OUR TEAM
TAOGOI stands for The Art Of Getting Over It and Abby and Allie are the ones doing just that!
We come from a world that has been altered traumatically, both emotionally and environmentally, and this is where we share our stories. The great outdoors has opened up new adventures in life for us and we want to help inspire others to find their own version of peace, wherever that may be.
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Allie Donaldson (Taogoi)
Taogoi stands for The Art Of Getting Over It and Allie Donaldson has taken the pen name to new heights! Having had no experience backpacking before starting a journey on the Pacific Crest Trail, her goal was to heal after experiencing a great deal of personal traumas. Walking had always been a coping mechanism in suburbia; a way to escape everything that didn’t seem to make sense to her growing up. Craving adventure, she had been completely inspired when she had seen the movie Wild in theatres, “There are trails connecting amazing places still??” Allie wondered. A spark had been ignited and it never went out.
When her grandmother passed away in Sept 2018, jobs became harder to keep and depression took hold. Taogoi had stopped talking to her family in 2017, seeing them at the funeral confirmed her decision that she would take a leap into the unknown and begin the 2,652 miles journey from Mexico to Canada. Feeling twisted and warped out of sorts, she walked at the pace of her racing mind, stopping when it finally slowed enough for sleep or when her body could no longer keep up.
Taogoi met quite a few people who helped her along her hike, whether they hiked for a hundred miles together or only shared a few hours together, there was always a positive takeaway. The generosity of everyone has encouraged the best to grow within her as she hiked into the strong, compassionate poet she is today.
Abby Folsom
Abigail Folsom was raised in the Puget Sound, braiding dandelion chains as a child and hiking the mountains with her older sister Anlya as a young adult. Abby feels her most alive when surrounded by the tall forests and the trickling of waterfalls along the trails, and she continues to find peace there. She has found nature journaling and painting to be a place for her where she can feel clear, calm, and connected to a world larger than herself.
Amidst the beauty of growing up in Western Washington, there came great pain and loss to Abigail’s life. Due to an arduous battle with depression, her older sister Anlya died by suicide at age 24. For Abigail, moving through the loss of her sister and working on the art and vision for 1100 Miles has been a journey of recovery. She sees fulfillment in this project of sharing raw humanness and growth. The illustration process for this book started just a year after Anlya died, so working on a life affirming and self-nurturing book during this time has positively impacted Abigail to choose the soul led path in life, and to be inspired by others in life seeking their own adventures.
