Wild Diversity

By Sofia Baum Photo credit: Myles Tan Cooking in the outdoors is a fun, satisfying, and ever-evolving experience that can be nurturing for our communities, both literally and spiritually. With just a little patience, care, and some planning, we can all be well-fed and thriving in the wilderness. Before jumping in, a quick reminder that whenever you're cooking — indoors or outdoors — you should always practice food safety. Plan out your meals to inform how and what to pack. Depending on the amount of days and the activity, you may have to bring your food in coolers, sealed containers, or food bags; if you're backpacking, you should hang food in a tree away from your sleep system and gear to avoid damage from animals. You should also be following the seven principles of Leave No Trace , especially those involving consumption and waste. Meals that are well-planned lead to safer and more satisfying experiences overall. When preparing food outdoors, the most important decisi...

By Viv Cai Photo credit: gc2b CONTENT WARNING: This article mentions body parts, gender dysphoria, and the covering/hiding of body parts. Summer can be a time of heightened gender dysphoria for many transgender and nonbinary (enby) folks. As the layers come off, there is less to play with to help us create the body image or gender presentation we feel most comfortable in. This can be especially true in situations involving water activities where our bodies might be more exposed than we want them to be. What can we do to feel comfortable so that we can enjoy summer adventures while being affirmed in our gender identity? I would first like to say that all bodies are beautiful and that we can all find confidence within ourselves. However, “passing” can an integral part of our safety while being trans, and our emotional health is important. It's validating to be seen as your gender identity and to feel confident in your body. Of course, not everyone who identifies as trans o...

By Sofia Baum Photo credit: Sofia Baum The Leave No Trace Seven Principles share a guiding framework to a fulfilling and intentional experience in the outdoors. The purpose of Leave No Trace is to reconnect with the natural world and avoid damaging the land, waterways, and wildlife. 1. Prepare and Plan Ahead What does this look like? ✓ Identifying goals for your experience ✓ Lining up experiences and activities with your or your groups level of knowledge, skill, and experience ✓ Considering weather, terrain, regulations, and anticipated food consumption. What's the impact? ✓ Ensure safety for yourself and your group ✓ Minimize impact on natural world ✓ Increase level of comfort and enjoyment of the experience ✓ Encourages self-growth Photo credit: B en Duchac 2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces What does this look like? ✓ Staying on trail specifically on rock, sand and gravel; ice and snow; and sparse vegetation ✓ Avoiding living soil as it miti...

by Endria Richardson Last Spring, I became certified as a Wilderness First Responder through the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). The premise of WFR training is that it teaches lay-people systems for responding to a medical crisis when, *emphasis*, there is no other access to medical care. In the context of WFR training, that’s generally when you are in the backcountry (that is, far enough into the woods, or mountains, or other nature that cell service, roads, or hospitals aren't readily accessible). But WFR training can be relevant in any crisis where professional medical help is not available. This might occur during large-scale natural disasters like earthquakes or hurricanes. And it is occurring to some extent right now, due to the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus, or Covid-19. I am not a doctor, nurse, paramedic, or EMT. I am only a certified Wilderness First Responder. That means I’ve taken a 10 day course in wilderness medicine and have a laminated piece of ...

By Mercy M'fon Shammah One thing that I want most for our community is to be prepared. This year we have faced massive continent fires, 10 earthquakes in Puerto Rico in a handful of days, a volcano eruption followed by ash lightning, fifteen-foot snow drifts in Newfoundland, the coronavirus outbreak, a threat of WWIII… and the decade just started. Ready for anything As BIPOC, queer, and TGNC folks, we already feel like we are in survival mode. Our personal safety and well-being — particularly for systematically targeted Black, brown, and transgender bodies — isn’t assured. Existence is resilience. Being so used to overcoming adversities, it might seem as though we're naturally equipped for any situation. It might also seem like “prepping” is just a wacky hobby for a privileged population of people with not much to prepare for in their actual day-to-day. But unexpected events happen all the time, and though we may not be able to plan for or predict them all, we ca...