt and how tired she is. Her favorite trails so far have been the Sierra High Route and the Alta Via 2.
Dao currently works as a freelance photographer and content creator, after being laid off as a software engineer. She enjoys telling stories about the outdoors to encourage people who look like her to get outside.
Background
- Topics of expertise: climbing, hiking, backpacking, gardening, outdoor snacking
- Years of experience in these topics: 10
- Favorite topic to write about: food
- Favorite piece of gear you’ve ever tested:
- Favorite travel destinations: Eastern Sierra, CA, Brazil, Norway
- Past applicable professions: software engineer
Education and Experience
- Education: Marine biology, BS
- Certifications: WFR
About the writer
- Location: Sacramento, CA
- Places You’ve Lived or Extensively Traveled: California
- Preferred Pronouns: she/her
Follow Pulina on Instagram and check out her website
Paulina Dao