Girls Gone Hiking is officially partnering with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)Utah — And Here Is Why It’s Personal
"This post contains references to sexual assault, abuse, and suicide. If you need support, call or text 988."
I have something important to tell you. And I’m going to start with the part that is the hardest to say.
Girls Gone Hiking is officially partnering with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention — AFSP Utah — for 2026. We are joining two events, building two teams, and asking our community to show up for a cause that touches every single one of us.
But before I tell you about the events, I need to tell you why. Because this partnership isn’t a calendar decision. It’s personal.
Why this cause found me
I grew up in a community where deaths by suicide in my high school happened more than they ever should have — and more than anyone acknowledged. No resources. No conversations. Just the kind of silence that settles in when something happens and no one knows how to talk about it.
Before that, I lost my uncle to suicide when I was too young to understand what that meant. By the time losses started happening around me in high school, something about it felt familiar in the worst way possible.
My high school boyfriend raped me. I didn’t have language for what had happened, and I didn’t have anyone to tell. I turned that pain into drinking. At a party, I was sexually assaulted again. I was carrying things I didn’t know how to name — so I didn’t name them. I just kept moving.
At the end of high school, moving into college, I landed in an abusive relationship. And inside that relationship — already isolated, already drowning — I lost my best friend to suicide. All the signs were there. I just couldn’t see them clearly from where I was standing. I still carry that.
The relationship broke me down further. I fell into major depression. I became a survivor of multiple attempts. I was handed referrals — go to therapy, take these meds, see a psychiatrist — with no real guidance and a world that treated mental health like something to be ashamed of. I felt completely, utterly alone.
For a while, I gave up.
“I didn’t find my way back all at once. I found it slowly — through the right resources, a PTSD diagnosis that finally gave language to what I had been carrying, and a community that said the quiet parts out loud”
And while I am surrounded by a supportive community, my mind still races, but instead of turning to old habits, I turned to nature. I found trails. I found women who showed up for each other without needing a reason. I found Girls Gone Hiking — and it genuinely changed my life.
That is why we are here. That is why this partnership exists.
Girls Gone Hiking x AFSP Utah
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is the nation’s largest suicide prevention organization. They fund research into what actually prevents suicide. They train people to recognize warning signs. They advocate for mental health policy. And they show up for survivors and those who have lost someone.
That mission — community, education, breaking the silence — is exactly what GGH has always been about on the trail. This partnership is the natural extension of who we already are.
Together, we are participating in two AFSP Utah events in 2026. Each has its own GGH team page where you can register, donate, and fundraiser alongside us. Every dollar raised goes directly to AFSP’s work.
Why Utah needs this
Suicide doesn’t feel like a distant crisis here. It lives in our communities, our schools, and the spaces between the things we don’t say out loud. The numbers make it impossible to look away:
685 Utahns die by suicide every year on average — nearly two every single day.
54% high suicide rate than the national average — Utah has been above the national rate for over two decades.
#2 leading cause of death for Utahns between the ages of 10 and 44 as of 2023.
These aren’t statistics that belong in a report somewhere. They belong to real people — our neighbors, our coworkers, the people we hike with. This is why we show up.
Event One: Utah Construction Hike for Hope - May 30
Our first event is the Utah Construction Hike for Hope on Saturday, May 30. This even shines a light on a crisis hiding in plain sight: construction workers die by suicide at five times the rate of on-the-job accidents. More than 5,000 lives are lost every year — not from falls or equipment, but from the same stigma that kept me quiet for far too long.
Girls Gone Hiking is joining this hike to say clearly: no worker, and no person, should face a mental health battle alone. We are the GGH team. And we want you with us.
Visit our We Give Back page to join our team, register for the hike, or donate to support our walkers.
Event Two: Out of the Darkness SLC Walk - September 5
Our second event is the Out of the Darkness Walk in Salt Lake City on Saturday, September 5 — held during National Suicide Prevention Month. This is one of the most powerful community events of the year: a walk in remembrance of those we’ve lost, and in solidarity with everyone still fighting.
After a summer of advocacy, fundraising, and community building, this walk is where it all comes together. GGH will be walking as a team — for every Utahn who deserved better than silence, and for everyone in this community who has been there.
Visit our We Give Back page to join our team, register for the walk, or donate.
How to get involved
You don’t have to hike or walk to be part of this. Here is how to show up at whatever level feels right:
Join a team — Register on our GGH team page for either event and get your own personal fundraising page to share.
Donate — Support our team walkers and hikers directly through our fundraising pages.
Share this post — Every share puts this cause in front of someone who might need it, or someone who is ready to give.
Everything lives on our we Give Back page
I’m so proud of this community. What we have build together on the trails is real — the friendships, the honesty, the showing up. This partnership is an extension of that. It’s us saying: we care about mental health not just when we are on a mountain, but all year long, in every way we can.
For my uncle. For my best friend. For every person who was handed silence when they needed support. And for everyone in this community who has been there — I see you, and you are not alone.
With love and gratitude,
Melanie Jeske
Founder, Girls Gone Hiking
If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Free, confidential, 24/7. You are not alone.
