Blending hiking and paddling with journalistic research, Wildflowers explores ageism in the outdoor industry through the parallel stories of two mountain writers living a century apart: Mary Schäffer (1861-1939) and Meghan J. Ward.
/ the story
After nearly 20 years as a professional outdoor writer, Ward reaches a new, destabilizing phase of her life: her forties. In approaching midlife, Ward feels a diminished sense of relevance and belonging in the outdoors and greater industry. In the midst of a disintegrating identity, Ward discovers a lack of discussion about how women in midlife can claim space in the outdoor community, and the role the outdoors can play in how women redefine themselves.
In search of answers, Ward looks to her peers and to the past — to Pennsylvania-born Quaker, Mary Schäffer, who was widowed at 42 and reinvented herself as an explorer, writer, photographer, and artist. Schäffer is best known for her 1908 expedition to Chaba Imne, present-day Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park with her primary adventure companion, Mollie Adams. Ward first encountered Schäffer’s story 17 years prior, yet as she nears her forties, she feels driven to understand what ultimately compelled Schäffer to buck Victorian-era conventions and reinvent herself in her own middle age. Captivated by the mystery of this woman she can’t meet in person, Ward revisits Schäffer’s story in depth by exploring the Whyte Museum archives and interviewing Schäffer’s biographer Janice Sanford Beck.
Ward ultimately decides the best way to ‘meet’ Schäffer is to follow in her footsteps in the backcountry and trek the final leg of Schäffer’s 1908 expedition, a six-day journey by foot and canoe. The journey creates an opportunity to discuss the intersection of their various identities, their perspectives as creative women with artistic and adventurous ambitions, and their relationship to the land.
The film (estimated runtime 20 mins.) aims to bring Schäffer’s story to light and shed new light on an underrepresented demographic. It explores the common threads between two women—kindred souls living a century apart—and the door that opens for modern-day women of all ages to explore their own wild spirits.
/ the team
Trixie Pacis
Director, Producer
Trixie is a filmmaker, writer and photographer based in the Canadian Rockies. Building on her experience in production and script development at Drive Films, she has written and produced short and feature films including Dil Rakh, Vile & Sweet, and Walk With Me. Trixie recently completed the Banff Mountain Film Adventure Filmmaker Residency and has since directed a short film, Winter Harvest, and virtual concert. She has also directed projects for Travel Alberta, Paul Zizka Photography, Lowepro, Tourism Kimberley, and BC Culture Days. Her writing and photography have been published by Passion Passport, Mapped, Travel Alberta, Inside Himalayas, and more.
Meghan J. Ward
Writer
Meghan J. Ward is an outdoor, travel and adventure writer based in Banff, Canada, and a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Meghan has written several books, as well as produced content for films, anthologies, blogs and some of North America’s top outdoor, fitness and adventure publications. For five years she was the Editor-in-Chief at the award-winning Canadian Rockies Annual, with previous postings at Alpinist Magazine and Highline Magazine. Her adventures have taken her throughout the Rockies, ski-touring in the Arctic, backpacking in Nepal, and travelling to far-flung locations with her two kids in tow. Her forthcoming travel memoir, Lights to Guide Me Home will be published by Rocky Mountain Books in Fall 2022.
/supporters
The Columbia-Kootenay Cultural Alliance
Michal Wasuita of Birch Investment Group
Rocky Mountain Books
Jolene’s Tea House