Mandi McDougall is an avid lover of the outdoors and wants locals' support in helping her win the Ultimate Explorer contest.
"Being outdoors is the ultimate self care. I love to take people out into nature & watch people morph into the natural beauty of Mother Nature," said McDougall in her bio for the contest.
An entrepreneur of Gitxsan descent, McDougall runs the newly-created Terradise Eco-Tours where she takes people on guided day trips designed to immerse them in the wilderness of the Skeena region. She also is an owner-operator with Westcoast Fishing Adventures which provides professional angling guide services.
"For 10 years, I was raising young children and running a business. I never really got any time to myself," said McDougall.
"One day out of the blue, I just booked myself a 14-day backpacking trip in the Ya Ha Tinda mountain range in Alberta, through Outward Bound Canada," she said. "My family thought that I was nuts but I just felt like it was something that I needed."
"I bought myself the northern B.C. back roads book & I took a look at different hikes in the area, creating a list of what I want to do. That was the beginning and it has just kind of grown from there."
McDougal dreams of visiting Yellowstone National Park.
"I want to see the geysers, the bison. It just looks absolutely beautiful."
The $10,000 would go towards travelling to the national park and her new eco-tour business.
"I'm a local girl and I own my own business," she said. "Local people helping local people is just something that I've always strive on. I'm hoping that my local northerners will support me."
People can vote on the Ultimate Explorer contest website.
They can cast a single vote a day, but each has a different value towards the contest. People have the choice to cast a single vote for free, or cast 10, 25, 50, 100, or 250 votes with each vote costing one U.S. dollar. For example, 10 votes would cost 10 U.S. dollars.
McDougall is currently in the top 10 in 6th place. The five entrants with the most votes will advance to the final round. Voting for the top five ends on Thursday Sept. 12 at 4:00 p.m. PT.
