Unlike many outdoor enthusiasts, Kathi was not exposed to hiking, backpacking and camping as a child growing up in a mobile military family. Despite this, she was always drawn to the outdoors and felt connected to the beauty of rugged rural areas. She fell in love with the Sierra Nevada Mountains on a backpacking trip through Yosemite; as is true with others, she finds that the Sierra Nevada resonate with her inner core and draw her to them. The Joye family makes their home in Tuolumne County literally a stone’s throw from a number of different trails. Kathi heads out on some type of trail on a daily basis whether for a walk or run or a long trek in the high country.