Hill and Moorland Leader Emily Taylor is inspiring others to walk the UK one trig at a time with her Peak District trig bagging exploits.
Emily Taylor likes to bag trigs. Indeed, they make her grin – hence her moniker, ‘Trigs and Teeth’. But, the 35-year-old’s relationship with the outdoors goes much deeper than smiles in pixelated social media posts on trig bagging missions. After the loss of her dad to suicide in 2019, hiking helped Emily manage PTSD, depression and anxiety as she awaited therapy.
Emily grew up watching her dad climb the gritstone edges of the Peak District. Now, she finds freedom in trail running, walking and wild swimming, venturing from her Glossop home or the family caravan in Anglesey. Her children recently summited Yr Wyddfa and join her on trig missions – they always look for the “door where the trig gnome lives”!
Emily’s children summiting Yr Wyddfa for the first time.
Credit: Emily Taylor/@trigsandteeth
Since lockdown, Emily began to log her adventures on social media “as a bit of fun”, starting with bagging all 88 Peak District trigs. Two years later, the challenge is complete and Emily has inspired thousands of followers to seek better mental health in nature with an open dialogue about her own struggles. “I couldn’t live without the outdoors,” she asserts.
You may find Emily “ranting about litter in the countryside” and sharing the Countryside Code or Leave No Trace principles. She has become a champion of women outdoors and body positivity, despite her own insecurities. “Strangely, sharing images of myself has helped me slowly accept myself. What our bodies do and the places they take us is far more important than how they look.”
Still, she takes digital breaks to find balance. But her snapshots gave her opportunities and confidence to undertake “a complete career change.” While she still doesn’t fully understand how it happened – “a bit of a sense of humour goes a long way!” – Emily is now working notice as a part-time teacher in order to freelance outdoors – and still trig bagging.
Emily leads a guided walk in the Peak District.
Credit: Emily Taylor/@trigsandteeth
“Teaching was always my calling but, the way I see it, I just wasn’t meant for teaching in the classroom,” she explains, looking forward to a year of walking with others and sharing her knowledge at the school of Mother Nature.
Follow Emily’s adventures @trigsandteeth.
