11 minute read
Pushing for Outdoor Diversity “We’re going to change the
PUSHING FOR OUTDOOR DIVERSITY
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By Matt Johanson
S’lacio Bankston struggled on the icy pitch, lost his footing and backed off. Later, the 20-year-old refocused and invoked Mohammed Ali to pump himself up: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!” Bankston sent the frozen waterfall on his second effort as his friends erupted in cheers. If Black climbers are rare, African American ice climbers are especially so, but trying to change that is a group of alpinists featured in Black Ice, a new 40-minute Reel Rock film. Californian Manoah Ainuu helped lead the athletes from Memphis, Tennessee on their first ice climbing experience. A North Face-sponsored athlete with Yosemite credentials on Half Dome and El Capitan, Ainuu gracefully led a pitch up the jagged ice. Then, the Compton native and other trip leaders helped the Memphis climbers follow suit with their ice axes and crampons. “This is what it’s about, getting people psyched on being outside and connecting with each other through the vehicle of climbing,” said Ainuu. Despite bone-chilling cold, the group experienced a heartwarming journey of discovery and growth. Famed mountaineer, Conrad Anker, another California native, assisted the group as its only white member. “This trip is a great opportunity to learn more about people and in the process hopefully become a better person,” said Anker. Ainuu and Anker aren’t the only Californians trying to diversify the outdoors. Throughout the Golden State, groups are trying to make outdoors recreation more inclusive and welcoming.
HERE IS A SHORT LIST OF GROUPS BUILDING DIVERSITY IN OUR AREA:
Outdoor Afro organizes frequent outings in California and beyond. Participants this year enjoyed paddle boarding in San Francisco Bay, bird watching in Oakland, kayaking in Richmond’s Marina Bay, and visits to Tomales Bay, Point Pinole and Redwood Regional Park. Group members celebrated Juneteenth with a trek to Etiwanda Falls near Rancho Cucamonga.
“Outdoor Afro is important because it provides a refuge for Black folks to come together in community and build some Black joy in nature. Nature makes me feel at peace, at home in my body, in my mind and spirit, and just feel free,” said group leader Julius Hampton. outdoorafro.com
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Spanish speakers enjoy magical experiences like exploring Yosemite, kayaking on the Russian River and spotting bald eagles through the
Vamos Afuera (Let’s Go Outside)
program of the Sonoma County nonprofit LandPaths. Vamos Afuera leads at least a dozen outings per year for hundreds of Spanish speakers, and LandPaths delivers monthly information to some 10,000 households about the outdoors, provides youth education and runs a summer camp. Helping families who have never camped nor visited Yosemite discover those pleasures provides joyful memories for Guadalupe Casco, a bilingual field specialist and trip leader. “We are committed to fostering a love of the land for everyone,” she said.
landpaths.org
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More than 3,000 people new to the outdoors are getting inspiration from Bewilder, a new venture by Yvonne Leow of June Lake. Bewilder publishes free camping and backpacking trip itineraries along with guidance for how readers can reserve campgrounds, backcountry permits and enjoy their outdoor experiences. Bewilder’s newsletter promotes beginner-friendly outings to places like Angel Island, Mount San Jacinto, Morro Bay and Pinnacles National Park. Most of Bewilder’s subscribers are women and people of color, though Leow offers her information and services to anyone for free. “Everyone should have a chance to experience the beauty and freedom of the outdoors,” she said. bewilder.com
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Gateway Mountain Center began a new effort to introduce the outdoors to under-resourced youth in the South Lake Tahoe area, with a focus on engagement with the Latinx community. Youth Empowered Action (YEA!) Camps exposed kids to camping, hiking, kayaking, rock climbing and more at no cost thanks to community donations. Based in Truckee and Donner Summit, Gateway Mountain Center offers enviro-literacy and outdoor adventure experiences to school groups from all over Northern California, including many Title One Schools. Gateway also runs a robust nature-based therapeutic program for youth in their region suffering from serious emotional disturbance, complex trauma and substance use disorder. Before Covid, the different programs supported around 2,000 young people per year. “Every kid can benefit by having their hearts and minds opened to the natural world,” said Peter Mayfield, the center’s founder and executive director. sierraexperience.org.
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Two years after Scouting BSA began admitting girls into its troops, nearly 1,000 girls nationwide have earned the program’s highest rank of Eagle Scout. Boy Scouts of America began allowing gay youth in 2013, lifted its ban on gay adult leaders in 2015 and changed its name to Scouting BSA in 2018. The group endorsed Black Lives Matter and introduced a diversity and inclusion merit badge, required for Eagle Scouts, last year. scouting.org
TOP TO BOTTOM: MANOAH AINUU, FEATURED IN THE FILM “BLACK ICE,” GREW UP IN COMPTON BUT BECAME A PROFESSIONAL CLIMBER; YOUNG CLIMBERS LEARN THE ROPES FROM THE GATEWAY MOUNTAIN CENTER.
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“All Californians outdoors” is the vision of California Outdoor Engagement Coalition, an association of businesses, advocacy groups, land agencies, and other groups which share that goal. Participants share information about job openings, funding opportunities, workshops and other events. “We serve as an umbrella that can help bring people together,” said organizer Jenny MulhollandBeahrs. inclusionoutdoors.com
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Rounding out this far-from-complete list, the Black Folks Camp Too company and Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics aim to promote inclusion with a unity blaze patch and message. The symbol represents community, welcome, and equality. Earl Hunter, who founded Black Folks Camp Too, hopes to encourage more African Americans to enjoy outdoor recreation and find employment in the industry. “Enthusiasts want to see more diversity in the outdoors,” Hunter said. “We’re going to change the world.” blackfolkscamptoo.com
BEAUTY OF BACKPACKING
By Matt Johanson
When the bear wandered by my camp, I grabbed my camera and shot pictures like mad. Unwisely, I followed the bruin, which snarled and bluffed a charge. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest and I backed off, wiser than before. Fifty years of outdoor experiences have taught me a few things which I hope are worth sharing. Through this series, I offer you 50 tips to judge for yourself. This column, the fourth of five, focuses on backpacking.
1START EASY AND BUILD UP
GRADUALLY. Hiking out for a single night will help you learn to make a longer trip more comfortable. Exercise before a backpacking trip, especially a long one.
2TRAVEL LIGHT. The less your pack weighs, the easier and happier your hiking becomes. Shoot for a base weight of 20 pounds or less.
3HIKING POLES TAKE PRESSURE
OFF YOUR KNEES. Break in your footwear before your trip. Sandals let you take off your shoes in the evening and give your feet a break.
4LEARN TO USE A MAP AND
A COMPASS. Don’t rely only on electronics to navigate. Phone apps and GPS work great, until they don’t. When batteries die, signals disappear or gadgets break, you need a backup plan.
5WATER WEIGHS MORE THAN
ANYTHING ELSE. Carry the right amount of water and plan ahead. Guidebooks, maps, apps and fellow hikers can all provide information on finding water.
6AVOID MOSQUITO BITES AND DON’T LET THE BUGS BUG YOU.
Time your outings to avoid the pesky blood-suckers, which hatch during spring in the lowlands and then work their way up the mountains through summer. Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants to guard against them.
7LEAVES OF THREE, LEAVE THEM
BE! Learn to recognize poison oak. The enemy’s leaves are green in spring and summer, red in fall, and fall off the plant in winter. Thankfully, the oily plant doesn’t grow above 5,000 feet. When in doubt, touch nothing suspicious. 8BRING FISHING GEAR. If you camp near backcountry lakes and streams, you’ll have better action than more easily-reached fishing holes. Fish bite best in morning and evening hours. Landing a few will make you a hero in camp.
9BE REALISTIC ABOUT YOUR
SCHEDULE. Mountain miles take more time and energy than lowland ones. The trail doesn’t care if you’re in a hurry. Take enough time to enjoy yourself.
10FINALLY, LEAVE WILDLIFE ALONE! Don’t stalk a bear like I foolishly did. In bear country, carry a bear can. Clean your camp and don’t leave out food for animals to access. Dependence on human handouts means death for our furry friends.
I try to hit the trail for a few weeks every year. Every trip produces special memories. When I look back at some years, my backpacking trips are the events I remember best. Spotting wildlife always delivers thrills, too. I’ve been fortunate to spot bald eagles, California condors, rattlesnakes, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, and quite a few bears. I love taking pictures of them, which I happily shoot from a respectful distance.
Matt Johanson recently released a new guidebook “California Summits,” available at sierrasplendor.com/books.
Bioluminescence & Full Moon Kayaking Trips, Whales & Wildlife Coastal California, Baja, Belize, Tonga and Beyond BlueWaterVentures.org • 831.459.8548
VITAMIN 0
Why surfers need it
By Krista Houghton
Over coffee this morning, my husband asks what I have on tap for the day. I immediately reply, “I need to get in the ocean. I’ve gotta get some Vitamin O.”
Being a surfer for over 25 years, my body craves the ocean. I am not alone, most of my surfing friends will attest to their need to get wet on a regular basis. I came to recognize the Vitamin O factor while living in Kauai. The Hawaiians did in fact invent surfing and their entire culture and existence was factored around the ocean. Being on an island that small, you literally are surrounded – you can’t escape it. Everywhere you look, you see surfboards, paddleboards, outriggers, fishing poles, scuba fins, boogie boards and snorkels. “If you no like ocean, no go Hawaii,” as the locals say. So, for Hawaiians and those born on the Islands, Vitamin O is in their blood. The act of surfing waves was originally reserved for Hawaiian royalty. It was an extreme privilege to catch waves, and I still consider it to be just that: a privilege. Every time my toes leave the sand and I paddle those first few strokes, I can feel the ocean seeping into my pores. I mean how lucky are we? We have the most high-tech wetsuits to keep us warm, making not just warm water surf breaks possible — we can now surf in Alaska. Thank you, Jack O’Neill! (Whom, by the way,
I interviewed over tea at his Pleasure Point home for an article in this magazine over 10 years ago. It felt like I was interviewing one of my heroes.) We also have insane lightweight, high-performance surfboards. The Hawaiians had 100-pound koa wood boards called Alaia, which you could barely carry let alone turn on a wave. Surfing is a privilege, not something that should be expected or taken advantage of. Yes, the surf is getting more crowded and COVID created a whole sea of newbies in the water. With the privilege of surfing comes responsibility, which means different things for newcomers vs. long time locals. For the newcomer, this means really KNOW the RULES and RESPECT them. Don’t go out to places that are beyond your ability and put yourself and others at risk. Know how to safely hold onto your board and the rules of priority in the lineup. If you don’t know the rules, ask someone, or google it for Christ sakes! To the seasoned surfer and locals, chill the F out and don’t be an asshole. I see far too many people so uptight about getting their “wave count.” Surfing is not only about catching waves. It is about being in the ocean, seeing an otter crack open a clam, having a pelican swoop overhead, and feeling the ocean glide through your fingers like silk. Surfing should be safe and inclusive to everyone, something to be cherished, not something you’re entitled to. To all you surfers out there, please stop and take a deep breath. Fill your lungs with salt air and realize what a true privilege it is to enter the ocean and get some Vitamin O.
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