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Kamryn Renae set off on the Pacific Crest Trail on March 26th at the Mexican border. At 22, the Ohio native started the journey that many before her have trekked to challenge herself. She’s always loved nature and she lived an active lifestyle, but she knew little about wilderness survival. Over the next six months, Renae planned to hike the 2655.8 miles of mountainous terrain, ending her journey in September at the Canadian border. Like most, Renae intended this to be a solitary journey, an opportunity to grow and learn within herself as much as in the wild. What she didn’t intend was for her hike to go viral.
Renae has been dubbed the PCT Princess, going viral for her all-pink hiking gear, videos showing her makeup routine on the trail, and, perhaps most of all, for her OnlyFans. People in her comments section equally laud her for using the platform to fund her hike and criticize her, discrediting her effort because she has an OnlyFans. The comments on her posts from the trail are an odd mix of haters and lovers, people worried for her safety as a young woman alone on the trail and people who want to see her fail. Some online even claim she’s an actor—that she’s not really even hiking. But to Renae, none of that noise really matters. She chalks it up to a mix of misogyny and jealousy: “Many men still view femininity as a weakness. I think it annoys insecure men seeing me hiking in my cute outfits because they know they could never hike the PCT, let alone maintain a well manicured hand simultaneously.”
Playboy caught up with Renae via email (her service was too spotty and sporadic to commit to a phone interview) to chat about OnlyFans, hiking, and all those critics.
You’ve been going viral as the “PCT Princess” because of your cute looks on the hiking trail. What inspired you to take this hike and what’s the story behind your glam in the wilderness?
I decided to go on this hike because I love nature, beautiful scenery, and challenging workouts! I also was just really interested in learning about wilderness survival and wanted to experience what it would be like to live alone in the wilderness. I don’t really think anything necessarily inspired [my looks]. I just am who I am.
Looking and feeling cute everyday definitely helps me hike better because it just makes me happy. The happier I am the better I hike! Also I just think it would be silly if all of a sudden, just because I decided to hike the PCT, I start dressing in more typical hiking outfits and colors. Oh god, can you even imagine me in those outfits? Like no offense but I think my loved ones would be really concerned for me as that just isn’t who I am. I would be depressed if I didn’t prioritize my love of fashion and style while on the trail. I would not be in pursuit of a life I love if pink wasn’t in it.
You’re funding your hike through OnlyFans, which some have taken as a way to discredit your veracity as an outdoorswoman. Others think it’s pretty badass. Others even think it’s rage bait. Why do you think it’s been such a controversial choice?
It’s really interesting how controversial I’ve been. I would say it’s so controversial because what I’m doing is different. I think a lot people have preconceived opinions/views/judgments of people in the adult entertainment industry. As well as having preconceived notions about what a hiker should be like or even what a woman should be like. I don’t really understand how my job being OnlyFans really correlates with my ability to hike, nor do I see the correlation between my love of fashion, being a women, and my ability to hike. I think a lot of the hate just really stems from sexism and misogyny if I’m being honest. Many men still view femininity as a weakness, which is why they find it so hard to believe I’m actually hiking. I think it annoys insecure men seeing me hiking in my cute outfits because they know they could never hike the PCT, let alone maintain a well manicured hand simultaneously.
Are you posting content from the trail? How do you film OF content while hiking like this?
Yeah, so navigating work while on the trail can be difficult at times because I only really have good service when I go through towns to resupply food and do chores. I will film content for OnlyFans in my tent or in hotel rooms in towns I pass through as I work my way up the trail. It just depends on how I’m feeling and what I think will create the best content. But whenever I’m in town with service, this is when I work on the more behind the scenes parts of my job.
How do you feel about the critics in your comments, who say your all-pink outfits or your OnlyFans make you less legit of a hiker?
Honestly it actually cracks me up that people think that I’m not a legit hiker because I do OnlyFans and love pink. It’s just so funny to me because it’s just so so far from the truth. I honestly don’t really care what people say about me. I feel like my life would be very different right now if I based my happiness and value as a person on the thoughts and opinions of people that aren’t even in my life. I just find the comments really interesting and entertaining. I think people’s judgements say a lot more about them than it does me, but I will say I am a bit embarrassed by some of the male population. They just can’t seem to wrap their heads around a girl hiking. I hope they can sort this out soon because I want to find love! Also my OnlyFans is my job. Literally everyone on the trail has a job. Mine just happens to be a sexual job. I actually think my job really helps me be able to hike the trail because I have so much freedom and time to pursue this.
There’s also quite a lot of concern for your safety in your comments as a woman alone on the trail. Have you felt safe on the trail?
Yes, I actually feel really safe on the trail! I feel safer in the wilderness then I do in normal civilization. I did have a little incident the other week when I attempted to summit Mt. Whitney. I had no issues with the summit itself, I just got a really bad stomach flu, I think from a water source I drank on my way up the mountain. I would say this was the most dangerous situation I’ve been in, just because when you’re out in the wilderness there’s limited access to resources when you’re sick like that, especially in high elevations. Luckily emergency services was able to helicopter me out of the mountains to a hospital, so thank god for that! Just really bad timing and location to get sick. Luckily this is a very rare circumstance, so the chances of something like that are pretty slim.
So honestly I would say to the safety concerns, I think the wilderness is way less scary and dangerous than people make it out to be. It’s interesting how much we’ve separated ourselves from nature to the point that many people think it’s absolutely crazy to want to have this lifestyle. I find being out on the trail to be such a calming, peaceful experience for me majority of the time. I do always have my knife with me, though. It has pink hearts all over it and says “Love.” I wanted a powerful knife and love is very powerful. It’s super cute.
Were you a big hiker before this trip? How did you prep?
Before this hike I was definitely really into hiking. Last summer I lived and traveled in my car and would just drive from national park to national park where I’d just hangout and hike all day. What I was completely new to was backpacking. Although I did a good bit of hiking last summer, I never did anything longer than maybe a 10 mile hike. So this is much different because you’re out hiking for 3-6 days, having to carry all your food, supplies, having to find water sources as you go further and further into the wilderness. It’s much more of hiking combined with wilderness survival, so it’s very fun. I didn’t train for this hike, but before the trail I lived a very active lifestyle. I ran a few marathons before this and also love love love playing sports, so while I lacked previous camping/wilderness survival knowledge, I felt pretty confident going into my hike physically.
What are you reading and listening to on your hike?
I have a PCT playlist I made that I listen to all the time when I hike. It’s a lot of Beyoncé, Tyla, Charli xcx, Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, etc. One of my favorite memories on trail was when I was doing Glen Pass (a 12,00 foot mountain) and I had my pink earbuds in blasting Beyoncé’s “Dangerously In Love” while I’m scaling the side of a mountain alone with my ice axe and microspikes. What an epic day! Also I am really into reading. I read every night. I love romance fantasy especially and am currently on book 6 of the Zodiac Academy [series]. Absolutely unhinged books, I love it.
What has been the most difficult part of the trip? Most rewarding? Anything that’s been surprising?
I would say other than my little incident on the mountain last week, the hardest part of my hike has been finding cute hiking gear. Literally so frustrating. I have been absolutely shocked at how difficult it is to find cute gear. Especially cute gear that is not only cute but functional and lightweight as well. We need more cute, girly hiking gear please please please!! I would say the most rewarding part of my hike so far has been the Sierras. Very challenging terrain, elevation, food carries, but so so beautiful, wow. It’s such an epic feeling when you’re sitting surrounded by gorgeous mountains that you just hiked up and over. This hike has just been such an empowering and beautiful experience for me, I feel so grateful and lucky to have the opportunity to life this way.
What’s the vibe like with other hikers on the trail?
Honestly, I’ve felt so so supported by the other hikers. I have met some amazing people on this trail and have felt very loved and uplifted by everyone out here. If I’m being honest, though, I really am alone most of the time. I really enjoy being alone and really wanted this to be a primarily solo experience for me. But during the times where I am around the other hikers I feel very supported.
Do you plan to continue OnlyFans after your hike? Do you think your future content will be as adventurous as this?
Oh yes I definitely plan on continuing to do OnlyFans! I’ve actually been doing OnlyFans since I was 19. So it’s been my job for about three years now. I really enjoy my job and I just think it really matches my temperament and the things I value and prioritize in my life. I hope my future content is as adventurous as this!! I’m sure I will be up to something, I am always up to something.
Have you been surprised as how viral you’ve gone because of all this?
I’ve honestly been really surprised. I just didn’t have the intention going into this experience to go viral on the internet. I really just love hiking, being in nature, wearing my outfits, and creating content I’m passionate about. I care much more about those things than I care about followers or views. I am a pretty introverted person, so I almost get a bit overwhelmed with so much exposure, you know? But at the same time it’s a good thing because it helps me continue to be able to do what I love, but I do really have to try my best to not think about all the people watching or viewing my content because if I think about that too much, I get overwhelmed and anxious. So while I’m happy to go viral on the internet, I know that in order to preserve my happiness and creativity, it’s best for me to stay a bit disconnected from thinking about views/comments/etc because I never want that to become influential in my life and creative pursuits.
What do you most hope to take away from this journey?
What I most want to take away from hiking the PCT is strength, empowerment, education, beauty, wisdom, resilience, and love. I hope to finish this trail stronger than I was before, smarter then I was before, with more love and connection to the Earth, my community, and myself than before this trail. I just hope to be a fuller, most expansive version of myself and show that being a unique hiker is not a weakness, it’s a strength.
