People of Color

[MrGonzalo]

I wonder how much of this is an east coast/AT thing. When I lived in California, many minorities used the local parks and recreational opportunities and I know that was the case, to a lesser extent, even in Yosemite. On the JMT, I did see minorities. Not nearly as many on the VA, MD, and PA AT sections I have completed to date. I do believe that access exists to the AT that is better in many ways than out west. So it could be a cultural difference. Local parks here near DC are also abundant. I can walk outside my building and be on an actual unpaved hiking trail in ten minutes. http://www.nps.gov/pohe/index.htm. I hardly ever see anyone on this trail, minority or not, if I walk a mile or two upriver. Feels like wilderness even though it's obviously not.

Coffee, great point there.

California is an odd place in relation to the rest of the country. Here, you will find Mexican-Americans who have more American-born descendendants than most Irish-Americans in New York or Boston. That in turn means that you have a larger section of this demographic that lives outside of the typical boundaries of urban minorities. Those folks grew up with nature around them and love it. However, their individual opportunities to enjoy these blessing is not representative of other Mexican-Americans (say in the San Fernando Valley, for example).

[Traveler]

I would like to suggest that it's not just among backpackers that we find few non-whites. The entry points to spending days and weeks on the trail are dayhiking and car camping, and the costs are minimal. Non-whites do not appear to participate in those activities to the extent that whites do, but I do see them from time to time. I remember a few years ago the football coach at the local university led the entire team (many non-whites) on a dayhike to Mt LeConte. For several of them, it was their first time on a trail. Maybe some of them have ventured into the woods on their own since then.

A lot of this comes down to two issues, exposure to the activity and disposable time/income to pursue it. Economics aside, I think we can all remember the first few exposures we had into hiking and camping. My own experiences I was given some gear that was heavy and cumbersome, and we walked up a fairly significant mountain to a concert of whining young boys at 11 to 14 years old. Camping out at the summit erased the pain. A few more of these experiences kind of hooked me on the activity, though it would be years before I had the financial means to purchase even modest hiking gear and have the free time to pursue it.

However, without exposure I never would have done that and I am pretty sure many here would not have either. To that end, there are programs that introduce kids to hiking all over the US. Some of these are urban programs, others are rural, all of them seek to do one thing, provide a positive experience in an hiking environment for youngsters to build relationships with both the outdoors and those who are with them. If these programs exist near you and you are able to contribute time or a few dollars (or perhaps work to set one up), that can make the difference between someone discovering this stuff, or remaining unaware there is a huge world beyond their immediate one.

[Connie]

I would never have been interested in hiking or camping, based on Summer Camp.

The camp nurse said I had got chiggers on my back. I had an allergic reaction to Methylatum (topical camphor). I had to be sent to the hospital and home.

My family camping experiences were "the best".

I think having this interest requires exposure to the experience. That, and a "good experience".

The forced march ill-equipped Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, I knew, will never like the outdoors experience.

I had a good experience, but I actually did bring the items on the list for our 18-day hike in the North Cascades. No one else did, not one.

My college Outdoor Program had a well-equipped room for lending equipment for the weekend.

Experienced members had sign-up sheets for trips on the weekend. They were the "trip leader" or "trip leaders". There were three or four trips each weekend.

We shared transportation.

Everyone had to provide proper footwear, and, a jacket, hat or gloves the "trip leaders" had to approve. Often, better gloves were traded. Often, people returned home to get something better before we left. It was possible to check out everything else from the equipment room.

Each brought their own food.

Many of us, from that time, still backpack.

[kushtakaa]

I started following Mecca early on. Posted a number of youtube vids then was silent for months...then posted some more from Grayson, etc. I don't know if he finished...but the pic in the upper-right of his youtube channel makes me think he did! :-)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKb...TFUsWJ6-oP0G_Q

[kushtakaa]

oops..."upper-left"....

[DLP]

I see a lot of Asian people backpacking in Yosemite, but I'm from a city in CA where 1/3 of the people are Chinese, 1/3 are Indian and 1/3 is everybody else. A lot of the Bay Area has this racial make up. I spent Father's Day camped on North Dome and my nephew (who is African American) was with us and the other group camped there were Indian (their parents were from India... And while they are Indian Americans... they are not American Indians... ). So that one day... there were 4 white people and 5 people of color camped on North Dome.

But that isn't thru hiking...

My son's girl friend is African American... she won't go backpacking because she is really afraid of bears and walks thru the forest with a can of mace. But there are white people afraid of bears. She did go "backpacking" on Angel Island and was terrified of the racoons, but that is actually a rational fear. We are all afraid of the Angel Island racoons. They are terrifying!

And what mags said about economics and college.

[trailblaser]

Sonia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Seriously?????????????????

[trailblaser]

FYI, i am a person of color, and when i am on a trail i am totally consumed in the beauty of the wilderness and not who is who

[Dogwood]

Dogwoood,
I have read a handful of very useful posts from you in the UT forum. As far as this... Really? That's like a fried chicken joke. I am absolutely sure you did not mean it that way,
but it had all the flair...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was relating my Uncle's typical very proud very public displays of behavior as they apply it to their heritage. I was not implying any of that to Puerto Rican's as a whole.

[trailblaser]

Sonia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Seriously