Parental Discretion Advised

What intrigued me most about this short clip is its vivid look at an historic social and communal engagement with the outdoors typical of African-American families of all classes.

It is also a grim reminder of drowning disparities in the Black community, and how everyone needs to know how to swim.

What are some of your backyard memories as a child with your family?

flickr.com/prettywarstl: a nice plate!

Thanksgiving in my family is more than the delicious turkey, pies, and cobblers my sister Delane makes; it is also a celebration of food that preserves the memories and experiences of those who have passed on, symbolized through the remaking of family recipes…Cherrie’s dressing, Ella mae’s Pea Salad…the matriarchs of my family pulled greens from their garden for dinner, they plucked the feathers of fresh foul, and cleaned the fish they caught in local lakes for Friday fish fries.

Our family also has gratitude for the new generation and experiences that nod toward the future by introducing new culinary creations, such as the anticipated “newlywed dish” from Christine and Antoine this year, my next-generation cornbread dressing that has become a family favorite, and Uncle Jerry’s deep fried turkey that produces the juiciest, tastiest bird in record time.

With everyone at the table, sometimes for the first time in months, it’s a perfect time to discuss goals for your family in the coming year and also celebrate the accomplishments.

This year at the table, I hope you will join me in having a discussion with your loved ones about ways to get back in touch with the outdoors. I’ll bet someone at the table, especially an elder, can recall circumstances that mirror Cherrie and Ella mae’s, and remind us at a personal level the intimate and sustainable interaction possible with the outdoors. These shared experiences can connect people more than we imagine, so don’t let your eyes glaze over when the elders are speaking…you’ll miss something important, I assure you.

Flickr.com/Circulating: The Harvest

The point is not to create a complicated or overly-ambitious plan for the outdoors, but to figure out what activities feel comfortable for everyone and commit to do something. Perhaps it’s a short family hike over this holiday weekend; planning more picnics, starting a family garden, taking up bird-watching, or perhaps  polling to see which child (or adult) still needs to learn to swim, and make it a family goal for everyone to learn how before summer.

If you are an outdoorsy family already, then break out the recent trip photos and recall stories to celebrate your activities, keep the excitement around them alive, and inspire new adventure ideas.

I am profoundly thankful Outdoor Afro is here (and growing) to share the diverse experiences of folks of color doing outdoor activities, while inspiring more people to reconnect with outdoor activities that are not as otherworldly as they sometimes appear.

From my family to yours – Have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

My very best,
Rue

Last Sunday was one of those perfect fall afternoons in DC:  Bright blue skies, crisp autumn air and amazing colors of yellow, orange and red shimmered in the sunlight. Who wouldn’t want to be outside? Ten families from Jack and Jill, an African American family organization said “sign me up!” and participated on a hike with  Hiking Along in Scott’s Run Nature Preserve along the Potomac River.

Twenty-three energetic kids and their parents hiked two miles underneath old growth trees to learn about the importance of them in their lives and for the Earth. They listened to a story about the seasonal cycle of tress, hammered leaves onto cloth to learn about chlorophyll, did tree back rubbings to reinforce the bark’s essential role of a tree, and played Simon says to learn about the tree life cycle.

Beyond teaching the activities, I enjoyed watching the kids be challenged by the trail, hills and water crossings, but also witness their imagination with logs, sticks, leaves and rocks. The most memorable moment was watching them use team work to carry a large tree limb down the trail. Land managers, here come the next generation of trail builders – energetic and using team work and communication.

Parents are their children’s biggest role model. My passion is helping families share the wonders of nature while hiking. On Sunday, parents and their kids shared memories and tons of smiles because they had fun in nature. The memories are the best but as one parent said to me, “there is one overlooked benefit, my kids went to bed easily.” Amen.

If you have been following Outdoor Afro for a while, I am sure you have gathered by now that we are striving to connect people to the outdoors in a variety of ways. But far too often, I hear people say they don’t like to camp, or fear trying because of perceptions about what must be given up in order to experience nature. Concerns about dirt, crawly critters, outhouses, bears, and bugs top the list of real and imagined outdoor pet peeves.

So for all our camp fearing friends, we dedicate this series of California RV trips to you. Outdoor Afro, along with sponsors Camp-California, El Monte RV, and Big Sur Campgrounds and Cabins, aim to share a way people can camp within another comfort zone, while enjoying the all splendor of the Great Outdoors.

As you may already know, we embarked on our first RV trip using a teardrop trailer last summer, but this past weekend, the four of us rolled in a motor home to Big Sur, California. And all I could say for the first six-hours of our trip was…wow. Our late model RV was well equipped with a stove, microwave, granite counter tops, refrigerator/freezer, flat screen monitor, three large beds, and a bathroom with a sink, shower, and flush toilet. All I had to bring was enough food for the weekend; pots and pans, bedding, and we were more than good to go!

I have to admit, in my roaring child-free 20′s, I viewed RVing as non-committal camping. I thought there was too much of a buffer between the outdoors and the personal experience. Over the years, I have camped in all sorts of conditions, from rainy and wet in a leaky tent, to nestling on the ground on a foam pad between rock formations; to platform tents with cots at family camp – so I found the RV experience to be something completely new, yet really familiar at the same time.

And I’ve got a whole new attitude about it.

Maybe there is also something about turning the big 4-0 that has slowed my roughing it roll to a skip. As a mother, I no longer feel the need to test the limits of ease with three kids in tow in order to experience nature. This weekend’s experience met me more than half-way in the comfort department, uncompromising in its connection to the outdoors. And my children were all smiles. Together, we enjoyed the amenities of home on the road and arrived in a pop-up community along a beautiful river amidst the redwoods.

Next Up…Discovering Big Sur

This summer my family took the opportunity to reconnect with nature.  In planning the obligatory summer vacation, my husband and I realized we were short on time and funds. We decided that a trip to an in-state National Park would maximize our summer vacation experience and be cost effective. We visited both Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California, and it was one of the best experiences we could have had.

Our initial plan was to rent a recreational vehicle to take to the parks. But there were some maintenance issues with the RV we were  going to borrow, so we ended up staying at a hotel just a few miles outside of Sequoia National Park. While it seems like it would be ideal to stay inside a National Park (and we will likely do that next time), I enjoyed staying outside of the park.  There was a lot to see and do in the little town outside of the National Park. The hotel seemed to be much less congested than the campgrounds within the park. Also, there was a pool at the hotel that my daughter had to visit each evening after coming off the mountain.

Our first night we had dinner just outside of the park, at a restaurant that was built adjacent to a river. The restaurant was completely open, only floors and ceilings and one could see and hear the water rushing by. It was romantic and the experience of having dinner outside, in the mountains, with the sound of the water washing over the rocks was exhilarating.

The next day we set out for Sequoia National Park. We first visited the Giant Forest Museum. There they provided detailed information about the history of the Park and of the Sequoia trees. There were numerous displays detailing how large the Sequoia Trees were as compared with other common man-made structures such as a football field, etc.

Next we took a self-guided hike on a nature trail. We saw many trees and plants that were native to the area, and a variety of birds. And a passing park ranger pointed out some relatively fresh bear paw prints, but we did not see any bears, although I was interested in seeing a bear…from a safe distance!

Sequoia National Park is divided into several villages. We drove to another area where there is an upscale hotel, the Wuksachi Hotel in Wuksachi Village.  It looked very nice, somewhat isolated and very expensive. We drove to Lodgepole Village to have a late lunch. This was a major campground area, with RV’s and tents everywhere. There was an eatery, a wonderful gift shop/general store, laundromat and another visitor’s center – lots of activity. In the middle of it all, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch and followed by the Visitors Center.

Check out the rest of our photos:

On Wednesday, we made our way back to Sequoia National Park. We listened to an informative lecture by a ranger that inspired us to return to the Visitor’s Center at Lodgepole Village. There, we watched a video on the importance of not feeding bears and securing one’s food from bears. My husband brought to my attention an exhibit on Colonel Charles Young, an African-American man who had been the Sequoia Park Superintendent in 1903. I was floored!  While I consider myself a Black history buff, I had never heard of Colonel Charles Young,  and his story is remarkable.  Also on Tuesday, my daughter performed the requirements to become a Junior Ranger. She had to take an oath and she received a certificate and a pin. I think this was the highlight of her trip!

Later in the day, we hiked to the highlight of Sequoia National Park:  General Sherman Tree, the largest single stem tree in the world. It is not necessarily the tallest tree but it has more wood than any other tree. It is a sight to behold, and we attended a fascinating lecture on the history of this tree.  In the evening we attended an outdoor dinner theater performance in the Park, in an area called Wolverton Meadow. The play was a one-woman act describing an early community of socialists who inhabited Sequoia National Park before the government took over the park. A very enlightening experience.

On Thursday, we planned to visit Kings Canyon National Park, but when we arrived at Sequoia, we were told that there had been an accident on the road between the two parks and that the road would be closed for the next 1-2 hours, so we decided to further explore Sequoia.  We visited the Beetle Rock Education Center. It was an educational center designed for children to teach them about the great outdoors. My daughter loved it.

We finally were able to get on the road again and made our way to Kings Canyon. First, we visited the Visitors Center in Grant Grove Village to get an overall history of the National Park. We then took a hike to the General Grant Tree—the largest tree in Kings Canyon National Park. After that experience it was time to make our way home. We had a great time and learned a lot about our National Parks. We cannot wait to visit more of the many National Parks!

Along the American River there are several companies that provide a range of whitewater experiences. You can choose half or full day tours, and each typically come with meals, and experienced instructors who educate and enliven the experience.

American Whitewater Expeditions (AWE) has been around for over 30 years as a premier whitewater rafting company on the American River. While researching them, I learned they have a reputation of quality rafting adventures that are exciting, relaxing, and most importantly, lots of fun! Jon, the owner, suggested we take the a full-day tour of the Lower Fork of the river, as a trip more suited for beginners, but with lots of whitewater action.

Our trip covered about 15 miles, which lasted five hours, with breaks to jump in the water for a cool swim, and a terrific spread for lunch along the river. Kaitlyn was the source of much laughter with her funny jokes and river trivia. The views of the canyon were simply stunning on this summer day, and we saw interesting birds and other wildlife, such as a rarely spotted river otter!

As the ride went on, I noticed my son cared less about his shoes, and became more courageous! And at the climax of the trip, at a rapid named Hospital Bar, he volunteered to “ride the bull” and take on the rapid while sitting atop the front of the raft. We all wailed with laughter as he predictably got soaked, and fell back into the raft with his feet sticking straight up!

Would we do it again? Oh yes! American Whitewater Expeditions provided an exceedingly competent, fun, and accommodating experience for all.    AWE provides raft trips on the three forks of the American, South, Middle & North Forks, Class III -V, and I also discovered they have a fabulous family-friendly campsite on the river that provides camping the night prior, lunch on the river, and use of a thick foam sleeping pad. Two and  four person cabin tents are available to rent, some with cots, tents if you need one, and great food you can purchase as a weekend rafting package!

So if you plan to visit the area, I highly suggest connecting with AWE to help you have an awesome rafting experience, but also to help create memories with your family to last a lifetime like I did with my son Seth.

Outdoor Afro thanks American Whitewater Expeditions and Sierra Nevada Photos, and their staff for sponsoring such a perfect day!

Next up: African American Connections to the Sierra Nevada!

On Aug. 12th to 14th I will take Outdoor Afro to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada with my nephew and three children for a three-day camping trip at Ponderosa Resort in Lotus, California!

Camp-California.com and Ponderosa Resort are co-sponsoring my trip along with Auburn-based American River Sales and Rentals, which is supplying a teardrop trailer for our use. They are equally eager to learn of our experiences, and how they can expand their collective efforts to reach out to the African American community and get us involved in the Great Outdoors.

Another goal of this trip is to share an outdoor camp experience that still reserves a few creature comforts that the most tentative campers can appreciate. So I want to share how RVing or trailer camping is a terrific option for those who feel intimidated to try more rustic camping experiences.

Over the course of the weekend, we plan to do a day of white river rafting, thanks to our friends at American Whitewater Expeditions, and explore the surrounding California Gold Country. I also plan to test my culinary skills with some RV friendly recipes. From camp, I will tweet, blog and film all of our fun so that the Outdoor Afro community can follow our journey and share in our experiences.

See the full press releases HERE

We can’t wait!

How many of you RV already?

All the time I hear reasons why African-Americans do not engage with the outdoors. From experience, I know it’s not just because of the bugs, or a rustic engagement with nature that can signal a lack of modern-day progress, but sometimes because of the people they may encounter along the way. In some circles, whispers still remain of “strange fruit,” or a fear that bad things happen to black people in the woods.

Many have seen the satire of Blair Underwood, stymied over and over again by the way those he encountered responded dramatically to his unassuming hike in nature. For many black people who find ourselves on a back-country trail as the only person of color for miles around, each Underwood scene, no matter how humorously staged, rings true, and exemplifies the psychological barriers we must push through in order to simply enjoy nature: the nervous or inquisitive stares, questions about what we are doing, or the overly enthusiastic embrace that can leave us feeling like a rare, identified species discovered in the wild.

So I partnered with an organization I respect tremendously to bring youth and their families by bus from the local community to come out for a day of play in nature. Leading up to the event, we deliberately reached out to families who live in poorer communities within a city (like many) divided geographically and socially by class, with many never venturing beyond the ten-square blocks of their own neighborhood, much less into the remote wild that looms perilously in the skyline. In the weeks before the event, we personally invited people at local community meetings, and early-childhood development centers. We obtained the blessing of city park and recreation leadership and also made promotional materials available in a few languages. Our efforts left us feeling hopeful that the event would reflect the true diversity of the community not commonly seen in local nature.

What began as a diverse group of families exploring nature, many for the first time, was quickly shaken-up by the presence of a nearby and vocal resident, who demanded to know: “What is going on here?”

The concerned resident was visibly upset, struggling to string together words to name her distress. She mentioned that the event came to her attention because she found herself in her car, stuck behind a slowly climbing bus on her way home. She decided to follow it to see where the diesel carrier might go, what it might contain.

She followed the passengers off the bus into the public park, and along the trail leading to the narrow, curved strip of land where the event was staged. There, she found a temporary play space in an impacted clearing, with imported natural materials such as dried bamboo, palm fronds, mounds of dirt, rocks, native plant clippings, and plenty of wet mud. While surveying the new park visitors, she expressed concern about the presence of so many “non-native” species, and said she was troubled by the threat to the local ecology.

Feeling responsible, I stepped in to try to engage her in a discussion about how people can engage with nature in a variety of ways. I tried to discuss cultural relevancy and how the event was a safe, rare invitation for families to discover and begin to build a relationship with the wild spaces right in their home town. I tried to explain how the material would be removed once the play event was over. But as we talked, I saw she was not satisfied with my answers, and became more agitated and resolute. With a sinking feeling, I could see my expressed passion for connecting this community of black and brown folks to the outdoors was very misunderstood.

Without satisfaction from our conversation, the resident said that she needed to speak to someone else because I had an “attitude,” and therefore decided she was going to contact the City Council as well as a national environmental organization to protest the event. Feeling deflated, yet still hopeful for resolution, I led her to my co-organizers and colleagues (all white) who helped to reassure her of the merits of the event and clean-up plans. And I listened nearby with humility, as they were also obliged to vouch for my character.

My own feelings aside, I was actually more worried about who might be overhearing this passionate exchange, and how they might react; Would they feel unwelcomed? Would they ever return to nature again?

The resident was eventually able to calm, and I decided to get present to the gifts all around me. I observed my own giddy kids from afar building forts and fairy houses, the pride of families creating in nature for the first time, many muddy fingers and toes, and relaxed parents (relieved from always having to say “no” to play in their own neighborhoods) finally safe to say “yes.”

Yet it was heartbreaking that the concerned resident could not see past those magic moments and into the future of these youth and their families to become the conservationists our lands and their health so desperately need. She could not see that the seeds of love for self and the planet evolve from connectedness and relationship between land and people, most often through unstructured discovery and play – and that there were no invasive species that day after all.

Here are three short videos that share some of the beauty in nature experienced by all that day:

No matter how people feel about the outdoors, almost everyone feels inspired to get outside for the Fourth of July to enjoy the company of family, friends, and a grilled meal leading inevitably to an evening polytechnics display.

While spending time under the sun and stars this holiday, I encourage you to also take the time to recognize the displays of nature around you: the song of a bird, summer foliage, stars in the night sky, wind rustling through trees, the texture of cool grass, and warm sand between your toes.

To help promote connectedness to land and family in new ways, you can try activities such as using elements of nature to create an outdoor art project, encouraging elders to share their stories of time growing up in a nature, or making up outdoor scavenger hunts for both kids and adults. Deliberately noticing nature within your festivities creates an opportunity to uncover a new awareness that can bring forth a deeper appreciation of the surrounding natural world.

How might you make nature a part of your celebratory weekend?

Happy Fourth of July!

Denene Millner and her family set up a tent

It’s summertime and the living is easy, especially if you’re a kid.  Schools out and fun is all that is on their hyperactive minds.  We adults still have jobs to attend, bills to pay and bellies to feed, but there’s no reason why we couldn’t be on the same page, at least for a single night. So, what’s the best way to enjoy the summer with your kiddos that’s fun, affordable, and engaging? Well, outside camping of course!  And even if you’re not big on ruffing it I think you could handle this one — camp out in your own backyard! On Saturday, June 25, 2011, the National Wildlife Federation is asking everyone to pitch a tent in your yard and participate in the The Great American Backyard Campout. It is a grassroots initiative to Leave No Child Indoors while also raising awareness and funds for more outdoor youth programs.  Families and communities are encouraged to spend time together and while you’re outside in the fresh air  why not explore nature (and science)!

So get your family and neighbors together and go camping – at a local campground, state or national park, or in your backyard. Being outdoors is a perfect time to connect to science. You can explore biology, conservation, ecology, astronomy, geology, geography, environmental science, and more.

COPUS – the Coalition of Public Understanding of Science – is encouraging everyone to participate in the Great American Backyard Campout and use that time to not only connect with family/neighbors but have fun exploring science, too.  Check out the blog post (link here) and read the whole list of recommended Citizen Science and Arts and Science activities.  Plus here’s one I overlooked: Waving at the International Space Station as it orbits over your night time sky! The International Space Station is visible in the sky, assuming the weather agrees, so you could actually keep an eye out for it while you tell campfire stories and eat s’mores. Visit the website http://www.isswave.org/ for details on how to plan your wave. You can also follow them on Twitter @twisst for a tweet when it’s visible from your skies.

Or if you’re ready to sign up right now, then go for it.  You can register your ‘camp site’ – your family, church or community event with the National Wildlife Federation Great American Backyard Campout website (link here).

Do you need to check your supply list? Well, you know Outdoor Afro has you covered.  Here is a handy-dandy list of Tent Camping Essentials for Outdoor Afros.  In the meantime, check in with us and let us know if you plan on participating and how you’ll be connecting to science while you’re under the stars. We have some prizes for Outdoor Afros who participate.