Hiking Basics Class at REI NYC SOHO Store!
By Melissa Danielle
Several new Outdoor Afros braved the snow last week to drop in for a special day hiking basics class at REI’s NYC SOHO store.
The class was hosted by Scott, an avid hiker who worked as an NYC Park Ranger in Van Cortlandt Park (an 1100+ acre park in The Bronx) prior to becoming an REI Outdoor School instructor. His comprehensive and practical advice made it easy for newbie hikers to feel comfortable hopping on the trail.
Here’s what a couple of members shared after the class:
“Scott, our instructor, took time to answer our questions and was quite thorough with the material he covered. We were also able to check out his equipment hands-on, which really helped me get an understanding of what I'm looking for in my hiking gear.”
“It was a great little crash course in hiking that makes me really excited to get out soon.”
So What Makes For a Successful Day Hiking Trip in NYC?
Having your logistics in place before your day hiking trip is the best way to have a fun and invigorating experience. Make sure you and your group chooses a well marked trail and have enough food, water, sufficient layers, and proper footwear to minimize stress and risk of emergencies.
Be Prepared
During the class, Scott covered The Ten Essentials, a list of must-haves you and everyone in your group should carry on their person for their safety and well-being. This includes food/snacks, proper hydration, maps, and a first aid kit. Members with special health concerns such as any physical limitations, asthma, and diabetes should also take steps to make sure they will be comfortable during the hike.
Plan Your Trip / Know Your Trail
There are times when I’ve traveled up to the Hudson Valley via Metro-North without an itinerary or return train schedule. I would let an adventure find me and then make my way back to the train station when I was sufficiently worn out.
When you’re out hiking with a group, an itinerary is absolutely necessary to ensure the safety, well-being, and management of your group members. If you’ve never been out on the trail you’ve selected, make plans to scope it out before you take the group with you. This way, you’ll have an idea of the trail’s intensity and can set a reasonable expectation for the length of the hike. As a bonus, look for sights that you can share with your group, such as interesting formations, plant and tree identification, and wildlife.
Keep an eye on the weather prior to your trip and be mindful of changes to the trail in the case of inclement weather.
Native NYC residents are notorious for rarely leaving their borough or going beyond Manhattan, especially on the weekends, so grab a train schedule and have good directions to and from the stations.
Have Fun!
Day hikes offer a great opportunity to experience nature, engage in physical activity, and deepen your connection with your fellow hikers. NYC residents don’t have to travel very far for an enriching experience, so be sure to check out your options, right in your own borough!
Here are some resources to help you plan a fun, engaging, and safe day hiking experience in NYC:
We are so excited to celebrate our continued partnership/collaboration with REI!
Where are some of your favorite places to hike in and around NYC?
Adventures in Hiking and Snow Dancing in Oakland
By Outdoor Afro Leader Zoë Polk
With the Sierra winter snowpack at historic lows, we at Outdoor Afro Northern California have been hoping for a “dump.” A heavy snowstorm last weekend would have enabled us to join our REI family for their annual Winter Trails Day event but also protect all of us in California from drought, water restrictions, wildfires and farmland fallowing. Thus, while the rest of the country continues to dig out from record snowfall, we Northern California Outdoor Afros have been busy “snow dancing.” And of course we grooved together in fellowship, in community and in the outdoors.
Convening in Oakland’s Redwood Regional Park, we quickly “got down-” that is we descended the park’s Fern Trail. Along the way, we beheld the fog cover of the eucalyptus trees and appreciated the mystical beauty it gave the forest.
We also delighted in getting up close to ladybug colonies. 
Even for frequent visitors, these experiences made the hiking familiar trails a new and exciting adventure.
As we’ve been known to do in the past, we also added a celebratory soundtrack to our hike. In honor of the day being Mary J. Blige’s birthday, we sang, bonded over and (snow) danced to our favorite Mary songs. From “Be Happy” to “Real Love” to “Just Fine,” we had plenty of choices to hum and hike to.
Keeping in mind that we had to get up to get down, we climbed the Madrone Trail and finished our hike back at the Redwood Bowl Staging Area. While we’re still awaiting snowfall in the Sierras, we also are looking forward to all of the adventures 2014 will bring- whether we’re wearing our snowshoes, skis, Keen hiking boots or dancing shoes.
REI and Outdoor Afro: Continued Partnership in 2014!
We are so grateful to announce a new year of partnership between REI and Outdoor Afro to help inform and strengthen our work to get more people outside! Significantly, REI and its staff will provide direct support for our Outdoor Afro staff and Leadership Team through training, gear, access to local store meeting spaces for special events - and more!
As the official outdoor retailer of Outdoor Afro, you can count on the REI co-op for superior outdoor products, staff expertise, and fun outdoor events that will help strengthen your connection to nature.
Many Outdoor Afros already know that REI lifetime membership has several benefits, including annual dividends paid directly to you based on your purchases, and a very flexible exchange/return policy.
We are especially enthusiastic about this partnership because of REI’s internal, and genuine commitment to relevant and accessible outdoor engagement for everyone -- and we consider headquarter staff members as trusted friends and advisers.
This year, you can look forward to more visible collaboration between REI and Outdoor Afro to promote events that suit a wide-range of outdoor interests, and gear that helps you stay comfortable while looking fly!
Please join us in celebrating this partnership by becoming an REI member today, and getting out in nature wherever you are!
We want to acknowledge Laura Swapp, Myrian Solis Coronel from headquarters, along with Amber Miksza and Brad Bostrom from the REI Berkeley store, who altogether helped to vision and pioneer such an awesome partnership! – Thank you!
We are looking forward to a terrific year ahead together helping more people connect with nature!
Visit REI
Making Friends With Mother Nature? It's Possible
Is it possible to make friends with nature? After visiting Hawaii's Lake Wai’au a few years ago I have to believe it is. I've never connected so strongly with a place, making me even sadder to learn that this treasure is almost gone.
In 2012 my husband and I went to Hawaii and visited Mauna Kea on the Big Island,
something thousands of tourists do every year. We went up to the summit, another fairly common activity. But we also had a rare experience almost none of those other visitors did because we took the extra step of hiking at the summit to a sacred spot in Hawaiian culture. At the top is an alpine lake just below the summit called Lake Wai’au. The path to it is unmarked, getting there requires a hike over craggy snow-covered volcanic red rocks, but the reward is an incredible experience in an otherworldly landscape that I wrote about for Outdoor Afro in 2012. Sadly, scientists don't know exactly why yet, but the lake has shrunk to its lowest level EVER.
I was as shocked to hear this news as I would be to learn a close friend was sick. I am all too familiar with losing people, but to consider losing a place I connected with so strongly is a foreign concept. I just knew I would be going back to the lake again and again, taking my daughter there when she is old enough, and showing it to our friends. Perhaps it will recover and I'll have the opportunity to do that, but for now I am grateful we took the time to just go.
Even though I was only there for an hour, Lake Wai’au became my friend, a part of my 'ohana (extended family in Hawaiian). It challenged me, it was fun, and it taught me things--all components of a great friendship. The hike to the lake and the time we spent there are experiences I reflect on more than most other vacation memories-the crisp air, the debate over whether we should turn back when it took MUCH longer than the guidebook said it would to get there, the encounter with a French couple that hiked from the bottom who arrived at the lake at the same time we did. I can instantly recall how quiet the lake was--the area was the most silent place I have ever been.
Thinking of how easy it would have been for us to skip this stop is almost comical, because we're always talking ourselves out of things. It would have been easy for us to allow some commitment or practicality to keep us on the road toward our next stop. The rental was almost out of gas (NOT advisable on a volcano in the middle of nowhere), we had just a few granola bars between us, and it was much colder than we anticipated. If we'd skipped hiking to the lake in 2012, we could have missed its presence on earth entirely. Instead we are left with a memory we'll always treasure. So in 2014 I'm vowing to talk myself into more things, particularly where nature is concerned. The natural world is a constant source of ebb and flow, and the thing I don't see today may not be here tomorrow. I don't want to miss out on making any more awesome new friends!
Lesly Simmons is a San Francisco-based writer and founder of Mamas Guide: Discover Stroller-Friendly San Francisco. She is FINALLY going back to Hawaii in March 2014.
Conservation - Consciousness Runs Deep
This is our friend Chad Brown, and we adore all he does.
Conservation - Consciousness Runs Deep from Soul River on Vimeo.
Soul River challenges traditional media by embracing the unconventional with their production of Conservation - Consciousness Runs Deep. Created and written by creative director Chad Brown, Conservation captures modern urban mythology with the message of consciousness and awareness of responsibility we have as urban dwellers and environmental protectors.
This short film mixes art, mythology, music, and poetry to provide a fresh perspective through the personal lens of environmental justice and the outdoors inspired by the sport fly fishing. In this film, a young man goes through his life in the city and morphs with his consciousness by the guidance of a Naiad. Conservation provides a breath of fresh air from a young, urban, and hip approach and inspires our consciousness to run deep and become ambassadors of the outdoors.
Sponsored by: Oakley, SIMMS, The Freshwater Trust, Northwestern Exposure, Hatch Outdoors, Korkers, Sierra Club, Groundwork Portland, Airflo
California Coast Crabbing for the Holidays!
Crab, with is tender melt-in-your-mouth, sweet-salty goodness is an ocean floor delight for many. And this week, Outdoor Afro founder Rue Mapp decided to catch her own!
Crab is a staple of holiday festivities; shows up on date night plates, or an indulgent treat that requires you to get intimate with it using a combination of tools and tenacity if you want to get past the hard shell to its meaty reward.
It is a carefully portioned and coveted star of Louisiana gumbo, and Crustaceans restaurant fans travel far and pay a pretty penny for their "secret" crab recipe using roasted garlic. But fresh crab does not need much fanfare. It is lovely simply steamed with a hint of butter and lemon. For those who love it, crab always delivers in any form.
Late fall in the San Francisco Bay Area signals the opening of the crab season, when Dungeness crab fishermen troll the Pacific Ocean along the California coast to harvest and deliver the native delicacy to restaurants, fish mongers, and boiling pots everywhere.
Earlier this week, I decided to show out my devotion to crab in a new way, by fishing for my own and inserting myself into the karma of consumption. Far too often, we consume without awareness of the context, complexity, and appreciation of the lives that bring nourishment and the pleasure of a delicacy to humans.
With the support of high-school friend and bass-pro fisherman Aaron Coleman, I was introduced to the snare method of crabbing. Unlike the more common and passive pot and net methods, snaring is more active in that it uses a pole and line, which was more suitable to use along the rocky coast.
The snare traps have a cage you filled with fresh fish such as squid or mackerel then the system is altogether tied to a hook to cast as far out as possible. Shown below
The trek to the secret location, where Aaron’s family has fished for decades was formidable. I’ve been contemplating it since, remarking to others my own sense of fear and trepidation as our journey included steep climbs over jagged rocks and thoughtful steps along a path in between the crash of waves during high tide. We had to pass our gear back and forth between us, while holding on to the contours of sea-worn stone. It was my guide’s familiarity with the area, and coaching that made it possible to arrive safely to the rock platform that looked out over the endless sea framed by the steep and unforgiving cliffs surrounding us.
Morning view from the edge
The set-up - click for larger images
First crab of the day!
All told, we reeled in 10 crab, which is the limit per person for a California sport fishing license.
Once we brought the crabs to dry land, we took the time to clean them and store them in fresh water sealed in freezer bags. Below is a fresh batch steaming with herbs and butter for my family dinner that night.
My children and I savored the hard-won meal, remembering and feeling grateful for the sea from which these fruits came. And we are excited to share our remaining stores with our loved ones as part of the holiday festivities.
Happy Holidays!
Looking Back, Up, and Forward: Greenpoint Walking Tour
By, Melissa Danielle, Outdoor Afro NYC
The coldest day of the autumn season couldn’t keep a few adventurous Outdoor Afros from trekking out to one of North Brooklyn’s oldest neighborhoods: Greenpoint.
Once a thriving agricultural center, Greenpoint quickly became the hub of industrial manufacturing, establishing shipbuilding, oil refining, pottery, glassworks, and more along its waterfront. Today, this mostly working class neighborhood is home to NYC’s largest immigrant Polish and Polish-American population with a significant Latino presence.
In the last ten years, Greenpoint has experienced a wave of gentrification, as young professionals and creatives from nearby Williamsburg and the Lower East Side and East Village neighborhoods of Manhattan have moved in, taking advantage of affordable housing stock.
NYC residents pride themselves in maintaining their personal space (and very little eye contact), so much so that they often miss what’s happening around them, even the static occurrences. For example, even though four of the five boroughs are surrounded by water (The Bronx is the only borough attached to the mainland), the fact that Brooklyn is an island is often overlooked and undermined (Hurricane Sandy being a testament to that).
Hosted by Bronx River Sankofa’s and Outdoor Afro’s own Morgan Powell, our twilight walking tour began with the Dutch West India Company and ended with the American Civil War. Stops included the Eberhard Faber Pencil factory (once the largest maker of lead pencils in the country), George Pratt’s (founder of Pratt Institute) Astral Oil Works refinery and the apartment building constructed for its employees (one of the first affordable housing units in NYC).
We also saw the WNYC Transmitter Park (a former New Deal radio broadcasting station now home to a public waterfront park), highlights of residential and commercial architecture (Dutch stoops, Queen Anne, Neoclassical Revival), the Greenpoint Reform Church and the Dutch Reform Church.
Our final stop, McGolrick Park, was the site of a monument of heroic scale honoring the inventor, engineer, as well as the sailors of the USS Monitor, an ironclad warship instrumental in the battle of Hampton Road against the CSS Virginia during the Civil War.
Today’s Brooklyn barely resembles its agrarian and industrial past, but its monuments and relics still stand.
Nelson Mandela
Today, our hearts are heavy to learn about the transition of Nelson Mandela, with whom we are honored to have shared the same planet.
Mandela will be forever known as a beacon of freedom, and a symbol of transcendence toward peace.
Father Mandela, we salute you at sunset.
In Gratitude
If you want to go fast, go alone
If you want to go far, go together
African proverb
On the tail of brisk autumn winds, we at Outdoor Afro welcome the holidays in the dawn of winter as a time to slow down, give thanks, and set intentions for the coming year.
I often feel so privileged to know what I am supposed to be doing on the planet, and find the daily courage to go forth and embrace it. People ask all the time, “How do you do it?” I have discovered that when you love what you do, it nourishes your very core and everything around you.
But I receive critical support from so many. Along with my three children, whose bravery is shown each time I board a plane for work, I stand on the shoulders of my parents, AC and Ella mae Levias, who showed me the value of connections to both the land and to family from a young age. While my parents are no longer living, Outdoor Afro is an enduring tribute to them, and a way of life.
I muse on the personal and professional mashup when I put the chickens to bed in my urban backyard, or as my cool-season collard greens grow from seedlings, or when my eldest son and I split and stack firewood for the season’s transition, logging it all via social media. There is no seam that separates what I do for a living, how I live, and who I am – and it is such a gift to share it all with others.
Much gratitude is owed to the Outdoor Afro Leadership Team. This baker’s dozen of amazing men and women from around the country answered the call to be leaders in nature and share a fire in their belly that connects people to nature right in their own backyard in places like Pennsylvania, Brooklyn, Chicago, Atlanta, Oakland, and more. Their leadership means thousands of people of all ages have gotten out and rediscovered a sense of connection, stewardship, and possibility in nature they can re-learn, and sustainably repeat in their own lives. We hear all the time powerful testimonies about what our outdoor experiences mean to people. For instance, a recent participant, after an Outdoor Afro hike said, “I feel free”, which sums up an important aspiration of our work for everyone we touch.
Finally, I feel tremendously privileged to work with partners who share common goals and support our work in a variety of ways. They not only keep the lights on, but our corporate and non-profit allies are made up of folks who are like family, who share ideas, triumphs, and challenges right by our side. We have also been blessed with several amazing individual supporters and new clients this year who facilitate opportunities to practice our craft, and expand it through a relevant lens.
Simply put, it’s been a great year.
And while we remain grounded in the present, we are also looking forward to 2014 – it’s the 5th anniversary of the blog that started it all -- and a continued, colorful celebration of people and nature.
No matter how you move into our new season, I want you to know we are thankful for you in this precious community, and wish you all the best of Thanksgivings and a joyous launch of the holiday season!
Rue Mapp
Outdoor Afro Founder
These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things!
What are your favorite things that help you get out and enjoy the outdoors? Here are ours!
We were so excited to participate in a recent video shoot put together by our flagship partner REI featuring just a few products we use from ClifBar, KEEN, and The North Face. We adore these products based on their value, style, ease of use, and functionality - especially for women! Check out the video of Outdoor Afro's founder Rue Mapp showing off some of these favorite things!
Here are a couple more honorable mentions of products we use and have enjoyed this year:
Klean Kanteen Food Canisters and Containers
This product ensures hot lunches stay H-O-T, and is great storage for on-the-go snacks of any temperature for kids and adults!
Columbia's Women’s Mighty Lite™ III Vest
We enjoy throwing on this stylish vest over most anything, and for all our outdoor activities, especially when the weather is cool!
What's on your list?
For more ideas, visit REI.com, or visit your nearest REI store!