Nona Fechser

Nona grew up in the Philippines where she says her childhood was a bit sheltered, but she still felt free and unafraid to venture outdoors in her surroundings. One of her first outdoor adventure memories is hiking with her family. “When you don’t have much, hiking was all we had, but it was so much fun!”

She has a lot of great memories, friends and family in the Philippines. Leaving everything she knew to start a life in America, was the hardest thing she ever experienced. And though it was incredibly difficult, she believes her biggest accomplishment was raising two “respectful and hardworking boys” and creating a full and beautiful life with her family.

Nona has always believed in working hard, keeping busy and staying humble. Her first job was at the age of 16 a Textile store, and even though she’s technically retired now, she found Desert Adventures and thought it would be a fun way to stay busy. “I was excited at the prospect of learning more about nature, surviving the outdoors and experiencing new things. But it was the people here that I was most impressed by.”

She’s inspired by people with “good principles, and who are hardworking”, but she is most inspired by her mom. “She had so many hardships in life, but I never heard her complain.”

Her outdoor hobbies include hiking, dirt bike riding, quad riding, backpacking, bike riding (with a beach cruiser or e-bike) and kayaking—all of which she loves to do with her husband and two grown children. She began dirt bike/quad riding with her family when her boys were 8 and 9 years old, now in their 20’s the boys still share her love for adventure and the outdoors.