Diversity in nature-oriented activities

[RuthN]

Timely article.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/12/health/nature-wilderness-minorities/index.html

[Coffee]

There is a significant minority presence in the Sierra Nevada especially around Yosemite and Tahoe, and also on the John Muir Trail which attracts hikers from all backgrounds apparently.

[RuthN]

There is a significant minority presence in the Sierra Nevada especially around Yosemite and Tahoe, and also on the John Muir Trail which attracts hikers from all backgrounds apparently.

The article explores how barriers to access as well as historical personal experiences contribute to the lack of diverse faces on trails. Identifying clusters of high non-white male populations doesn’t necessarily address issues contributing to low minority participation.

[DownEaster]

Outdoor recreation is an entirely voluntary activity. As long as there are no structural barriers to participation, I don't see any reason to get worked up about lack of diversity. We might just as well complain that long trails have too many young (right out of high school or college) and old (retired) hikers, and not enough ages in between.

Enjoy the outdoors. Enjoy the people in the outdoors. Spread your enthusiasm; maybe more will join. And that's enough, I think.

[El JP]

I hate the "POC" term with a passion and the article was one of the most stupidly pointless things I have read in quite a while.

PS-Am Latino (Like that really matters in the sticks)

[rocketsocks]

Timely article.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/12/health/nature-wilderness-minorities/index.htmlwhat do you mean by timely?

[Slo-go'en]

Isn't "camping" one of the activities listed in the book of "Things only white people do"?

[rickb]

I am old enough to have seen woman’s participation in wide-range of outdoor activities grow from a small minority to a level essentially equivalent to men. Not quite there yet with thru hiking, but still ...

Did that “just happen” or was it helped along?

I am sure there will come a time when we see more minorities out on the Trails, but it sure seems to be taking a long while.

Groups like the AMC and others that work to encourage more diverse participation — especially among young people — are on the right path, I think.

[Uncle Joe]

Diversity for its own sake is pointless. It presumes that everyone is equally interested in the same things or that they should be. I find the notion off-putting on its face. I’d rather hike with someone truly passionate about the outdoors regardless of race than hike with 10 who read this article and felt compelled to represent diversity and go into the woods with some kind of activist idealism. I hike to get away from the politics.

[RuthN]

what do you mean by timely?

It’s about something happening currently.

[rocketsocks]

It’s about something happening currently.thanks, I’m gonna just assume you weren’t being cheeky. :)

[illabelle]

Just yesterday I led a hike for some kids associated with our church. Eighteen people hiked, including 9 whites, a black family of 5, 2 Hispanics, and 2 biracials. What a sight we must have been to those who are used to seeing only white faces in the woods.

I'm no expert on whatever cultural/legal/social issues have made the woods mostly white. I understand that there is history. But I detected a whiff of something in the article that bothers me. Here and there in the article I found expressions of the notion that somehow it's the fault of me or people like me if black and brown people don't hike.

A few pertinent facts:
It is not the responsibility of gear manufacturers to attempt to change the demographic makeup of the trail. Their mission is to sell merchandise to people who are interested.

I am unaware of any current restrictions regarding who can access public lands. To attribute their absence to the "legacy of slavery" or "harsh memories of migrant work" is simplistic, stereotypes people of color, and overstates the importance of these factors.

Hiking is free. Many thousands of people enter our national parks, paying whatever entrance fee is imposed, and never leave their cars. It costs nothing to park the car and wander down a trail.

No one has to travel to far-off places to experience nature. Nature exists in the night sky, on our lawns, in the trees we drive past. And wildness exists within a half-day's journey of almost everywhere in the US.

Hiking requires no equipment, no special abilities, no experience. It certainly doesn't require anyone to "own that Subaru." And the fact that mountain trails aren't wheelchair-accessible is just a fact, not a problem to solve, not an injustice.

Nature doesn't care what we look like. Bees and snakes and bears and rocks and sticks and dirt are no more hazardous to brown skin than to white skin.

Back to yesterday's hike. Among us was a black man. He is father to some teenagers, so he must be mid-30s at least. Our little 2-mile hike was his VERY FIRST HIKE, ever. Among the whites were two adolescent girls who last year touched a waterfall for the FIRST TIME EVER. Wow! I can't wait to introduce them to more outdoor adventures.

If we value nature, if we value the environment, those values will be expressed in the activities that we choose to engage in. Values. Choices. Freedom.

[LIhikers]

.............Hiking requires no equipment, no special abilities, no experience. It certainly doesn't require anyone to "own that Subaru." And the fact that mountain trails aren't wheelchair-accessible is just a fact, not a problem to solve, not an injustice.


In fact, for years Lone Wolf has been telling us it's just walking.
And to be honest, I do own that Subaru. It's 15 years old and has over 403 thousand miles

[rocketsocks]

I’m gonna stick this article in my “you can leed a horse to water but you can’t make em drink” file, meh, just meh.

[illabelle]

In fact, for years Lone Wolf has been telling us it's just walking.
And to be honest, I do own that Subaru. It's 15 years old and has over 403 thousand miles

You own a Subaru?? You must be rich. :rolleyes:

[colorado_rob]

I thought the correct word for this concept was "diversary" ??????

[JJ505]

I think that lack of diversity applies mainly to thru hiking. Not sure re: National parks and forests. But I haven't seen such a lack on local trails here. I think thru hiking is not how most people experience nature, and most people will never thru hike or even want to.

[RuthN]

Just yesterday I led a hike for some kids associated with our church. Eighteen people hiked, including 9 whites, a black family of 5, 2 Hispanics, and 2 biracials. What a sight we must have been to those who are used to seeing only white faces in the woods.

I'm no expert on whatever cultural/legal/social issues have made the woods mostly white. I understand that there is history. But I detected a whiff of something in the article that bothers me. Here and there in the article I found expressions of the notion that somehow it's the fault of me or people like me if black and brown people don't hike.

A few pertinent facts:
It is not the responsibility of gear manufacturers to attempt to change the demographic makeup of the trail. Their mission is to sell merchandise to people who are interested.

I am unaware of any current restrictions regarding who can access public lands. To attribute their absence to the "legacy of slavery" or "harsh memories of migrant work" is simplistic, stereotypes people of color, and overstates the importance of these factors.

Hiking is free. Many thousands of people enter our national parks, paying whatever entrance fee is imposed, and never leave their cars. It costs nothing to park the car and wander down a trail.

No one has to travel to far-off places to experience nature. Nature exists in the night sky, on our lawns, in the trees we drive past. And wildness exists within a half-day's journey of almost everywhere in the US.

Hiking requires no equipment, no special abilities, no experience. It certainly doesn't require anyone to "own that Subaru." And the fact that mountain trails aren't wheelchair-accessible is just a fact, not a problem to solve, not an injustice.

Nature doesn't care what we look like. Bees and snakes and bears and rocks and sticks and dirt are no more hazardous to brown skin than to white skin.

Back to yesterday's hike. Among us was a black man. He is father to some teenagers, so he must be mid-30s at least. Our little 2-mile hike was his VERY FIRST HIKE, ever. Among the whites were two adolescent girls who last year touched a waterfall for the FIRST TIME EVER. Wow! I can't wait to introduce them to more outdoor adventures.

If we value nature, if we value the environment, those values will be expressed in the activities that we choose to engage in. Values. Choices. Freedom.

Some very good points. I felt the slavery part was a stretch too.

[AllDownhillFromHere]

Written by an intern at CNN from a liberal arts college. Oh, and she's white.

[TexasBob]

I think that lack of diversity applies mainly to thru hiking. Not sure re: National parks and forests. ..............

White people are definitely the majority in every National Park I have been to and it always surprises me how few African Americans I see. The quote that"If you're a woman, if you're a person of color, if you're in a wheelchair or have a cane, if you're elderly, if you're of a faith that's different from the dominant faith, there is a wind blowing against you that only you, or only people who look like you, can feel." is something to think about. Whether you believe it true or not, if people of color feel that way it might help explain why white people predominant in national parks. (I don't know what is going on with the font size in this post. I can't get everything the same size)

[Slo-go'en]

Written by an intern at CNN from a liberal arts college. Oh, and she's white.

So, what has that to do with anything? Was there anything factually wrong with the article? We can argue for reasons why, but the fact remains there is little diversity in the backpacking community and long distance hiking in particular. The author of the study concentrated on National Park visitors, which makes sense since you can qualify Park visits a lot easier then who visits random trail heads. But as anyone who has spent time on the AT or in trail towns knows, the AT is about as lily white as it can get. Is that because of our privileged heritage or some predisposition to wander lust? Inquiring minds want to know...

[rocketsocks]

So, what has that to do with anything? Was there anything factually wrong with the article? We can argue for reasons why, but the fact remains there is little diversity in the backpacking community and long distance hiking in particular. The author of the study concentrated on National Park visitors, which makes sense since you can qualify Park visits a lot easier then who visits random trail heads. But as anyone who has spent time on the AT or in trail towns knows, the AT is about as lily white as it can get. Is that because of our privileged heritage or some predisposition to wander lust? Inquiring minds want to know...if by privileged ya mean insiteful enough to know that giving up the creature comforts of home can not only build character but is down right fun in the worst of weather.

[rocketsocks]

...then aye, am privileged.

[rocketsocks]

I really see not point in fixing a problem by creating an issue, who cares! Honestly.

[Odd Man Out]

Outdoor recreation is an entirely voluntary activity. As long as there are no structural barriers to participation, I don't see any reason to get worked up about lack of diversity. We might just as well complain that long trails have too many young (right out of high school or college) and old (retired) hikers, and not enough ages in between.

Enjoy the outdoors. Enjoy the people in the outdoors. Spread your enthusiasm; maybe more will join. And that's enough, I think.

We like to think we have free-will and are masters of our own destiny, but in reality we are victims (or beneficiaries) of our circumstances, whether we like it or not, whether we admit it or not. So to say participation in wilderness recreation is entirely voluntary may be literally true but the reality is much more complicated. Being a member of a Catholic Church is also voluntary, but you are much more likely to be Catholic if you were raised in a family and community where being Catholic is common. Going to college is voluntary, but you are much more likely to go to (and be successful in) college if you were raised in a family and community where going to college is common. You can also substitute negative circumstances into this sentence (child abuse, homelessness, etc...) and it will still be true. So while there may not be structural barriers to prevent people from participating in beneficial activities, there are barriers of culture and tradition and these are barriers just the same.

I know there are physical and emotional benefits to wilderness recreation (and there are plenty of studies to support this) and it is not my nature to restrict these benefits to people of my community. I also value wilderness conservation, not just for my benefit, but for the benefit of the planet as a whole, and thus having more people who understand this is also a good thing. Therefore, for me, I do see it as a problem when there is a large community of people for whom access to wilderness recreation is "restricted" and if I wanted to have the greatest positive impact on people and on wilderness conservation, this is where I would focus my efforts.

Now for my personal anecdote. My wife and I visited Yosemite NP six years ago. This was the summer after after Oprah Winfrey broadcast some shows profiling her camping trip trip to Yosemite at the invitation of Shelton Johnson, the African American park ranger (whom you may also know from his interviews in Ken Burns' documentary series on the NPS). Ranger Johnson was was concerned about the low number of African American visitors to the National Parks (1% was the number he gave at the time) and thought Oprah would be a good person to shed some light on this issue. On our trip, my wife and I took a ranger guided walk through the Maraposa Grove. The ranger who led the walk (whose name I forgot, I'm sorry), was an African American. Before the walk started, he said he wanted to start out by per-emptively answering the question everyone asks. "What was Oprah like?". He explained that it was not him, but Ranger Johnson who was on that episode. Shelton, he explained "is the other black park ranger."

[tdoczi]

So while there may not be structural barriers to prevent people from participating in beneficial activities, there are barriers of culture and tradition and these are barriers just the same.

where this argument fails is in the implication, which is unconscious and not acknowledged, that one way is better than the other. you're stating your culture is better, but whos to say it is?

going to college is a good example. who says this is a good thing? you believe it is because of how you were raised. it is not intrinsically so. you see, it cuts both ways.

whos to say being outdoors is some sort of great beneficial thing? people who were raised that way.

so others should do it too? you're guilty of the "sin" you are preaching against.

[RuthN]

We like to think we have free-will and are masters of our own destiny, but in reality we are victims (or beneficiaries) of our circumstances, whether we like it or not, whether we admit it or not. So to say participation in wilderness recreation is entirely voluntary may be literally true but the reality is much more complicated. Being a member of a Catholic Church is also voluntary, but you are much more likely to be Catholic if you were raised in a family and community where being Catholic is common. Going to college is voluntary, but you are much more likely to go to (and be successful in) college if you were raised in a family and community where going to college is common. You can also substitute negative circumstances into this sentence (child abuse, homelessness, etc...) and it will still be true. So while there may not be structural barriers to prevent people from participating in beneficial activities, there are barriers of culture and tradition and these are barriers just the same.

I know there are physical and emotional benefits to wilderness recreation (and there are plenty of studies to support this) and it is not my nature to restrict these benefits to people of my community. I also value wilderness conservation, not just for my benefit, but for the benefit of the planet as a whole, and thus having more people who understand this is also a good thing. Therefore, for me, I do see it as a problem when there is a large community of people for whom access to wilderness recreation is "restricted" and if I wanted to have the greatest positive impact on people and on wilderness conservation, this is where I would focus my efforts.

Now for my personal anecdote. My wife and I visited Yosemite NP six years ago. This was the summer after after Oprah Winfrey broadcast some shows profiling her camping trip trip to Yosemite at the invitation of Shelton Johnson, the African American park ranger (whom you may also know from his interviews in Ken Burns' documentary series on the NPS). Ranger Johnson was was concerned about the low number of African American visitors to the National Parks (1% was the number he gave at the time) and thought Oprah would be a good person to shed some light on this issue. On our trip, my wife and I took a ranger guided walk through the Maraposa Grove. The ranger who led the walk (whose name I forgot, I'm sorry), was an African American. Before the walk started, he said he wanted to start out by per-emptively answering the question everyone asks. "What was Oprah like?". He explained that it was not him, but Ranger Johnson who was on that episode. Shelton, he explained "is the other black park ranger."

Thank you for this insightful commentary, well thought out and articulately expressed.

[DownEaster]

We like to think we have free-will and are masters of our own destiny, but in reality we are victims (or beneficiaries) of our circumstances, whether we like it or not, whether we admit it or not. So to say participation in wilderness recreation is entirely voluntary may be literally true but the reality is much more complicated. Being a member of a Catholic Church is also voluntary, but you are much more likely to be Catholic if you were raised in a family and community where being Catholic is common. Going to college is voluntary, but you are much more likely to go to (and be successful in) college if you were raised in a family and community where going to college is common. You can also substitute negative circumstances into this sentence (child abuse, homelessness, etc...) and it will still be true. So while there may not be structural barriers to prevent people from participating in beneficial activities, there are barriers of culture and tradition and these are barriers just the same.
This is pretty much total nonsense, as far as I can tell. I was, in fact, raised Catholic; I'm not a Catholic now. Nobody in my family tree had gone to college, yet I did.

Free will exists. Every day provides new challenges (not barriers), and you either overcome them or fail to do so. So-called "barriers of culture and tradition" have only the weight we give to them, and I prefer to give them very little weight indeed.

[El JP]

So, what has that to do with anything? Was there anything factually wrong with the article? We can argue for reasons why, but the fact remains there is little diversity in the backpacking community and long distance hiking in particular. The author of the study concentrated on National Park visitors, which makes sense since you can qualify Park visits a lot easier then who visits random trail heads. But as anyone who has spent time on the AT or in trail towns knows, the AT is about as lily white as it can get. Is that because of our privileged heritage or some predisposition to wander lust? Inquiring minds want to know...

The writer is a typical self loathing SJW agenda pusher. Articles such as that are par for the course these days from graduates of universities that have increasingly become indoctrination and propaganda centers. Read enough material from these writers and you can actually have fun of sorts seeing exactly how far in before the evil White man is blamed for virtually every social ill on the planet. This one at least had the "decency" of blaming only the rich ones, but there you go.

As far as why being out in the boonies is a predominantly White demographic, who knows exactly? But i'll tell you this, if i went around and announced i was going to do the AT, people would look at me like i was either out of my mind or just plain stupid. To be brutally honest, quite a number of people i've known throughout the years in the barrios, ghettoes, slums, etc wouldn't give the slightest bit of a damn about something like hiking/backpacking, much less thruhiking. To be out there getting rained on, sloshing through mud, bugs everywhere, sleeping in the rough, etc for the sheer pleasure of it is dumber than dumb, period. Those folks are purely Urban types with a trip to the beach or something like Bear MT being nature time. I'll get a better reaction by laying out the maps and pictures of the hairiest parts of the trail and defining it as a challenge or a competition. Muy macho, you know. Even then people will think i've gone all the way nuts (Personally, i have a lifelong rep of crazy ass behavior at times). Might as well not say anything until Springer.

As i mentioned before, the article is just plainly one of the most idiotic things i've ever seen. What's next, quotas perhaps? Affirmative Action distance reductions for the Triple Crown? Racial reservations at shelters?

[whatsahill]

As i mentioned before, the article is just plainly one of the most idiotic things i've ever seen. What's next, quotas perhaps? Affirmative Action distance reductions for the Triple Crown? Racial reservations at shelters?

You should really step away from that slippery slope.

[rickb]

where this argument fails is in the implication, which is unconscious and not acknowledged, that one way is better than the other. you're stating your culture is better, but whos to say it is?

I would disagree.

People are more likely to explore new experiences and challenges when they see others they identify with go before them.

Isn’t that a big reason why we have something like 20,000 2000-milers on record?

Isn’t that a big part of why see the hikes of Earl Shaffer and Grandma Gratewood as so significant?

As an aside, I had long thought I was the last southbounder the year I hiked (1983).

I later learned that a (edit: possible) Tuskegee Airman was just a short while behind me at least until Harpers Ferry, and very possibly the all the way to Springer.

I wish I would have had a chance to share a shelter conversation with him.

[tdoczi]

I would disagree.

People are more likely to explore new experiences and challenges when they see others they identify with go before them.


but it cuts both ways. are there no experiences you or i do not seek because we don't see others like us engaging in them, whatever we take to mean "like us" ?

is anyone bemoaning that there are "barriers" preventing us from experiencing those things and that everyone must all band together to tear down those walls? whos to say it would actually truly be of a benefit for us to be able to experience them?

i go back to the college example, as it is something a certain segment of the population embraces and sees value in. not everyone gets to go to college. to think this is an inherently negative thing is nonsense. college is good for some, or at least perceived as good for some. it is not a universal truth that it is.

same applies for hiking. to sit here and say that people who face "barriers" that prevent them from hiking totally ignores the fact that maybe, perhaps for cultural reasons beyond their control, they just have no desire to hike, and that there is not anything wrong with that.

there are barriers, real or imagined, all around us for all of us. we pick and choose ones that we notice and decide are some sort of major issue. especially lately.

[TexasBob]

........ Every day provides new challenges (not barriers), and you either overcome them or fail to do so. So-called "barriers of culture and tradition" have only the weight we give to them, and I prefer to give them very little weight indeed.

I think barrier is the wrong word in this discussion. I think it is more along the line if being comfortable and at ease with your surroundings and the people around you. When I was picking out a college it never occurred to me to go a historically black college because I was pretty sure I wouldn't feel comfortable and at ease with my surroundings because there wouldn't be many people who looked liked me. Maybe that is how African Americans feel about National Parks. There are no "barriers" but they just don't feel comfortable and at ease because not many people there look like they do.

[Coffee]

For people of mixed background (myself included) trail names actually further reduce any differences. I've hiked a lot of miles in recent years and I've never noticed any racial discord and I have in fact seen many minorities and women on long trails, and also minorities in developed areas particularly in California (Yosemite, Sequoia, Point Reyes, etc) but also in Shenandoah National Park, probably due to the proximity of the park to diverse parts of Northern Virginia and DC. BTW, the nicest people in America are consistently found in small towns in the South and Appalachia. I sometimes wonder about the stuff I read about stereotypes in newspapers and magazines written and read by people who probably hardly know the places they speak of from first-hand experience.

[tdoczi]

When I was picking out a college it never occurred to me to go a historically black college because I was pretty sure I wouldn't feel comfortable and at ease with my surroundings because there wouldn't be many people who looked liked me.

and is there something wrong with those schools? should those colleges have made more of an effort to make you feel welcomed? are they flawed or doing something wrong because they did not?

conversely, did they actively in anyway do anything to prevent you from attending?

no one should be prevented from doing something, but neither should the people who do those things fall all over themselves trying to convince others thatthey should be doing it and that the reasons why they are not already is some nefarious evil that needs correcting.

[nsherry61]

Interesting thread.

I thought the article brought up a lot of good points and the comments in this thread highlight a few of the really questionable generalizations made by the article's author.

1) Yeah, outdoor recreation is predominantly white males, like business executives have been, and like the NFL and NBA are predominantly black males and farm workers and janitors (in my personal experience) tend to be dominantly Latino.

2) There are a lot of reasons, many historic and cultural, including media messaging/stereotyping, that lead to these various gender and racial biases in activities. AND, in my opinion, strongly homogeneous groups are generally (not always) indicative of some kind of cultural stereotyping that is often not fair or healthy for that community.

3) Diversity DOES matter, because without at least some cross-section of people from across cultures with different experiences and expectations we become blind to alternative approaches to issues and become myopic and arrogant about our values and what we believe, expect and do. My favorite example of the value of diversity in community is how many organized religions and/or political groups gain confidence that their point of view is right just because they have a whole group of people in a room together (actual room or metaphorical room) that agree with each other and therefore conclude that the rest of the world must be wrong instead of just legitimately differing in their opinion, approach or judgement of value.

4) So, I STRONGLY support the efforts of our outdoor community in changing our imaging and outreach efforts to include more people from more different backgrounds that look different from me. I don't feel guilty or responsible for there not being more black, brown, and non-male participants in the outdoors, BUT, I love and support the idea of encouraging more diverse participation.

[rocketsocks]

Leave it to a bunch a over educated white folk, I’m gonna employ occums razor and say...minority’s have the good sense to come in outta the rain.

[JPritch]

I get it. I am an evil white man. I have white privilege. I have male privilege. I have Christian privilege. I have being tall privilege. Unfortunately I don't have handsome privilege. I feel so ashamed for everything I have, even if I had to work hard for it. I will now rightly feel guilt every time I hit the trail. Bless you, SJW's, for you have shown me the light!

[illabelle]

I get it. I am an evil white man. I have white privilege. I have male privilege. I have Christian privilege. I have being tall privilege. Unfortunately I don't have handsome privilege. I feel so ashamed for everything I have, even if I had to work hard for it. I will now rightly feel guilt every time I hit the trail. Bless you, SJW's, for you have shown me the light!

You DO get it! :)

I would love to see more black and brown people who overcome historic/cultural barriers and engage in the world we share with them. And I enjoy opening their eyes to the natural world. But please, SJW, don't blame me if they don't accept my invitation.

[Lone Wolf]

much ado over nothing. it's a non-issue. you either recreate in the outdoors or you don't. nobody is stopping anyone from enjoying the outdoors. bucncha middle class white folks thinkin' they know why folks don't walk in woods. phhttttt

[TX Aggie]

much ado over nothing. it's a non-issue. you either recreate in the outdoors or you don't. nobody is stopping anyone from enjoying the outdoors. bucncha middle class white folks thinkin' they know why folks don't walk in woods. phhttttt

Lol, exactly!

[rickb]

I, for one, applaud clubs like the AMC and ATC that recognize the obvious lack of minority participation in things that have been such a big part of the lives of so many on Whiteblaze, then take extra steps to reach out.

Seems neighborly.

Not sure why some are so defensive — if a writer doesn’t make her points just right, so what.

The bigger picture is far important than winning points in some imaginary debate with a writer on a deadline.

Years ago, there were not all that many people who hiked the length of the AT — less than 1000 up to the early 80s.

Now close to 20,000 have — of all ages, backgrounds and physical abilities. Somewhere, a critical mass was reached that let a whole lot of people know they too can give a thru hike a shot, that it is not something reserved for people somehow different from them. This is an amazing evolution.

That thoughtful people and organizations are interested in extending a hand to less represented groups, so that those groups might obtain their own critical mass in the context of outdoor recreation, that’s a good thing.

[TX Aggie]

I, for one, applaud clubs like the AMC and ATC that recognize the obvious lack of minority participation in things that have been such a big part of the lives of so many on Whiteblaze, then take extra steps to reach out.

Seems neighborly.

Not sure why some are so defensive — if a writer doesn’t make her points just right, so what.

The bigger picture is far important than winning points in some imaginary debate with a writer on a deadline.

Years ago, there were not all that many people who hiked the length of the AT — less than 1000 up to the early 80s.

Now close to 20,000 have — of all ages, backgrounds and physical abilities. Somewhere, a critical mass was reached that let a whole lot of people know they too can give a thru hike a shot, that it is not something reserved for people somehow different from them. This is an amazing evolution.

That thoughtful people and organizations are interested in extending a hand to less represented groups, so that those groups might obtain their own critical mass in the context of outdoor recreation, that’s a good thing.

Hiking/outdoor recreation is just like any activity: those involved think it’s great and want to encourage others to try it as well. That’s a great goal to have, you’re only trying to share your experience in an effort for others to find enjoyment in it as well.

The issue comes when “someone” decides that the right/wrong people do this activity too much or not enough. They try on one hand to separate people out based on genetic, cultural, economic differences, then in the next great claim there’s a problem because everyone doesn’t participate in equal (fair) proportions.

It’s ludicrous, and frankly overtly offensive, even racist and hypocritical. And it all starts because one person decides it’s a “problem.”

[tdoczi]

It’s ludicrous, and frankly overtly offensive, even racist and hypocritical. And it all starts because one person decides it’s a “problem.”

yup, saved me from having to say it. thanks.

[Deadeye]

As far as I'm concerned, anyone and everyone is welcome on the trails and in the woods. However, things are crowded enough already - I'm not going to actively encourage any more people of any size, shape, religion or color to go in.

I'm also not going to feel bad or apologize for being born white, having good parents, and working my tail off for what I have - which includes 2 very used Subarus.

[Lone Wolf]

agree........

[TX Aggie]

As far as I'm concerned, anyone and everyone is welcome on the trails and in the woods. However, things are crowded enough already - I'm not going to actively encourage any more people of any size, shape, religion or color to go in.

I'm also not going to feel bad or apologize for being born white, having good parents, and working my tail off for what I have - which includes 2 very used Subarus.

To quote a line from one of my favorite artists:

Who knows, maybe we’ll convert all those city folks into country folks, and they’ll all move out to the country.
Then the country won’t be country anymore.

[Last Call]

This has been a problem for years and years and is just now, thankfully, coming to light. I only wish the royalty of the trail, Thru-hikers, would step up and address this problem. We could donate good, (not used) gear to inner-city schools and develop programs to encourage participation in outdoor pursuits, as well as provide transportation to State & National Parks for the purposes of hiking with long distance hikers/experts who could lead by example....who wouldn't enjoy showing an underpriviledged child his first turtle or waterfall?

[rickb]

The issue comes when “someone” decides that the right/wrong people do this activity too much or not enough. They try on one hand to separate people out based on genetic, cultural, economic differences, then in the next great claim there’s a problem because everyone doesn’t participate in equal (fair) proportions.
It’s ludicrous, and frankly overtly offensive, even racist and hypocritical. And it all starts because one person decides it’s a “problem.”
More like an opportunity.

There are a a lot of activities that are more popular with one demographic than another.

The shooting sports might be one.

Would you be offended if “someone” at a gun club thought it might be a good idea to reach out to woman to introduce them the hobby?

If not, why not?

Share the love!

[cmoulder]

This has been a problem for years and years and is just now, thankfully, coming to light. I only wish the royalty of the trail, Thru-hikers, would step up and address this problem. We could donate good, (not used) gear to inner-city schools and develop programs to encourage participation in outdoor pursuits, as well as provide transportation to State & National Parks for the purposes of hiking with long distance hikers/experts who could lead by example....who wouldn't enjoy showing an underpriviledged child his first turtle or waterfall?

Really? If that's the way you feel, step up and do it yourself. Pick a school and start a program right there in Memphis and see how many takers you get.

I think you'll find out pretty quickly that the "barriers" are overwhelmingly cultural and that all the donated gear and free transportation and encouragement in the world will not convince inner-city folk that hiking and camping in the woods is fun and a way they'd prefer to spend their time.

You might as well try to get them into curling while you're at it.

[rickb]

You might as well try to get them into curling while you're at it.

Those with a different mindset might be interested in clicking this link to the AMC’s Youth Opportunities Program web page:

https://www.outdoors.org/youth-programs/youth-opportunities-program/index.cfm

[El JP]

Really? If that's the way you feel, step up and do it yourself. Pick a school and start a program right there in Memphis and see how many takers you get.

I think you'll find out pretty quickly that the "barriers" are overwhelmingly cultural and that all the donated gear and free transportation and encouragement in the world will not convince inner-city folk that hiking and camping in the woods is fun and a way they'd prefer to spend their time.

You might as well try to get them into curling while you're at it.

100 percent this^^^^^^^^^

The area where i am at now has a population of about 160,000 and about 70 percent is Latino. In all the activities, sports, etc done here how many backpackers do you figure? Personally, i've never known a single one. There are quite a few hunters and fishermen as those activities are something practical and useful. I'm actually humoring myself at the moment picturing faces and reactions of telling people something along the lines of "Hey man, let's go walk in the woods. If we're lucky it doesn't rain all over us and if it does just keep walking. We'll eventually hang out in a tent about the size of a doghouse, get some sleep, and do it again tomorrow. It'll be a lot of fun" Imagine trying to pitch that experience in places like Newark, East Orange, or Paterson. Or at the projects up in the Bronx or over in Brooklyn.

It's not that far to the AT from here either. Just catch the train to Port Jervis out of Hoboken and make your way over.

[TX Aggie]

More like an opportunity.

There are a a lot of activities that are more popular with one demographic than another.

The shooting sports might be one.

Would you be offended if “someone” at a gun club thought it might be a good idea to reach out to woman to introduce them the hobby?

If not, why not?

Share the love!

Valid point. But there’s a difference: inviting people to share in the experience is not the same as saying “we need more X in order to be more diversified.”

From a shooting sports angle, women benefit from concealed carry much more than men. It’s frontier women that gave the Colt Army the designation of “the great equalizer.”


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Coffee]

100 percent this^^^^^^^^^
The area where i am at now has a population of about 160,000 and about 70 percent is Latino. In all the activities, sports, etc done here how many backpackers do you figure? Personally, i've never known a single one. There are quite a few hunters and fishermen as those activities are something practical and useful. I'm actually humoring myself at the moment picturing faces and reactions of telling people something along the lines of "Hey man, let's go walk in the woods. If we're lucky it doesn't rain all over us and if it does just keep walking. We'll eventually hang out in a tent about the size of a doghouse, get some sleep, and do it again tomorrow. It'll be a lot of fun" Imagine trying to pitch that experience in places like Newark, East Orange, or Paterson. Or at the projects up in the Bronx or over in Brooklyn.
It's not that far to the AT from here either. Just catch the train to Port Jervis out of Hoboken and make your way over.

Backpacking resembles being homeless, only crazy white people stupid enough to pay $500 for freaking tarps do it in the woods for FUN! LOL.

(jk ... :)

[TexasBob]

...............That thoughtful people and organizations are interested in extending a hand to less represented groups, so that those groups might obtain their own critical mass in the context of outdoor recreation, that’s a good thing.

Good thought well expressed rickb. The Park Service always gets the short end of the stick when it comes to funding now. 50 years from now white people who mostly use the parks presently will be a minority group in this country according to the census predictions. What will happen to funding for national parks if the majority of folks never want or intend to visit them and feel no connection to the outdoors? It is short sighted not to try and encourage everybody to appreciate the outdoors.

[cmoulder]

Those with a different mindset might be interested in clicking this link to the AMC’s Youth Opportunities Program web page:

https://www.outdoors.org/youth-programs/youth-opportunities-program/index.cfm

Ah, the good ol' AMC, still ensconced in their posh digs at 5 Joy Street? (I know the answer. I still get the mailings from time to time.)

It was this episode (http://www.ohcroo.com/galehead_trek.cfm) that signaled to me that the AMC no longer needed my humble membership fee. This has got to rank right up there with the most egregious examples of PC gone wild, replete with the most bizarre stunt ever concocted in a lame attempt to "prove" they were right. How many wheelchairs have graced those ramps and giant bathroom stalls since?

[rickb]

It was this episode (http://www.ohcroo.com/galehead_trek.cfm) that signaled to me that the AMC no longer needed my humble membership fee. This has got to rank right up there with the most egregious examples of PC gone wild, replete with the most bizarre stunt ever concocted in a lame attempt to "prove" they were right. How many wheelchairs have graced those ramps and giant bathroom stalls since?
The AMC’s construction of the Galehead Hut was done on Federal land to conform to Federal standards.

While one can question the wisdom of inflexible standards (I will no doubt do the same over the holidays if I witness my 87 year old mother get carded at Wegman’s yet again), sometimes you just have to smile.

As to the hike you reference, I can understand how you might have assumed it was led by the AMC, given the number of trips led by the parent organization, and the far greater number led by volunteers from the AMC’s many chapters.

That said, the “episode” you reference was organized and led by a different organization all together.

At least that is what the article you posted says.

[RuthN]

I love this conversation.

I attended the ALDHA Gathering in October and saw only white people. I have since been pondering this - are current demographics good or bad? Does it matter? Should something be done to change demographics? If so, what? Maybe the trail experience transcends "real-world" concerns. Maybe it's crucial that many faces are represented on the trail. The variety of viewpoints is what makes the trail - and this country - amazing.

[Full disclosure: I am a white graduate of a liberal arts college and have never owned a Subaru ;) ]

[cmoulder]

The AMC’s construction of the Galehead Hut was done on Federal land to conform to Federal standards.

While one can question the wisdom of inflexible standards (I will no doubt do the same over the holidays if I witness my 87 year old mother get carded at Wegman’s yet again), sometimes you just have to smile.

As to the hike you reference, I can understand how you might have assumed it was led by the AMC, given the number of trips led by the parent organization, and the far greater number led by volunteers from the AMC’s many chapters.

That said, the “episode” you reference was organized and led by a different organization all together.

At least that is what the article you posted says.
How many handicapped people have visited Galehead Hut since that one stunt 17 or 18 years ago? I couldn't find any google references to this.

[illabelle]

I love this conversation.

I attended the ALDHA Gathering in October and saw only white people. I have since been pondering this - are current demographics good or bad? Does it matter? Should something be done to change demographics? If so, what? Maybe the trail experience transcends "real-world" concerns. Maybe it's crucial that many faces are represented on the trail. The variety of viewpoints is what makes the trail - and this country - amazing.

[Full disclosure: I am a white graduate of a liberal arts college and have never owned a Subaru ;) ]

You're not alone in your pondering. How do people who never visit the wild places care about something that is only conceptual, that isn't real to them? How do the urban dwellers who claim to be protectors of the environment justify that claim if they avoid contact with it? Is their concern limited to the self-centered, human-centered issues of having clean water and clear air and trash removal? I typed and re-typed this paragraph over and over, trying to avoid politics, but it's in here ...

To your questions: Yes, it would be better if a wider variety of people cared about the trails and the wilderness. Yes, those of us who care should care enough to see that the next generation continues to care.

[rickb]

How many handicapped people have visited Galehead Hut since that one stunt 17 or 18 years ago? I couldn't find any google references to this.
Do you mean after the “stunt” you said was organized and carried out by the AMC, but which in fact was not?

That is to say after the “stunt” that you found to be such an affront, it caused you to part ways with the AMC?

Even though that “stunt” was spearheaded by a UNH outdoor recreation program, and not the AMC at all?

[cmoulder]

Do you mean after the “stunt” you said was organized and carried out by the AMC, but which in fact was not?

That is to say after the “stunt” that you found to be such an affront, it caused you to part ways with the AMC?

Even though that “stunt” was spearheaded by a UNH outdoor recreation program, and not the AMC at all?

In other words, None.

The AMC spent an estimated $30,000 to $50,000 of members' dues for the benefit of 5 people for one overnight visit.

[rickb]

In other words, None.

The AMC spent an estimated $30,000 to $50,000 of members' dues for the benefit of 5 people for one overnight visit.


The ADA accomodations were explicitly mandated by the US Forest Service.

Why so full of anger?

[TX Aggie]

I love this conversation.

I attended the ALDHA Gathering in October and saw only white people. I have since been pondering this - are current demographics good or bad? Does it matter? Should something be done to change demographics? If so, what? Maybe the trail experience transcends "real-world" concerns. Maybe it's crucial that many faces are represented on the trail. The variety of viewpoints is what makes the trail - and this country - amazing.

[Full disclosure: I am a white graduate of a liberal arts college and have never owned a Subaru ;) ]

Again: why must “something be done?”

Why the compulsion to assume all cultures should adhere to white culture? Why is it when a group is predominantly white it’s “racist” or “discriminatory,” but when a minority group predominates an activity its “preserving culture?”

It amazes me that the very people who cry for equality are the first ones to single out things on race.

If you have minority friends who you think would enjoy camping, by all means invite them. But a blanket statement saying more minorities need to get outdoors simply because not enough are participating is the very definition of racism.

[RuthN]

Again: why must “something be done?”

Why the compulsion to assume all cultures should adhere to white culture? Why is it when a group is predominantly white it’s “racist” or “discriminatory,” but when a minority group predominates an activity its “preserving culture?”

It amazes me that the very people who cry for equality are the first ones to single out things on race.

If you have minority friends who you think would enjoy camping, by all means invite them. But a blanket statement saying more minorities need to get outdoors simply because not enough are participating is the very definition of racism.

I’m not making that statement. It was one of the series of possible questions people are asking and/or answering. I’m not taking a stand here.

[TX Aggie]

I’m not making that statement. It was one of the series of possible questions people are asking and/or answering. I’m not taking a stand here.

Point taken, but the storyline has been set and repeated. I’m not accusing, simply bringing to light the thought process that many are afraid to address.

I understand it’s hard not to fall into the narrative.

Again, if you have friends that you think would enjoy the outdoors, invite them. Don’t worry about what they look like. I don’t care what you look like as long as you enjoy what you’re doing.

[El JP]

I’m not making that statement. It was one of the series of possible questions people are asking and/or answering. I’m not taking a stand here.

Here's a way to look at it...Who's bringing up the issue? Why? And what angle are they taking? Political types have to be liars to one extent or the other.

It's part of the game.

[rickb]

Here's a way to look at it...Who's bringing up the issue? Why?

Who is bringing up the issue?

Well, the Appalacian Trail Conservancy for one:

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home/about-us/accountability-and-transparency/broader-relevancy

If they are wrong for doing so, let them know — I suspect a few at the ATC may even be reading this thread— as disheartening as it has become.

I expect you and others won’t however. Because you know they are right, and the only way to suggest otherwise to take issue with points that they and the AMC and NPS and other organizations on the front lines are simply not making — with your strawman arguments and focus an a single CNN article.

It is not about forcing ones values on others, or suggesting that all people need to recreate the same way. It’s about sharing the passion and commitment to the Trail and outdoors to a broader base of people — including groups who have been conspicuously absent.

That takes vision and leadership — I wish them well.

[El JP]

Who is bringing up the issue?

Well, the Appalacian Trail Conservancy for one:

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home/about-us/accountability-and-transparency/broader-relevancy

If they are wrong for doing so, let them know — I suspect a few at the ATC may even be reading this thread— as disheartening as it has become.

I expect you and others won’t however. Because you know they are right, and the only way to suggest otherwise to take issue with points that they and the AMC and NPS and other organizations on the front lines are simply not making — with your strawman arguments and focus an a single CNN article.

It is not about forcing ones values on others, or suggesting that all people need to recreate the same way. It’s about sharing the passion and commitment to the Trail and outdoors to a broader base of people — including groups who have been conspicuously absent.

That takes vision and leadership — I wish them well.

What a heck of a coincidence.

I'm one of the minorities they hope will be out in the boonies and unfortunately for them, i came onto this on my own without even knowing they were trying to introduce me it. The last thing we (you ought to know damn well who we are discussing by now) need is some more condescending actions, words, and gestures. Right about now i'm sorta thinking about what kind of stereotypical racial/cultural/subcultural/etc things i ought to pull off to "enrich" the experience of those i might run into on the trail.

See all these people writing these these articles and all? They want to make a real effort, they better be going right down to the street level or it's all just pissing against the wind. Anything less will just be catching those lower middle class/upper lower class types who live in suburbia or are on the verge of getting there. The really core inner city types? Good luck that they ever hear anything about hiking/backpacking in a way that relates to them from the ivory tower dwellers.

[SWODaddy]

White people are definitely the majority in every National Park I have been to and it always surprises me how few African Americans I see. The quote that"If you're a woman, if you're a person of color, if you're in a wheelchair or have a cane, if you're elderly, if you're of a faith that's different from the dominant faith, there is a wind blowing against you that only you, or only people who look like you, can feel." is something to think about. Whether you believe it true or not, if people of color feel that way it might help explain why white people predominant in national parks. (I don't know what is going on with the font size in this post. I can't get everything the same size)


Oh BS. First, it's condescending (at best) to expect different people from different cultures to like what you like, even if you wrap it in a self-loathing blanket of perceived oppression.

That said, ever been to Shenandoah NP on a Sunday? You'll think you're in India driving down skyline drive. They aren't on the backcountry trails, but most of them are in big groups with family, including the elderly. What the hell is wrong with that? Maybe there's something to be learned about family from this, whereas there are plenty of long distance hikers trying to escape from theirs....

[SWODaddy]

It is not about forcing ones values on others, or suggesting that all people need to recreate the same way. It’s about sharing the passion and commitment to the Trail and outdoors to a broader base of people — including groups who have been conspicuously absent.


You're saying the same thing. You can put whatever happy spin you want on it, but you're still imposing your values on others who might not even want them.

[tdoczi]

Oh BS. First, it's condescending (at best) to expect different people from different cultures to like what you like, even if you wrap it in a self-loathing blanket of perceived oppression.


people of that viewpoint will never get it. their worldview is entirely too narrow, clothed in the veil of openness and, to use the buzzword of the day, "tolerance."

what they are in fact are closet totalitarians.

[tdoczi]

people of that viewpoint will never get it. their worldview is entirely too narrow, clothed in the veil of openness and, to use the buzzword of the day, "tolerance."

what they are in fact are closet totalitarians.

and yes, some of those totalitarians work in the NPs or the ATC or the AMC, probably in large part because they want the means to spread their "vision."

it doesnt change who they are.

[TX Aggie]

Who is bringing up the issue?

Well, the Appalacian Trail Conservancy for one:

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home/about-us/accountability-and-transparency/broader-relevancy

If they are wrong for doing so, let them know — I suspect a few at the ATC may even be reading this thread— as disheartening as it has become.

I expect you and others won’t however. Because you know they are right, and the only way to suggest otherwise to take issue with points that they and the AMC and NPS and other organizations on the front lines are simply not making — with your strawman arguments and focus an a single CNN article.

It is not about forcing ones values on others, or suggesting that all people need to recreate the same way. It’s about sharing the passion and commitment to the Trail and outdoors to a broader base of people — including groups who have been conspicuously absent.

That takes vision and leadership — I wish them well.

The ATC is a political entity.

Do I applaud them for reaching out to more people? Yes....
And no. Yes because, well, that’s kind of the reason for their whole existence. No because we’re hearing stories every year of how the Trail is becoming more crowded and newer hikers are less respectful of LNT guidelines.

However, I think targeting specific groups simply because someone says the current mix of hikers isn’t diverse enough is itself racist.

[perdidochas]

The ADA accomodations were explicitly mandated by the US Forest Service.

Why so full of anger?
Because it is a waste of money that could be used for something that is actually useful. The U.S. Forest Service is silly to make such a requirement.

[Deadeye]

[Full disclosure: I am a white graduate of a liberal arts college and have never owned a Subaru ;) ]

Do they even sell Subarus in Texas? I had a job in Atlanta a few years ago, and it was days before I saw one. Seems 3 out of every 4 cars in VT is a Subaru.

[rocketsocks]

...forgot to add, it’s my feeling articles like this tend to devide.

[Malto]

much ado over nothing. it's a non-issue. you either recreate in the outdoors or you don't. nobody is stopping anyone from enjoying the outdoors. bucncha middle class white folks thinkin' they know why folks don't walk in woods. phhttttt
Probably the longest LW post yet and one of the wisest!!!!!

[rocketsocks]

much ado over nothing. it's a non-issue. you either recreate in the outdoors or you don't. nobody is stopping anyone from enjoying the outdoors. bucncha middle class white folks thinkin' they know why folks don't walk in woods. phhttttt


Probably the longest LW post yet and one of the wisest!!!!!
We shoulda just checked with Lone Wolf first, coulda saved a bunch a non-senseicle postin’ :D

[Lone Wolf]

why no folks of color play hockey is the real ?

[Pondjumpr]

White people are definitely the majority in every National Park I have been to


If by "white" you mean Asian, I agree.

I have been in the outdoors most of my life. It is indeed rare to see a black family camping or hiking. As I think about it, I never remember camping beside or near a black family or even Asian, African, etc. I have tons of white friends and family that I have tried to get into camping or hiking and they thinks it is crazy. Sometimes I think I am crazy to leave my warm, climate controlled king size bed and sleep on a thin pad on the ground under a thin sheet of nylon in freezing temperatures. I still do it and I love it. The reference to spending $500 on a tarp to pretend we are homeless is fitting. Just enjoy the outdoors if you want and invite others to experience it. Don't worry about those who don't have a desire to experience it, regardless of their skin color.

[colorado_rob]

It is strange and curious why such a dearth of African Americans in a lot of the outdoor recreations, but as far as Asians go, in the western USA national parks, I would say there are nearly as many of them as whites. Some parks the Asians seem to have a plurality.

Go to the grand canyon or Yosemite and see for yourself.

And in Colorado where we have a 40 percent Hispanic population, I am seeing more and more of these folks out there.

[TexasBob]

Oh BS. First, it's condescending (at best) to expect different people from different cultures to like what you like, even if you wrap it in a self-loathing blanket of perceived oppression.

That said, ever been to Shenandoah NP on a Sunday? You'll think you're in India driving down skyline drive. They aren't on the backcountry trails, but most of them are in big groups with family, including the elderly. What the hell is wrong with that? Maybe there's something to be learned about family from this, whereas there are plenty of long distance hikers trying to escape from theirs....

Yes I have been to SNP on Sundays, how many black people did you see? Go to any public park on a holiday in Northern Virginia and the majority of people are Hispanic families. What the article is about I thought is why so few black people go to national parks and that is something I have always wondered about. I have been to at least 11 national parks from the west coast to the east coast and rarely saw black people. I am not saying I agree with everything in the article but some of the points made like the one I quoted helped me understand why black people don't go to national parks that is all I was saying. I am not a "SJW" or a "snowflake". I am just trying to figure out why things are the way they are. Is there something wrong with that?

[Deadeye]

My wife insisted on going on a hike with me, so I took her on a nice day hike. Granted, it was a little more strenuous than I remembered, but it was a pretty straightforward 2-3 mile climb with some steep sections near the top. She was red-faced, sweaty, panting; all the things I would call fun.

When we sat down for lunch, she asked "so what do you get out of this... 'cause it sure ain't working for me."

It ain't for everybody.

[Vanhalo]

Timely article.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/12/health/nature-wilderness-minorities/index.html

I demand more white bears.

[SWODaddy]

Yes I have been to SNP on Sundays, how many black people did you see? Go to any public park on a holiday in Northern Virginia and the majority of people are Hispanic families. What the article is about I thought is why so few black people go to national parks and that is something I have always wondered about. I have been to at least 11 national parks from the west coast to the east coast and rarely saw black people. I am not saying I agree with everything in the article but some of the points made like the one I quoted helped me understand why black people don't go to national parks that is all I was saying. I am not a "SJW" or a "snowflake". I am just trying to figure out why things are the way they are. Is there something wrong with that?

You said whites are the majority in every national park. That's not true.

As for the rest, you should spend less time worrying about why other people don't like the same things you like. Just my humble opinion.

[Siestita]

“Just yesterday I led a hike for some kids associated with our church. Eighteen people hiked, including 9 whites, a black family of 5, 2 Hispanics, and 2 biracials. What a sight we must have been to those who are used to seeing only white faces in the woods. …Back to yesterday's hike. Among us was a black man. He is father to some teenagers, so he must be mid-30s at least. Our little 2-mile hike was his VERY FIRST HIKE, ever. Among the whites were two adolescent girls who last year touched a waterfall for the FIRST TIME EVER. Wow! I can't wait to introduce them to more outdoor adventures.” Illabelle, post #12

Illabelle - Your post is inspirational. Thank you for going out of your way to get people out in the woods who haven’t been there before!

My father was an enthusiastic outdoor educator and I, like many other posters here have enjoyed backpacking during most of my adult life. I am white, but oppose the idea that people like me should be made to feel guilty because fewer Blacks and Latinos visit National Parks or hike in the woods. But, I’ve had some experiences that may be pertinent to this thread. Before recently retiring from teaching for thirty years at a historically Black university, I had the privilege of becoming well acquainted with hundreds of African-American students and many Black professionals, including faculty colleagues, university administrators, and state government professionals. So, the issue that this thread raises interests me.

When the National Park Service began studying this issue years ago one thing that they learned is that members of different ethnic groups do not all take vacations in the same way. That insight parallels SWODaddy’s observation from post #70:

“That said, ever been to Shenandoah NP on a Sunday? You'll think you're in India driving down skyline drive. They aren't on the backcountry trails, but most of them are in big groups with family, including the elderly. What the hell is wrong with that? Maybe there's something to be learned about family from this, whereas there are plenty of long distance hikers trying to escape from theirs...”

Friends of mine who are African-American professionals tend to devote vacation travel to reaching family get-togethers rather than going to National Parks. I don’t find anything wrong with that. Of more concern, I think, is the fear that some Black Americans have of interacting with rural whites, especially those living in the south or in Appalachia. I’ll discuss that in my next post.

[Siestita]

I like this quote from Coffee’s post #34:

“BTW, the nicest people in America are consistently found in small towns in the South and Appalachia. I sometimes wonder about the stuff I read about stereotypes in newspapers and magazines written and read by people who probably hardly know the places they speak of from first-hand experience.”

The Daniel Boone National Forest/Sheltowee Trace has long been my personal playground and I also enjoy hiking in the Southern Appalachians. So, over the years I’ve received much warm hospitality in trail towns. And, I suspect that would probably have also have been the case had I been Black. But, I have had some African-American friends, fellow college professors, who have feared to venture into Appalachia.

A decade ago my university, located in central Kentucky, asked a professor who is Black, originally from a mid-western city, to drive into eastern Kentucky’s ‘mountains’ to conduct recruitment there at Pikeville Community College. Fearing that he could not safely make that journey as a Black man, my colleague insisted that he be accompanied to Pikeville by a white colleague. And, even after the trip had been amiably completed by the two of them my African-American friend’s concerns about Appalachia remained. Fears can be difficult to dispel.

Once during the 1980s I led a group of graduate students on a canoe trip on Elkhorn Creek, just a few miles from our campus. Knowing that as we wound through the countryside we would encounter some rapids I arranged for several of our more experienced paddlers, who happened to be white and male , to be paired with newbies, who happened to be Black and female. One of Black students became anxious and expressed concern about that arrangement. “What if we meet rednecks along the river? Will they attack us if we have mixed race couples in the boats?” I reassured her as best I could and then we proceeded down the river without mishap.

I find negative media portrayals of rural southerners and mountain people troubling. Those stereotypes may resonate even more with African-Americans than they do with others, however, perhaps reinforcing Blacks' collective memories of past tragedies.

While I was growing up in southwestern Ohio during the 1950s there were no Blacks living in several small rural towns located just a few miles from my home. One of those towns had a sign that said, “No Niggers Under the Sun”. It’s possible that no Blacks had ever lived in that community. There are many other mid-western and southern towns, however, that once has Black residents but no longer do because lynching and “racial cleansing” took place there a century ago. See:

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7772527
(https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7772527)
Could this history contribute to African-American reticence to experience the great outdoors? Cumberland Falls State Park is, in my opinion, Kentucky's greatest natural treasure. Corbin, located along I-75, is that State Park’s gateway town. But, racial cleansing infamously occurred in Corbin in 1919 and since then the town has had almost no Black residents. If you were a Black family would the prospect of lodging in Corbin so that you could go hiking at Cumberland Falls appeal to you? And, might you feel apprehensive about possibly encountering local people as you walked along the trails?

Perhaps America still has some racial healing to accomplish.

[RuthN]

“Just yesterday I led a hike for some kids associated with our church. Eighteen people hiked, including 9 whites, a black family of 5, 2 Hispanics, and 2 biracials. What a sight we must have been to those who are used to seeing only white faces in the woods. …Back to yesterday's hike. Among us was a black man. He is father to some teenagers, so he must be mid-30s at least. Our little 2-mile hike was his VERY FIRST HIKE, ever. Among the whites were two adolescent girls who last year touched a waterfall for the FIRST TIME EVER. Wow! I can't wait to introduce them to more outdoor adventures.” Illabelle, post #12

Illabelle - Your post is inspirational. Thank you for going out of your way to get people out in the woods who haven’t been there before!

My father was an enthusiastic outdoor educator and I, like many other posters here have enjoyed backpacking during most of my adult life. I am white, but oppose the idea that people like me should be made to feel guilty because fewer Blacks and Latinos visit National Parks or hike in the woods. But, I’ve had some experiences that may be pertinent to this thread. Before recently retiring from teaching for thirty years at a historically Black university, I had the privilege of becoming well acquainted hundreds of African-American students and many Black professionals, including faculty colleagues, university administrators, and state government professionals. So, the issue that this thread raises interests me.

When the National Park Service began studying this issue years ago one thing that they learned is that members of different ethnic groups do not all take vacations in the same way. That insight parallels SWODaddy’s observation from post #70:

“That said, ever been to Shenandoah NP on a Sunday? You'll think you're in India driving down skyline drive. They aren't on the backcountry trails, but most of them are in big groups with family, including the elderly. What the hell is wrong with that? Maybe there's something to be learned about family from this, whereas there are plenty of long distance hikers trying to escape from theirs...”

Friends of mine who are African-American professionals tend to devote vacation travel to reaching family get-togethers rather than going to National Parks. I don’t find anything wrong with that. Of more concern, I think, is the fear that some Black Americans have of interacting with rural whites, especially those living in the south or in Appalachia. I’ll discuss that in my next post.

Very interesting point about vacations and worth exploring further.

[LIhikers]

from the original article..."As the population of the United States continues to rapidly diversify, experts say, the face of the outdoor community has predominantly stayed the same: male, white and wealthy."

Wealthy? Really? I must have missed that memo as I'm not near wealthy. I wonder if enjoying the outdoors is gonna put me in a higher tax bracket.

[RuthN]

from the original article..."As the population of the United States continues to rapidly diversify, experts say, the face of the outdoor community has predominantly stayed the same: male, white and wealthy."

Wealthy? Really? I must have missed that memo as I'm not near wealthy. I wonder if enjoying the outdoors is gonna put me in a higher tax bracket.

Excellent point.

[Another Kevin]

My wife insisted on going on a hike with me, so I took her on a nice day hike. Granted, it was a little more strenuous than I remembered, but it was a pretty straightforward 2-3 mile climb with some steep sections near the top. She was red-faced, sweaty, panting; all the things I would call fun.

When we sat down for lunch, she asked "so what do you get out of this... 'cause it sure ain't working for me."

It ain't for everybody.

Your wife and mine need to get together. Mine got curious once, and I took her on a nice, really easy, hike with great views, fascinating fossils, a little cave to explore, a walk beneath a waterfall, ... Of the waterfall, she said, "I've seen drains that are more impressive," and in general, she was just trying to figure out what I got out of it. She never really did, but is willing, bless her, to let me go wandering if I don't insist on dragging her along.

I've heard the same sort of thing from non-hiking people that I've reached out to. (Alas, few PoC, I live in a bubble of privilege, and it's hard to escape from the inside as well as to enter from the outside.) One Latino colleague said, "My people had to go everywhere on foot. Now that I'm in America and can afford a minivan, why should I want to go back to that?"

Where I hike, yes, the crowd on the trail always seems to be lily white, except that there's often a busload of Koreans from New York City.

I try hard to be welcoming of any newbie, whether they have black skin or white skin or green and purple feathers. I'd try harder to get kids into it, except that from me that looks creepy. (I have only one daughter, and she's grown. She enjoys hiking, but right now is too busy getting on with the rest of her life.) I recognize that we have populations in this country that are underrepresented Out There, and can't help but think that they're losing something. But I have no idea how to tear down the barriers that I can't perceive. If someone living in New York City can afford $20 for train fare, they can be in the woods in an hour or so. (If they can't afford $20 for a weekend's entertainment, that's a much bigger social problem!)

I try very hard to avoid erecting barriers. (For instance, I don't hike anywhere that there is a permit system under which people are denied for lack of capacity. It feels too much as if I'm taking the place of someone more deserving.)

Yes, I'm the beneficiary of unearned privilege. Yes, I'm ashamed of it. Society insists on ascribing that privilege to me, and I don't really get the choice of refusing it. And I have no more idea how to fix it than you do. Coming back to me with, "you're the privileged one, it's your responsibility to figure it out!" may be justified, but will ultimately be futile. I've spent decades trying to figure it out, and I've not got very far.

[Slo-go'en]

Wealthy? Really? I must have missed that memo as I'm not near wealthy. I wonder if enjoying the outdoors is gonna put me in a higher tax bracket.

Yes wealthy. If you live on LI, I seriously doubt your anywhere near poor. While there are dirt baggers on the trail and the occasional homeless (but these are quickly run off), the vast majority are middle class income and up. You meet a lot of professionals on the AT - doctors, lawyers, engineers or their children. Retires still with money to burn.

[Another Kevin]

Yes wealthy. If you live on LI, I seriously doubt your anywhere near poor. While there are dirt baggers on the trail and the occasional homeless (but these are quickly run off), the vast majority are middle class income and up. You meet a lot of professionals on the AT - doctors, lawyers, engineers or their children. Retires still with money to burn.
It is a cheap activity mostly, except that it really rewards only if you have a lot of time to spend on it, time that only the poor (students, drifters, country folk) and rich have. Everyone else is busy earning a living. I think that therein lies the privilege (plus the fact that only those who are secure in having the comforts of life want to try going without a lot of them voluntarily).

Engineer - guilty as charged. Retiree - not yet, but I not only can count the years without taking my boots off, I can even leave one mitten on. Money to burn? Well, I don't think so, but hiking is indeed pretty cheap entertainment.

[El JP]

It is a cheap activity mostly, except that it really rewards only if you have a lot of time to spend on it, time that only the poor (students, drifters, country folk) and rich have. Everyone else is busy earning a living. I think that therein lies the privilege (plus the fact that only those who are secure in having the comforts of life want to try going without a lot of them voluntarily).

Engineer - guilty as charged. Retiree - not yet, but I not only can count the years without taking my boots off, I can even leave one mitten on. Money to burn? Well, I don't think so, but hiking is indeed pretty cheap entertainment.

Very nice post.

I'm giving up my job to do the AT and maybe i'll be homeless again but it's not like i haven't been in that situation before. I'll just deal with it as it comes. I'm not any kind of slacker but one thing i've found out over the years is that sometimes you just have to say "to hell with it" and cut loose. I've known a few bands that became effectively homeless everytime they went on tour. That's the price you pay if want to go out on the road on your own with zero label support.

As for this diversity thing i agree 100 percent with the Asian presence in the National Parks. We would get entire busloads of them in the different places i worked and though they weren't going to be on the tough trails, they were big on heading out and checking out the scenery. The one park i saw a sizable number of Black visitors was Shenandoah. You got DC, Richmond, and Baltimore close by and Skyline drive makes for a nice sightseeing trip if one doesn't really want to walk around much.

When i think about all this "diversity" thing, i'm thinking more about the more inner city types. Like imagine the characters from "The Wire" in the woods. That's what i'm picturing. Forget minority suburbanites, let's see just how these types will will warm to the prospect of wanting to go out in the sticks for an extended period. We could ponder the pros and cons till the cows come home, but getting political with this is stupid beyond belief.

[Bronk]

Several years ago I worked for a large corporation that gave away travel as part of its employee incentive program. I suggested to a co-worker that she use it as an opportunity to visit Europe. She said "Black people don't go to Europe. We go to Disneyworld and places like that." I asked her why and she didn't really seem to know why.

One time I stopped for lunch on one of the balds in the southern part of the AT and an Hispanic hiker stopped there as well, along with her family that had come to spend a day hiking with her on her thruhike. While we were eating her mother asked her if she had met any other Hispanic hikers on the trail. She said no, and discussion turned to the reason why and the consensus among them was that Hispanics probably spent so much time working in the fields as migrant workers that they didn't really see the outdoors as a leisure activity.

Here recently someone posted an article about a black woman who thruhiked and she talked about all of the perceived racism along the trail. What I got out of that article is that most of what she experienced as racism was really limits that she had placed upon herself. And I have to wonder if these differences and limitations are largely self imposed and are as a result of attitudes and beliefs that minority groups hold. Not trying to blame them or say anything is wrong with the way they think or believe, just offering an explanation. Maybe they just don't want to hike. Big difference between not wanting to do it and having barriers in place that discourage them from doing so.

[egilbe]

There is a video in that thread by Blair Underwood. It's hilarious...

[TX Aggie]

from the original article..."As the population of the United States continues to rapidly diversify, experts say, the face of the outdoor community has predominantly stayed the same: male, white and wealthy."

Wealthy? Really? I must have missed that memo as I'm not near wealthy. I wonder if enjoying the outdoors is gonna put me in a higher tax bracket.

Lol....wealthy.....pffft.

[Uncle Joe]

Google the author. She's an intern. Don't take this piece too seriously.

[Dogwood]

I admittedly didn't peruse every post but after identifying the problems what is each (white)person here doing positively to introduce or influence the impoverished(of all walks of life) or minorities to nature oriented activities?


I'll start by admitting I could do much more but:

1) Intentionally donate old or extra but not trashed outdoor gear to those in greater need than myself

2) Buy and donate new outdoor gear contributing in some small ways where able

3) Involve myself in outdoor community gardens in inner cities where participants are taught to grow their own food, often organically, and where their food comes from

4) Organize and lead volunteer hikes and nature walks.

5) Invite Newbie others to trail maintenance sessions and Gatherings

[TexasBob]

You said whites are the majority in every national park. That's not true. ................
78% of visitors to national parks are white according to the National Park Service. Check it out yourself on page 10 of this report. https://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/docs/CompSurvey2008_2009RaceEthnicity.pdf

[AllDownhillFromHere]

78% of visitors to national parks are white according to the National Park Service. Check it out yourself on page 10 of this report. https://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/docs/CompSurvey2008_2009RaceEthnicity.pdf

A 10 year old report, the deltas aren't that far off, and can be easily explained by income disparity.

[SWODaddy]

I admittedly didn't peruse every post but after identifying the problems what is each (white)person here doing positively to introduce or influence the impoverished(of all walks of life) or minorities to nature oriented activities?


I'll start by admitting I could do much more but:

1) Intentionally donate old or extra but not trashed outdoor gear to those in greater need than myself

2) Buy and donate new outdoor gear contributing in some small ways where able

3) Involve myself in outdoor community gardens in inner cities where participants are taught to grow their own food, often organically, and where their food comes from

4) Organize and lead volunteer hikes and nature walks.

5) Invite Newbie others to trail maintenance sessions and Gatherings

Why do you think minorities (or impoverished...Im sure they appreciate being lumped together) care about participating in your hobbies?

[SWODaddy]

78% of visitors to national parks are white according to the National Park Service. Check it out yourself on page 10 of this report. https://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/docs/CompSurvey2008_2009RaceEthnicity.pdf

Now you're trying to change the question (with a 10yo report). You asserted that whites are the majority in *every* national park. That's a bold claim and I haven't seen anything to support it.

I will note that according the census bureau, whites make up 76.9% of the population, so if they make up 78% of park visitors (per your own link) , that means there's not a problem.

[Dogwood]

There has to be no correlation between the two. I wasn't implying there had to be. I do think people of all persuasions can benefit from Nature or getting outdoors though. So do many authors and researchers.

Time in nature is not leisure time(hobby time); it's an essential investment in our chidlren's health (and also, by the way, in our own). (http://www.azquotes.com/quote/749583) Richard Louv (http://www.azquotes.com/author/9056-Richard_Louv)

[JPritch]

I will note that according the census bureau, whites make up 76.9% of the population, so if they make up 78% of park visitors (per your own link) , that means there's not a problem.

Exactly. It's almost gotten to the point that if every racial, ethnic, and sexual persuasion is not represented in something it becomes a problem for some.

[TexasBob]

........I will note that according the census bureau, whites make up 76.9% of the population, so if they make up 78% of park visitors (per your own link) , that means there's not a problem.

Black people are 13% of the US population but only 7% of national park visitors so according to your own logic that is a problem. You say that white folks aren't the majority in every national park so point out some facts on just one national park that support your view.

[Uncle Joe]

Black people are 13% of the US population but only 7% of national park visitors so according to your own logic that is a problem.

Well if it is a problem, it's not the problem the author was looking for. If white visitor percentages are on par with the population, then there goes the culprit they were clearly looking for. Better go tell the minorities that they're not doing their fair share of visitation.

[SWODaddy]

Black people are 13% of the US population but only 7% of national park visitors so according to your own logic that is a problem. You say that white folks aren't the majority in every national park so point out some facts on just one national park that support your view.

You spout off conjecture and then demand others prove you false?

I already gave you anecdotal evidence which you seemed to agree with, so I'm not sure where you're going with this.

As for your first comment - that's your rationale, not mine. If you want a completely even distribution of all races among all activities, that's a bit silly - though the difference is easily explained by the fact that blacks are more likely to live in urban environments.

[SWODaddy]

Going to have to bookmark this thread for the next thread about trails being too crowded....

[Feral Bill]

Time to chime in: If we want to expand the number of people using, and therefore supporting wilderness and trails, doesn't it make sense to look to underrepresented groups who might be interested, but not comfortable in doing do? I'm a retired teacher. Plenty of us out there I expect. Probably no need to encourage or enable that demographic. Lets help everyone become familiar with what we do, and watch our numbers grow.

[AllDownhillFromHere]

Also, why does this matter?

[TexasBob]

You spout off conjecture and then demand others prove you false?

I already gave you anecdotal evidence which you seemed to agree with, so I'm not sure where you're going with this.

As for your first comment - that's your rationale, not mine. If you want a completely even distribution of all races among all activities, that's a bit silly - though the difference is easily explained by the fact that blacks are more likely to live in urban environments.

Let me get this straight, you agree that that 78% of people who visit national parks are white but some how think that white people aren't a majority of national park visitors and then get all offended when somebody asks you to prove your point that white people aren't the majority at national parks. Anecdotal evidence (which I didn't agree with) isn't evidence it is just your opinion which which you can't back up with facts. You can believe anything you want to, I don't care but don't start with the conjecture crap when that is all you have.

[SWODaddy]

Let me get this straight, you agree that that 78% of people who visit national parks are white but some how think that white people aren't a majority of national park visitors and then get all offended when somebody asks you to prove your point that white people aren't the majority at national parks. Anecdotal evidence (which I didn't agree with) isn't evidence it is just your opinion which which you can't back up with facts. You can believe anything you want to, I don't care but don't start with the conjecture crap when that is all you have.

You continue to misrepresent what I said. But, since you literally said "...evidence isn't evidence" I doubt I'll have luck convincing you. Have a good night - happy trails.

[SWODaddy]

I'm a retired teacher. Plenty of us out there I expect. Probably no need to encourage or enable that demographic.

What if the teachers are black? :-?

[rickb]

Also, why does this matter?
If you are a member of the ATC (or AMC) you can support those organizations, formal outreach to a broader base of people — which includes younger people as well as underserved minority groups — through your own active participation, contributions, or just by speaking up.

Some of the comments in this thread notwithstanding, I can say without any equivocation that I believe they are, and I hope they are not too discouraged by what they may have read on White Blaze.

[gwschenk]

At Joshua Tree National park you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an Asian climber. If the author of the article were to go hiking anywhere around Los Angeles she might be surprised at the people she sees on the trails.

There have been structural barriers in the past. Once upon a time, you had to be sponsored to become a member of the Sierra Club. And in the Angeles Chapter if you were Jewish, black or asian, forget about it. Those barriers were removed by a good man named Tom Amneus.

It's not so much a racial thing as a class thing. If you don't have discretionary income, you're not likely to spend hundreds of dollars on the latest equipment and entrance fees.

[Coffee]

It's not so much a racial thing as a class thing. If you don't have discretionary income, you're not likely to spend hundreds of dollars on the latest equipment and entrance fees.
Also people who live in cities and do not have cars aren't going to make it to distant trails and will stick to trails closer to the city, if they hike at all. As someone who has voluntarily forgone ownership of a motor vehicle for some time, I can say that using local trails accessible by public transit is more attractive than renting a car. Of course, where I used to live, I could get on a train and be at Harpers Ferry in about an hour, plus there were lots of urban trails to hike as well. It was not unusual to see minorities on the local trails in the city (Washington DC, Rock Creek Park, C&O Canal, Potomac Heritage Trail, etc). I'm not sure what the income level of those minorities might be and never have given it much thought.

[Another Kevin]

Also, why does this matter?

Because we live in a time, for weal or woe, where everything is associated politically with the identity of some group of people, be it gender, race, religion, or whatever. We can't afford to having wilderness preservation be dismissed as a "rich white men's issue" or the populist segments of both wings of the political spectrum will tear it to shreds. If there is no value to the wilderness beyond its being a playground for rich white men, then the rest of the populace will have no interest in seeing it protected, and it will diminish and fail.

[Feral Bill]

Because we live in a time, for weal or woe, where everything is associated politically with the identity of some group of people, be it gender, race, religion, or whatever. We can't afford to having wilderness preservation be dismissed as a "rich white men's issue" or the populist segments of both wings of the political spectrum will tear it to shreds. If there is no value to the wilderness beyond its being a playground for rich white men, then the rest of the populace will have no interest in seeing it protected, and it will diminish and fail. What he said.

[Coffee]

Because we live in a time, for weal or woe, where everything is associated politically with the identity of some group of people, be it gender, race, religion, or whatever. We can't afford to having wilderness preservation be dismissed as a "rich white men's issue" or the populist segments of both wings of the political spectrum will tear it to shreds. If there is no value to the wilderness beyond its being a playground for rich white men, then the rest of the populace will have no interest in seeing it protected, and it will diminish and fail.
We also live in a system in which various interest groups form political alliances in order to gain power. The interest groups protecting wilderness are, by and large, allied with other interest groups that collectively pursue their agendas. I have seen wilderness users stereotyped in many ways but "rich white men" isn't what would typically come to mind when observing people either recreating in parks for the day or hiking long distance trails.

[rickb]

I have seen wilderness users stereotyped in many ways but "rich white men" isn't what would typically come to mind when observing people either recreating in parks for the day or hiking long distance trails.

When it comes to the AT, the number of female thru hikers has reach such numbers that any woman contemplating the challenge can easily find example of others “just like her” that took on and met the challenge.

Same for folks in their 50s.

And 60’s

And older.

Same for prospective hikers who have face significant health issues.

Or were just overweight.

Etc.

Etc.

Knowing, or just knowing of, hikers “like you” that have taken on the challenge is a powerful thing. it opens the door for you to walk on through yourself.

Who has opened the door for you all?

Nobody?

Really?

That said, who among us has ever met a black thru hiker? Or section hiker? Or any black hiker on the AT?

”I did” someone will say. Of course, there have been a few. Not may, though. Out of 18,000 2000 (tel:000 2000) milers how many? Honest question. The answer is very low— of that I am quite certain.

That people with vision want to help nudge the inevitable along with outreach and inclusive policies and programs is all good.

How could it not be?

The AT is a resource that belongs to everyone.

[Venchka]

Yikes. I’ve been seeing this thread at the top of the new posts list for awhile.
I thought it might be about multi-modal self-propelled transportation. Like hike and bike, pack rafting and backpacking, etc.
Imagine my dismay after skimming the original article and a few replies.
Oh well. Same stuff. Different day. As for the “journalist”, Never allow facts to interfere with your agenda.
Wayne

[Francis Sawyer]

When I hear somebody yearning for "diversity" in all aspects of life and bemoaning the lack thereof it brings to mind frightening images of social engineers culling the herd in order to force that diversity. Be careful what you wish for!

[Coffee]

Part of diversity is realizing that perhaps people with different backgrounds and cultural histories might not all want to participate in the same exact activities, and that's OK. I personally think that minority groups (everyone!) would benefit from getting off electronics and into the outdoors as often as possible but the reality is that not all individuals, let alone groups, have that preference and I am skeptical regarding organized attempts to force the issue. The practical barriers to getting on trail for people who live in cities without personal transportation are also significant, although some cities have local parks (like DC as I mentioned) and there are many meet up groups that have car pooling and even organized bus excursions. I've been on a couple of such bus excursions for day hikes and the cost was around $25-30 which to me isn't a great deal for ~150 miles of round trip transportation and hiking with people with similar interests but would be a good chunk of change for someone in poverty regardless of their race.

[csb1985]

I don't really care about diversity. Wherever I go I show people respect and they show it back to me. I grew up in a small town in Texas. Yes there was racism but it never came my way. Give respect and get respect. That's how I live my life and it has served me well. Would I like to see minorities on the trail? Sure, why not, but it's not as important as being shown respect and dignity. That transcends color or cultural background.

[Colter]

I don't really care about diversity. Wherever I go I show people respect and they show it back to me. I grew up in a small town in Texas. Yes there was racism but it never came my way. Give respect and get respect. That's how I live my life and it has served me well. Would I like to see minorities on the trail? Sure, why not, but it's not as important as being shown respect and dignity. That transcends color or cultural background.

That's a good attitude. Be nice to people. Be respectful to everyone.

[TX Aggie]

I don't really care about diversity. Wherever I go I show people respect and they show it back to me. I grew up in a small town in Texas. Yes there was racism but it never came my way. Give respect and get respect. That's how I live my life and it has served me well. Would I like to see minorities on the trail? Sure, why not, but it's not as important as being shown respect and dignity. That transcends color or cultural background.

Abilene is about as diverse and evenly split among how people live their lives as it gets. Rural towns like it often get overlooked by the big city types who have pre-conceived ideas of how people on these towns treat each other. (I grew up in Albany, so I know Abilene pretty well.)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JPritch]

Why are the blazes "white". mmm hmm

[DownEaster]

Why are the blazes "white". mmm hmm
Let's see:


Zinc oxide is cheap and non-harmful to trees.
It's a good color contrast to most tree bark (not a huge population of birches on the AT).
Tree privilege.

[Francis Sawyer]

I had never thought about it but trees do have an unfair advantage over other plants such as shrubbery. The trees block out the sunlight which but for their leaves and overly long branches would photosynthesize in the leaves of shrubbery. Shrubbery lives matter! Let's all plant some shrubbery and give shrubbery as gifts for Christmas. They need not be large shrubberys but nice ones.

[Redbird2]

Once again this seems like a solution looking for a problem to fix. In all of my experiences on the trail, I've NEVER had anyone check me at the trail head to ensure that I meet all the criteria. I doubt anyone else has either. If you want to go. Go.

[rickb]

Once again this seems like a solution looking for a problem to fix. In all of my experiences on the trail, I've NEVER had anyone check me at the trail head to ensure that I meet all the criteria. I doubt anyone else has either. If you want to go. Go.

Not a problem, but rather an opportunity.

“In all of my experiences on the Trail”, I have never met a black thruhiker. In fact, I am not sure have met any black backpackers on the trail at all.

Not a one.

Again, not a problem, just a fact. Perhaps I just need to get out more.

But even if you have, an opportunity, no?

An opportunity for organizations like the ATC and AMC among others to reach out to those who may not know just how great and welcoming the Trail and all the people that make it magical can be.

Share the love!

[RuthN]

https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail/blackalachian-first-gold-mouth-rapper-thru-hike-appalachian-trail/

[Feral Bill]

https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail/blackalachian-first-gold-mouth-rapper-thru-hike-appalachian-trail/ Seems like a fun person on the trail. I like his positive attitude.

[JPritch]

I actually passed this guy up near Buena Vista this summer while out day hiking with my Dad and Daughter. We went into that town with the dinosaur to eat, and saw him again there resupplying with another hiker. RickB, I would agree with you on "opportunity" vs "problem". However, the problem is, that so many others see it as a problem, with a specific group of people to blame. I used to love Shelton Johnson, but in the article, apparently so many of "us" come from a position of privilege and superiority and we just perpetuate the problem. Lost alot of respect for Ranger Johnson after reading that article.

[tawa]

My take---The trail is there to be used by all. However, it has no opinion on your gender, race, religion , politics etc.

The trail is the great equalizer when it comes to the above.
I feel no responsibility to worry about diversity on the trail.
Its there for the taking. If you want to use it then use it.
If you don't want to use it or its not your cup of tea then stay home and do what floats your boat!!

[El JP]

Just tossing in this bit from earlier today.

I mentioned the AT to my mother a few weeks ago and somehow she misunderstood and thought I was going to Georgia for work. Now word is about to spread about the moronic waste of time and money.

If I find more than three people around here that think being out in the sticks is worth doing, I'll be shocked.