Drag hike raised $1.2M
Trail culture went surprisingly big on activism—drag artist/environmentalist Pattie Gonia led a ‘drag hike’ along the California coast and raised over $1.2 million for environmental causes. It’s a vivid sign hiking is being used as a platform for advocacy and creative community fundraising. (out.com)
The trek began at Point Reyes National Seashore and ended with a march across the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco on December 5, 2025. (edgemedianetwork.com) The route covered roughly 100 miles along coastal and Marin County trails, with the performer posting daily mile-by-mile updates from the trail (an Instagram update noted she was at Mile 92 as the campaign hit its biggest milestone). (edgemedianetwork.com) The fundraiser was hosted on GoFundMe under the campaign title “The $1M Dollar Backpacking Trip,” and the campaign page shows donations were later paused by the organizer. (gofundme.com) Organizers designated eight beneficiary groups for the proceeds, naming recipients that include Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps, Brave Trails, Camp Kitaki, Vámonos Outside, Outdoorist Oath and queer-outdoor scholarship funds. (hoodline.com) Reporting put the number of individual donors in the tens of thousands—about 35,700 according to one outlet—and the drive cleared six-figure sums within days, with more than $600,000 raised in the first three days. (yahoo.com) The campaign was framed as a weeklong, documented performance: the artist filmed and shared daily trail footage to an account with more than 1.5 million followers while promoting outdoor equity. (news.mongabay.com) The public-facing push was billed as a long-gestating idea — the “Million Dollar Backpacking Trip” concept dates back several years and was announced on Instagram at the end of November 2025 before the December trek. (edgemedianetwork.com)
