Vanessa G. (33) is the co-founder of GirlTrek, a non-profit that organizes walking campaigns for African – American women around the country for health, wellness, and outdoor engagement. I was simply thrilled to find her and her inspiring site, and I think Outdoor Afros will dig it too!

Vanessa wrote,  ”I was hiking with my husband in Red Rocks outside of Las Vegas in this photo. I’m actually relatively new to the outdoors. I had grown up in Seattle, WA and never even been to Mt. Rainer! I now …

I just received this in my inbox — I sure hope someone from the Outdoor Afro community can get involved!
BBC CASTING NEW OUTDOOR ADVENTURE SHOW:
BBC Worldwide Productions – the producers of Dancing with the Stars, Top Gear and What Not To Wear – is currently seeking fearless competitors for an original survival adventure series!
Are you a survival, endurance or outdoors expert, with a way above average tolerance for all things adventure? This new reality TV show takes mankind’s most intense instincts – survival, competition, adventure – and throws them all together to create the most exciting wilderness series …

By Outdoor Afro Contributor Danielle N. Lee
My first time skiing was an experience. I’m from the south, so frolicking in the cold or snow wasn’t a bog part of my childhood experience.  However, I love the outdoors and I love trying new things, so I joined a group of friends who introduced me to the basics of the slopes.
Preparing for my winter time Outdoor Afro adventure with Show Me Skiiers
It was an adventure!  I was far from great at it.  But I wasn’t deterred. So when I was invited to …

The First African-American Woman on Record to Reach North and South Poles!

Outdoor Afro fans learned about Barbara Hillary back in 2009, she not only survived lung cancer, but also took on a trek hardly imaginable to most to the North Pole on skis at age 75!
Here is our Talk Tuesday Blog Talk Radio interview with Hillary from July, 2009 where she humorously shared how it is possible and necessary to live up to ones potential:

Listen to internet radio with outdoorafro on Blog Talk Radio
Not willing to remain still, this month the venerable Hillary …

By Outdoor Afro Contributor, Alex Genadinik
Point Reyes National Seashore is too large to hike in its entirety unless you are a marathon hiker! The entire area spans thousands of acres and is large enough to be home to over 1,000 species of pants, birds and animals. If you are planning a hike in the area, you can start at the visitor center like most people, but if you want a real adventure, I suggest you choose a more unforgettable hike like the one to the northern-most point of …

It sure has been a great week to love the outdoors and be African American! Last Friday and today, as I tuned in to Oprah and Gayle to see their adventure in Yosemite National Park, I was completely enamored. Beyond the expected funny quips and comical equipment mishaps, I experienced (as if for the first time) a magical moment: moving images of people who looked like me enjoying a National Park.
The show theme was prompted by Outdoor Afro friend Shelton Johnson by a letter he wrote a couple of years …

Submitted by Outdoor Afro Contributor, Terri Davis-Merchant, of the fun blog: Try Anything Once
Faux hiking? Oh yeah! I’m not really into outdoorsy stuff. Perhaps you’ve noticed that. I mean I guess I’m not really destined for it. Having grown up in a Black working class neighborhood in New York City in the 80′s and 90′s, sleeping in a tent in the cold with no bathroom wasn’t exactly what many considered a vacation. Just sayin’. Even Oprah noticed the lack o’ folks o’ color during her recent trip to Yosemite. (By …

Recently Outdoor Afro partnered with Bay Area groups, Red, Bike, and Green, and Take Back the Mic Bay Area to form Roots and Grooves, an outdoor experience to inspire new audiences to connect with local outdoor spaces and each other. Our group of about twenty people (including some amazing kids!) camped overnight at Del Valle Regional Park, which is a part of the East Bay Regional Parks System.
Here is one camper’s impression of the trip:

It was a real treat to get away from the city and connect with nature. Kids dug …

A memo from National Parks Director Jonathan B. Jarvis shares:

“On October 29 and November 1, Oprah Winfrey will devote two entire shows to her overnight camping trip in Yosemite National Park earlier this month. Ms. Winfrey’s visit originated with a letter of invitation from Park Ranger Shelton Johnson. While in the park, Shelton shared his Buffalo Soldierpersona – Elizy Bowman – at an evening campfire chat with Ms. Winfrey and others staying at the Lower Pines Campground in Yosemite Valley.
While the shows highlight Ms. Winfrey’s visit to the Mariposa …

By Chelsea Griffie, Outdoor Afro Contributor
This year’s Women of Color trip by the Balanced Rock Foundation was July 21st to 25th. Our group ventured to Ostrander Lake also in Yosemite (see below). The premise of these trips is to increase the representation of women of color in the back country, while also providing a safe and supportive environment to learn new skills and connect with the outdoors.
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This year, there were a total of five participants, with two instructors, and an intern, which meant that participants were able to …