Mariam grew up in Yuchi and Cherokee lands (Knoxville, TN) just down the road from the Great Smoky Mountains. She spent much of her childhood in the woods with her family or with her trustee canine companion. In 2020, she went on her first backpacking expedition in Wind River, Wyoming. Since then she has been a co-lead on several expeditions with Tayseer Wilderness in Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Virginia. She is often known as “eye-flush” for her highly developed skills in clearing toxins from the eyes of participants.