Why a training is Outdoor Afro's 'most wonderful time of year'
Hold it in the same regard as a family reunion. By design, booked in nature. Outdoor Afro Leadership Training’s itinerary weaves in traditional reunion experiences: the initial meet-and-greet, park picnics, historical nature tours, and that closing banquet (Soul Train line included) to celebrate one another before departing. Nicknamed OALT, the now 11-year learning event hosted by national not-for-profit Outdoor Afro takes place Friday, April 28, to Sunday, April 30 in Bainbridge, Washington.
“This year our training welcomes 21 new volunteer leaders and 82 returning ones,” said Outdoor Afro’s National Program Director Chaya Harris. Leaders will assemble at IslandWood, a 250-acre campus on Bainbridge Island, with staff, board members, and select partners. The annual training hosts both veteran and Class of 2023 leaders for customized, educational moments to understand Outdoor Afro’s brand story and teach these nature navigators how to guide their neighborhoods sustainably and safely in modern times.
When Outdoor Afro Leadership Team applications opened November 2022, the organization received 98 submissions to become a 2023 volunteer leader. The word of mouth about the transformative opportunity traveled fast across the United States. At OALT, the organization shares its values, framework, and best practices to host and lead outdoor activities with volunteers. These 21st-century leaders also gain industry scholarship in areas such as health impacts on nature, basics to trip planning, conservation ethics, effective social media storytelling strategies, and risk management.
“It’s really a hands-on, interactive training,” said Harris. “Designed to enhance our volunteers skills as facilitators, we provide a range of workshops – from risk mitigation to easy steps for brewing your favorite coffee or tea while in the outdoors – all with a Black joy focus.” April 2022, the training massed in Granby, Colorado, at Sun Outdoors Rocky Mountains. TikTok-qualifying trails, snow-blanketed mountaintops, and lush wildlife girdled the professional development days that followed. In unison with Earth Day’s “Invest in Our Planet” charge, OALT 2023 explores and localizes outdoor conservation, recreation, and education conversations.
Outdoor Afro invites expert guest speakers and designated partners to the training to share field insights and encouragement to volunteer leaders. After training, leaders originate and host monthly network activities that foster local program collaborations and help strengthen neighborhood relationships with land, wildlife, and water. Yearlong, leaders plan and shepherd nature-rich experiences like fishing, backpacking, hiking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, gardening, skiing, horseback riding, nature journaling, geocaching, biking, bird watching, and more. Network events nationwide center joy and healing while also disrupting a false perception that Black people do not have a relationship to nature.
Outdoor Afro formed 14 years ago. OALT established in 2012 with just a dozen volunteer outdoor enthusiasts. Each took the call to learn directly from Founder and CEO Rue Mapp about how to inspire and guide unforgettable experiences in nature. “We now have 35 networks nationwide with three new ones in Kansas City, Missouri; Norfolk, Virginia; and Burlington, Vermont,” Harris said. “A truly intergenerational group, our volunteers range in age from their 20s to their 60s. All eager to guide their neighborhoods in nature this year.”
ABOUT OUTDOOR AFRO: Outdoor Afro is a national not-for-profit organization that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature. What started as a kitchen table blog by Founder and CEO Rue Mapp in 2009 has since grown into a cutting-edge nationwide organization with 100-plus volunteer leaders in 60 cities. “Where Black people and nature meet,” Outdoor Afro impacts more than 60,000 people annually in nature through outdoor education, recreation, and conservation. Visit outdoorafro.org and @outdoorafro to learn more.
*illustrations by Dajah Callen
7 winter wilderness guidelines from our Minnesota leader
Weather conditions fluctuate from rain, sleet, ice, and snow. Now. Add the word “freezing” in front of each element. That just about digests Minnesota’s January and February forecast. And if there’s one person who craves these extremities, it’s Outdoor Afro’s 2022 “Leader of the Year” Stephen Scott. “I personally love Nordic skiing (cross-country skiing) and snowboarding in the winter,” said Scott, 39, who is originally from Texas but has called Minnesota home for the past 10 years. “Our local network likes snow tubing, Nordic skiing, and snowshoeing.”
Through Outdoor Afro, Scott typically commits these months to winter activities that introduce his community to cold-weather environments with care. From Feb. 17 to Feb. 20, he hosted a first-time “Intro to Minnesota Winter Wilderness Weekend” in Northern city Ely – tapping into the Superior National Forest and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness – to teach survival skills and fun hobbies for this habitat. Community participants learned to dogsled, ice fish, and snowshoe. With nearly seven years of Outdoor Afro leadership experience in guiding his neighborhood in nature, Scott offers insight into no-man’s-land adventures during this time of year:
(Outdoor Afro Communications Director Candace Dantes) Q: Why was this network experience worth hosting to start 2023? What were the benefits of taking the time to coordinate and lead this first-ever experience for your community? (Stephen Scott) A: It's an excellent opportunity to try new winter activities and experience the beauty of our national forest. It also creates partnerships within the Ely community (Kes Ebbs, Superior National Forest/Kawishiwi District, Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge, Arrowhead Outdoors) and shares the beauty of the outdoors in the winter.
Q: For those not comfortable with radical winters (like me lol), what’s the appeal of Minnesota? Why is it an ideal staycation or travel destination? A: Beyond the frigid temperatures, Minnesota provides the perfect backdrop for a winter wonderland full of outdoor and indoor exploration. Before visiting in the winter, be sure to pack your layers (base, mid and top), gloves, and favorite hat.
Q: So, what exactly did participants grasp during the wilderness weekend? A: A few different tasks. They learned about the conservation ethics, Minnesota ecosystems, careers in natural resources, and the relationship between recreation and management. For our specific activities, each got to understand the basics of dogsledding (orienting, meeting the dogs, launching a sled); snowshoeing (how to put shoes on and walk in them properly); and ice fishing (how to auger a hole into the ice, bait a hook, and find fish).
Q: From the images our professional photographer Joe Klementovich captured, the network action looked so tantalizing to try. As a seasoned winter wilderness expert, what tips do you have for first-time participants exploring nature in Minnesota during the winter months? A: Definitely dress in layers to maintain your warmth. Bring a warm beverage in an insulated container to stay hydrated. Pack adequate snacks to keep your energy going throughout the day.
Q: Noted. For veteran nature explorers of the area, what’s something new they can learn in this region? A: Understanding the difference between “good” cold and “bad” cold to participate in local adventures. There is a difference. Also, being deliberate about their actions to prevent accidents, and truly knowing weather conditions so you’re prepared in terms of having the right gear and equipment.
Q: Speaking of gear and equipment, what are your must-packs for winter activities in Minnesota? And why these particular items? A: For me: wool base layers to start. These layers allow my body to stay warm but also help remove moisture from my skin. Second, a buff. It's a multifunctional piece preventing drafts around the neck and can easily protect the face from the elements. Third is my windshell, which pierces blowing winds and pulls heat from my core. Fourth, softshell snow pants for movement, protection from snow, and turn into a vent when I get hot. Fifth are, of course, my snow boots to keep my feet warm and dry. Honorable mentions: gloves, a hat, sunglasses or goggles, and hand warmers.
Q: Got it down. Thank you for those “honorable mentions,” too. Lastly, you’re serving as a guide and mentor to fellow Outdoor Afro volunteer leader Christine Meissner this year since she became a recipient like you were of the Polar Explorers Matthew Henson Scholarship. Christine will attend a five-day introduction to a winter travel training course in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. What specifically will you help Christine achieve during this experience? What advice do you have for her before pursuing this scholarship journey?
A: My role as a second-year scholar is to provide Christine support in preparation (gear and questions) for the Polar Shakedown Training – designed to ready scholars for extreme cold-weather expeditions or polar treks. I also joined the Shakedown team to help guide the other scholars. My advice for Christine is to embrace skill-building, camaraderie, views, and temperatures – fully. I hope she will learn about her own personal limits, become deliberate in her actions while being in the cold, understand the different types of coldness, and thrive. Not just survive.
*Click here to learn more about our Outdoor Afro Leadership Training that volunteers like Scott and Meissner participate in annually to develop aptitude to guide their neighborhoods in nature safely and sustainably.
Machine Falls: where endurance hikers, leaders are born
The accordion-like hike chugs along with ease. Then, a collective cautiousness seeps in. Ahead, a 60-foot descension. Disjointed stones, hard-to-identify wooden staircases, and protruding tree roots offer occasional guidance with each unsure footstep. A steep, jagged drop any hiker would question. Then, her voice echoes toward the group: “Take your time,” said Outdoor Afro volunteer leader Danielle Young, 35. “There’s no rush.”
“Whew!” Some blurted. “Thank goodness!” Another wave murmured under their breath. Once that part of the hiking gauntlet completes, everyone temporarily lands back on solid ground. Young gives clear direction for this next part: It’s slippery entering the water. Which, by the way, comes to one's knee. Something she gave notice about weeks before on Outdoor Afro’s Tennessee Meetup page.
“So walk slowly,” Young said. “I will be there at the halfway point to tell you where to go next.” A woman of her word, she does. For the last time as an Outdoor Afro volunteer leader. An assignment she now passes to new 2022 volunteer leader Danae Gaiter, 36. After a few mental scares and semi-water treading hesitations, the party of nearly 15 community participants arrive at their destination: Machine Falls Loop Trail in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Roughly an hour drive from Nashville.
The aerospace and aviation hub in Southern Middle Tennessee is home to the world's most advanced flight testing center. Railroad construction actually created the community, which chartered in 1852. However, the city’s surrounding springs became popular tourist attractions alongside its growing avionics history. Machine Falls became one of Tullahoma’s many challenging sightseeing routes and waterfalls visitors wanted to test. Explore water life (creek beds and smaller waterfalls), fauna, and flora as pluses to the trail.
Positioned off a 4.1-mile loop, the more than 60-foot-tall waterfall is a top Outdoor Afro activity on Tennessee participants' to-visit list. For the past three years, Young has guided those interested in the destination on Outdoor Afro weekend adventures. COVID paused group trips to Machine Falls until recently. However, Young found personal peace at the waterfall while waiting for network events to start again. Outdoor Afro has helped Young in present times of grief.
“Logging offline and heading into nature is just soothing, especially with everything that has been thrown at me,” said Young, a cyber defense major. Because Young plans to move closer to her sister who lives in Texas, she recommended Gaiter as her volunteer leader replacement. Gaiter, who participated in her very first Outdoor Afro activity in November 2021, accepted. As network events posted to Meetup, Gaiter joined more journeys with Young. Refreshed. Inspired.
“It felt so good to be with like-minded people,” said Gaiter. “Breathing in the early morning air. That sense of being welcomed. Getting all my questions about nature answered.” Sold on taking Young’s place, Gaiter applied to become an Outdoor Afro volunteer leader. After many screenings and interviews by the networks’ national program director, Chaya Harris, Gaiter joined the Class of 2022 volunteer leaders. Totaling 117 volunteers this year. Next, Gaiter hopped on a flight to Granby, Colorado, for Outdoor Afro Leadership Training (OALT) held at River Run RV Resort.
Another weekend experience but for selected and trained applicants to gain the essential tools needed to guide local communities in nature sustainably and safely. The training is organized annually by Outdoor Afro staff and experienced volunteer leaders who share the organization's history, values, best practices, and industry knowledge, including: trip planning basics; health impacts of nature conservation ethics; risk management; and effective social media storytelling. Select partners and guest speakers are invited to the training to provide field insights, and share inspiration and encouragement.
After training, volunteer leaders like Gaiter create and guide monthly trips that foster local program collaborations, and help strengthen community relationships with land, water, and wildlife. Volunteers center joy and healing, disrupting a false perception that Black people do not have a relationship to nature. “I’m really big on making people feel comfortable,” said Gaiter. “We belong in this space. I look forward to reassuring our participants that there is safety in numbers within group experiences.” Gaiter’s contributions are part of Outdoor Afro’s 60,000 participation network.
The national not-for-profit organization spans 60 cities across the country. Located in 32 states, including Washington, D.C. That moment at Machine Falls where participants made it safely and together to the cascading water scene is what OALT prepares volunteer leaders for. The arduous hike left 67-year-old Jesse Green Jr. of Nashville in anticipation for the local network’s next nature quest. “I could have stayed at that waterfall all day with Outdoor Afro,” said Green Jr., a former YMCA certified swim instructor trainer. “I loved hearing the water. Although it was really cold water, it was a great experience with new people.”
