Outdoor Recreation

#BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter, Diversity, Essays, National Monuments, National Parks, Outdoor Recreation / 10.04.2023

On April 3, 2023, the National Park Service formally announced two groundbreaking reports that detail the history and progress of equitable access to public land from 1916 to 1965. Spanning the time from the creation of the NPS through the height of the Civil Rights movement, these studies offer great insight into the “tragedy and resilience of Black recreation”. https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/national-park-service-publishes-two-historical-studies-surfacing-tragedy-and-resilience-in-black-recreation.htm As I’m pouring though these remarkable documents on this beautiful Easter Sunday Morning, I was reminded by historian Christina Pronenza Coles that on this day, April 9, 1939, contralto Marian...

#BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter, Diversity, Fly Fishing, On Assignment, Outdoor Recreation / 12.09.2022

Few things in life are easier than preparing a meal of left-overs. Or so you might think. When we gathered a group of environmental activists to share a summertime retreat on the shores of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I’m sure that I went far above and beyond in cooking dinner on the two previous evenings of our three-night stay. We had more than we needed to eat. Long experience as a camp chef has made me a bit paranoid when it comes to having...

Adventure Activism, Black Lives Matter, Breaking News, Climbing, Outdoor Recreation, The Adventure Gap / 21.04.2021

More people of color should be certified mountain guides. To lead in the spirit of that intention The Joy Trip Project is excited to announce the availability of the first Crenchaw Climbing Scholarship for an American Mountain Guides Association Single Pitch Instructor Course. This opportunity is available to those over 18 years of age who identify as Black, Indigenous or a person of color. Best candidates must also be dedicated to advancing the diversity, equity and inclusion of outdoor recreation and environmental conservation as a wilderness guide or...

Commentary, Diversity, Everyone In A Park, Hiking, Ice Age Trail, National Forests, National Parks, Outdoor Recreation, Public Land, ReThinkOutside, The Adventure Gap, Wisconsin / 21.09.2020

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text] Immediately after breakfast, our little group sat discussing what would happen next. A steady rain had been falling since late the night before and the prospects of the hike we had planned appeared grim. Holding up my iPad I showed everyone an image of the local weather radar map. “As can see there’s a bit of window opening up,” I said pointing to a clear spot in a mass of swirling colors ranging from yellow/orange to deep red. “If we start now,...

Black In National Parks Week, Diversity, Greening Youth Foundation, National Parks, Nelson Institute, Outdoor Recreation, ReThinkOutside, Sierra Club, Uncategorized / 28.08.2020

On August 25th, 2020 The Joy Trip Project had the great honor and privilege to host a distinguished panel of experts. To mark the 104th Anniversary of the National Park Service those who gathered brought their thoughts and lived experiences to explore the long history and future of Black people as stewards of our public land. Our panelists included: independent scholar Dr. Carolyn Finney, Dr. Nina Roberts Professor of recreation, parks and tourism at San Francisco State University, Yosemite National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson, former National Park Director Robert...

Diversity, Environmental Journalism, National Geographic, National Parks, Outdoor Recreation, ReThinkOutside / 19.08.2020

WHEN I BEGAN exploring the outdoors, I had no idea that Black people had played a vital role in the creation of Yosemite, one of my favorite national parks. I had never heard the story of the park’s connection with Charles Young and the Buffalo Soldiers, and when I finally did, at age 42, it came to me as a complete surprise. In the 10 years since, I’ve learned the stories of Stephen Bishop and Mammoth Caves, Lancelot Jones and Biscayne Bay, and many other people of color who have influenced national...