DC Prosecutor Leaves Job to Trek

When she first started trekking 15 years ago, Marinel de Jesus assumed it would just be a hobby-something she could do when not busy working as a Washington D.C. prosecutor.

Little did the then 26-year-old know that hiking would profoundly change her and, more than a decade later, grow to be a passion so consuming it would inspire her to become a mountain nomad.

"I'm a lawyer by profession, but I am leaving my job of 15 years," de Jesus explained during a recent conversation. "I'm following my passion to start a travel company that markets mountain trekking worldwide. My plan is to become a mountain nomad and an entrepreneur."

Years of fascinating treks to places such as Peru, Mongolia, the Republic of Georgia and Tanzania have led de Jesus to this point.

The first, however, was in Guatemala after finishing a judicial clerkship. With no other job lined up, de Jesus decided to take the time to learn Spanish in a foreign country. While in Guatemala, she discovered backpacking: An experience that changed everything.

"It changed the definition of travel for me," de Jesus recalls.

"There is something very magical about trekking," she continues. "For some people, nature is very spiritual. It really covers everything spiritually, emotionally…In nature, all of the worries go away. I actually believe nature is good therapy for people."

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After Guatemala, de Jesus continued trekking and eventually began to feel as though she was leading a double life. She had a day job as a prosecutor and then there was her true passion of trekking.

De Jesus was so moved and inspired by her solo hiking experiences around the world, she began organizing and leading group trips for friends in the Washington D.C. area. She created several women's hiking groups throughout the country-called Women on the Move-began leading workshops about trekking and writing about the topic to inspire others.

The women's hiking group she created now has chapters in DC, Baltimore, Richmond, Philadelphia, L.A., San Diego and Seattle.

Still wanting to do more to promote trekking, de Jesus founded Peak Explorations last year, a social enterprise that markets adventures to solo hikers, focusing on empowering women to hike and support local economies.

"The reason I started the company is that small operators are having trouble competing with big corporations marketing their treks," explained de Jesus. "I also realized that by marketing the product here, I'm creating jobs in other countries."

Peak Explorations is creating and supporting sustainable tourism in mountain regions around the world. When travelers participate in a Kilimanjaro trek with de Jesus' company, for example, that means Peak Explorations is hiring about 25 locally based porters and five guides-all of which has a positive impact on the local economy and the lives of people who work in the region.

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Since starting the business last year, de Jesus' Peak Explorations has run about ten trips to some of her favorite trekking destinations, including Mongolia, the Republic of Georgia and Peru.

In 2018, the company will offer a 12-day women's only charity trek to Kilimanjaro; a nine-day women's only trek to Machu Picchu and more.

Somewhere along the way, de Jesus will officially leave her legal job behind, focusing completely on her new business.

Though surprising her life has changed so dramatically, trading in her nine-to-five job for a far less structured existence is not the least bit frightening.

"I never thought I would be a mountain girl, but I spend 98 percent of the time thinking about mountains," she says. "This doesn't feel like work. It feels like joy."

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