Wild Diversity

Ask an Adventure Leader is a writing series that gives our community an opportunity to learn from our Adventure Leaders' collective experience, expertise, and deepest excitements. This week, Skeeter (they/them) reflects on their evolving relationship to backpacking and gear. Skeeter’s blog also ends with an intro to a new series of reflections called Worth the Weight, where people in our community reflect on the extra things they might bring along on a trip, despite the weight, because of the ways they will ultimately enhance their experience. When I was a sophomore in college, I took a job at my college’s gear closet because I couldn’t find anything else. It was a closet with a mountain of backpacks, tents, sleeping pads, surfboards, snorkel gear-- anything related to the outdoors, really. I was overwhelmed and intimidated. I had started hiking not too long before I got the job, and my only piece of “real” outdoor gear was a pair of old hiking shoes that my grandma got me five yea...

This week, Kassy shares a powerful reflection on the impact that finding affinity with Climbers of Color had on her perspective that bouldering could, in fact, be a positive social experience. When I was first told that bouldering was a “social sport” I simply raised an eyebrow and said, “that’s not me” because for the longest time, it wasn’t. As someone who once struggled with social anxiety the simple act of walking into a crowded gym was not easy.  Every time I saw the herds of people inside I would quickly turn around and say, “Nope! Maybe next time.” It took months of peaking into the gym doors before I actually went in to sign up for a membership. Sadly, my anxiety didn’t improve much once I started climbing.  As a new climber, dealing with imposter syndrome was difficult but being one of the only women of color in that gym made it almost impossible. Surrounded by a sea of white men, I would often hear myself think, “You’re not one of them. They know it. You know it. Thi...

Ask an Adventure Leader is a writing series that gives our community an opportunity to learn from our Adventure Leaders' collective experience, expertise, and deepest excitements. This week, Heather (they/them) shares some of their best tips for building a wardrobe for the outdoors. For many of us, choosing what to wear each day is determined by a few factors including function, comfort, and style. But what’s important when it comes to what we wear when enjoying the great outdoors? Depending on the conditions of your location, plus the activity you plan to do, figuring out what to wear can be just as easy as getting dressed in the morning. What will be comfortable, keep you safe, and show your uniqueness? For me, cost was a concern when figuring out I needed to wear on trail or on a paddle. What did I need to have--or go buy, I assumed,--to be prepared, and how could I get creative?  Read on for some tips that might help you find the sweet spot when it comes to clothing in the outd...

Ask an Adventure Leader is a writing series that gives our community an opportunity to learn from our Adventure Leaders' collective experience, expertise, and deepest excitements. This week, Mahin (they/them) shares some of their best tips about hammocking – both to increase your enjoyment of the experience, and to be intentional about the ways we relate to our dear tree friends – followed by a delightful list of their favorite places to swing in their "portable porch swing." I've been with Wild Diversity as an Adventure Leader since April 2020. I first encountered the organization at a Pride event in June 2019, where a bunch of outdoorsy type organizations were tabling at Next Adventure. I was excited to meet Mercy and hear about Wild Diversity's mission to create community with BIPOC & Queer folks connecting to nature together. I signed up for the Hoh Rainforest backpacking trip in September 2019 and had such a special, fantastic time, that I decided to beco...