On the top of Pahto, I chatted with a Mexican-American man named Julio who beat most of his grandkids to the summit. He was a joyful person with a full heart. It was the annual trip he did with his grandkids. Every year, for the last 5 years, they’ve climbed this mountain. When chatting with […]
“Mentorship finds you.” I use to believe that. I use to believe that if I worked hard, I would be recognized. I use to believe that people would see my potential and elevate me. I use to believe that talent was the only factor that attracted mentors. This might be true for men, but it’s […]
You can’t look at sponsored outdoor athlete line ups and pretend there aren’t gender, ableist, and racial gaps in mountaineering. You can’t pretend that there isn’t oppression on mountaintops. You can’t pretend that there isn’t a glass ceiling preventing certain people from reaching summits. You can’t pretend that white men don’t have a powerful grip […]
“Sangre brava y coloradaretadora como filo de puñales la sangre de mi razasoñadora y cancionerasangre brava y peleoneravalentona y pendencieracomo penca de nopal.” “Blood that’s ‘brava’ and colored redchallenging like the sharpness of a daggerthat’s the blood of my peoplefull of dreams and full of songblood that’s ‘brava’ and quarrelsomeboastful and rowdylike the sprouts of […]
“You have to become the woman you wish you could look up to. Think of the little girls that will see you and think ‘wow, that could be me.’ That’s what it’s going to take to break this oppressive cycle.”
I didn’t feel like I was enough until I started connecting more intimately with leaders in the community. I saw their strength, and commitment, and power, and their pain— and in them, I saw a reflection of my own. I stopped feeling as lonely and felt seen and validated. WE are enough. Healing is as […]
Most POC advocates I’ve meet in the outdoor community are well practiced in navigating predominantly white spaces. A lot of us have at least one college degree, live or have lived in very white cities, are effective code-switchers, and are doing a lot of work to understand our cultural identities. We are also often very […]
Who is a climber? How many pitches? How many years? How much gear? How many grades? How many falls? Who is a mountaineer? How many courses? How many skills? How make summits? How many knots? How many photos? Who is an advocate? How many posts? How much education? How many conversations? How many committees? How […]
A little over 3 years ago, I packed a 45L backpack and went on my way to visit Mt. Everest. I flew to Nepal by myself with a Lonely Planet guidebook and some notes from travel blogs. My trekking boots had barely been broken in and I had just discovered down, but I was committed […]
When most people think of outdoor women they admire, they think of popular athletes on the forefront of outdoor recreation. I don’t. I think of my mamá and the women in the farming community I grew up in. I think of the strong women who migrated to a new country to sow its land in […]