In March, Shelby Ward went kayaking with her hair-conscious younger sister and fashionista, Rosalyn in Tennessee. Here is their story.
Let me tell you a little bit about my sister. Rosalyn likes fashion. On many occasions, she has added trendy accessories to my wardrobe. Rosalyn also hates “bugs.” So, I was a little surprised when she said she wanted to go kayaking during her visit.

On a calm Tuesday morning, we drove from Knoxville to Reliance, Tennessee to kayak the Hiwassee River. We kayaked a 5.5-mile stretch of the river that runs 147-miles …

“Afro Sheen handles the hawk!”
I just came across this fascinating old-school commercial on YouTube that at first had me excited to see the iconic 70′s “afro” in its full splendor – and the line of products devoted to maintaining it. But as I watched, my heart sank, as I observed in just mere seconds a not-so-subtle rivalry between nature (in this case birds) and looking good. Sadly, the message of the video was that you have to defeat “mean dirty” nature in order to preserve your crowning glory.
Might we love …

I had an amazing childhood, but did not know about a lot of opportunities that were available to me.

 
I met Karen last week at a local college event, and discovered we had some wonderful things in common, such as motherhood, blogging, and a passion for the outdoors. Karen shares with us how she discovered outdoor recreation, and what it means to her family today.
 
What experiences did you have as a youth that influence how you interact with natural spaces today?
As a kid, other than going to a local park to …

Scuba diving in St. Croix, UVA

Reposted by Request
“Don’t get my hair wet!” I’ve blurted many times in a breathless panic anytime water came dangerously close to my heat straightened locks. I always joked that water near a black woman’s hair is like kryptonite near Superman – and in some cases, it’s actually true. Real tears have been shed for hairstyles unexpectedly ruined from contact with water folks!
I was raised to be afraid of what water could do to my hair. As a young girl, the only places permissible to …