The New Outdoors

All Land is Sacred: Jolie Varela on the Healing Power of Hiking

a collage of Indigenous women hiking through the mountains
by Evette Dionne
October 4, 2019 at 3:42pm
The Indigenous Women Hike is her “sacred fire.” 
a purple, pink, and yellow collage of a Black man holding binoculars to his eyes

Just Look Up: Are BIPOC Birding Communities Gaining Momentum?

by Bani Amor
October 4, 2019 at 11:43am
From books to social media to IRL meetups, and now TV, BIPOC birders are using varied mediums to get their communities outside. Read more »
a collage of a Black woman with a white headband and an orange swimsuit sits in front of a pool

Sailing Old Seas: The Seafarers Yacht Club Has a Legacy as Old as the Ocean

by Nneka M. Okona
October 4, 2019 at 10:21am
Though boating seems to be a luxurious activity reserved solely for the rich, famous, and otherwise wealthy, there’s one group that has long fought this misunderstanding, specifically for Black people. Read more »
a collage of Asian women traveling throughout the world

New Canon: A Roundtable about Travel Writing without the Other

by Bani Amor
October 3, 2019 at 9:53am
Literature about traveling and adventure has a long history of evoking an Orientalist imaginary of Asia as perpetually exotic and dominable. Read more »
A collage of brown and Black body parts with sunscreen overlay.

Skin Deep: The Racial Politics of Sunscreen

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
October 3, 2019 at 8:53am
Sunscreen, its marketing, and its physical makeup is just another way that white people are prioritized in the outdoors industry. Read more »
a collage of huskies pulling a woman through snow that is light and navy blue

Running Forward: The Feminist Underbelly of the Dogsledding World

by Kelsey Camacho
October 3, 2019 at 8:52am
Regardless of gender, we all look the same in heavy parkas and down jackets. Read more »
a collage of two white boys standing outside at night and holding rifles

#SafeOutside: The Rise of a #MeToo Movement Outdoors

by Hayden Seder
October 2, 2019 at 8:56am
The fear of another person in the outdoors versus the fear of animals, weather conditions, or getting lost is something that is increasingly felt by women. Read more »
a collage of a person in a wheelchair and a large image of red hiking boot

Redefining Limitations: Disabled Athletes Are Adaptive, Resilient, and Still Locked Out

by Tenley Lozano
October 2, 2019 at 8:55am
Disability spans all other identities, but it remains a mostly untouched market for companies that cater to the outdoors industry. Read more »
a collage of a Black woman sitting on top of a van and surrounded by flowers

Jennelle Eliana Is Changing the #VanLife Movement

by Kim Wong-Shing
October 2, 2019 at 8:53am
I felt like my family and I could go anywhere in our van. White supremacy complicated that freedom, but it didn’t take it away completely. Read more »
a collage of hikers in colorful gear walking on top of prayer flags toward a mountain

Climbing Everest Isn’t a Bucket List Dream—It’s a Crisis of Overtourism

by Bani Amor
October 1, 2019 at 7:55am
How much more life, both human and environmental, must be sacrificed to satiate the Western adventurer’s unending thirst to check another box on a bucket list? Read more »
a collage of Smokey the Bear and firefighters in red suits in front of green trees

A Softer Smokey: Fighting Fires Alongside Toxic Masculinity

by Anastasia Selby
October 1, 2019 at 7:55am
Smokey is a symbol of the failure of our government to embrace progressive ideals and a more inclusive and open-minded ecological stance which would lead to more thoughtfully managed natural spaces. Read more »

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