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Author: Christian La Mont

Reflexiones: Running and Self-Care

por Krista Jett

Growing up in California’s San Joaquin Valley, I was more familiar with the sight of dairy cows and almond orchards than I was with that of wild deer or redwood groves. My grandparents settled in the region because of its rich agricultural history and abundant jobs for farm laborers. With Spanish as their first language, they felt most at home in the communities of migrant farm workers that inhabited the Valle Central. While nature was something that they both appreciated, it simply could not be the determining factor in their decision about where to live. First and foremost, they needed consistent employment and community.

Even though they lived hours from any state or national park and had little money, my grandparents did not let that stop them from making their way to the outdoors. They would take advantage of their little free time, pack up my grandfather’s old blue pick-up, and head for the ocean. In San Simeon State Park, they passed countless happy days and nights camping under the Monterey Pines, with the sounds of the ocean as the backdrop for their dreams.

On one such camping trip, my grandparents imparted their love of the outdoors to me. At just four years old, I was their Chispita, the little spark, and I took on each new experience in life with fervor. I remember the first time my grandma let me stay up late to sit around the campfire and watch the stars come out. I sat in quiet awe, knowing even at that young age that I was witness to something magical. I would remember that feeling when, fourteen years later, I had my first encounter with trail running.

I was eighteen years old when I graduated high school and moved for college, trading in my small farm town for a small mountain town northeast of Napa. After weeks of watching girls from my dorm lace up their shoes and head into the woods, I decided to try it. I was naive to the concept of running shoes, and I ran that first mile in an old pair of Nike basketball shoes. The fit wasn’t great, but it didn’t matter; I was lost in a paradise of pine trees, lazy creeks, and vibrant green moss. I gasped for air at the crest of each hill before throwing myself into the descent, leaving my worries behind as I ran. Finding my independence on a forest trail was exciting and significant to me, and from then on I was all in.

In the nearly 18 years since that day, I have continued running, hiking, and backpacking along the trails of California’s coastal mountain ranges. The wilderness remains my refuge and a source of endless joy. The redwoods have seen me through my darkest hours as I struggled with postpartum depression, mourned the deaths of loved ones, and grappled to cope with the isolation of the pandemic. The forest has stayed my trusty friend through all these years, and I know with certainty that I can always turn to her.

On December 31, 2019, I decided to start a run streak, hoping to carve out some much-needed alone time for myself. For the next year, I ran outside every day, rain or shine, while allowing myself to focus on my needs alone, even if it was only for ten minutes at a time. The outcome was better than I could have ever imagined; at the end of the year, I felt stronger, happier, and even more in love with the outdoors than when I first began. I have maintained my run streak to this day and am preparing to complete my fourth year in a matter of weeks. While I enjoy the benefits of good fitness and improved health, my primary reason for continuing is keeping my daily “outside” routine alive.

My hope is that others like me will make their way into the wilderness and feel empowered to try new things. Accessibility and affordability remain a barrier for thousands, and my goals through social media are to share the beauty of nature for those who cannot reach it themselves, to inspire others to get outside and explore their world, and to raise awareness about the importance of maintaining public outdoor spaces for everyone. I have made it my practice to invite family, friends, and colleagues to join me outside for a run or hike in the hope that one day they will do the same for someone else, and together, we can spread the love of the outdoors.

Krista was born and raised in the Central Valley of California. She has lived and worked as a Pediatric Nurse in the San Francisco Bay since graduating from nursing school nearly fifteen years ago. Krista began a Run Streak on December 31st, 2019 and has run every day since; she also enjoys hiking, back packing, and exploring coastal tide pools.

Kayaks, Trails and Mules: Now, That’s Baja!

por Trudi Angell

It was almost 50 years ago when I became a sea kayaker. Though I had done some hiking, backpacking, and horse riding in my teens in California, I had not been out on the open water before. So how did I end up in México, on a remote beach, with a cluster of date palm trees and a dozen other young people from 16 years old to late 20s? It’s a fun story.

Flipping through a catalog of courses from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) back in the winter of 1975, none of the snow-camping courses (brrr!) or rock climbing courses (ugh, heavy packs) piqued my interest. But when I got to the page that had a photo of warm, sunny beaches with snorkeling, kayaking, and sailing offered as a 12-day outdoor learning experience, I signed right up. Back then, it was $350 dollars for the 12-day course, so I flew to San Diego and met a girl who was also going on the trip. The next day, her dad drove us to Tijuana to catch a direct flight to somewhere in Baja. The town we were headed to had a funny name, something about mules, maybe, but I had studied Spanish in junior high, high school, and a couple of college classes. I figured I could probably get along okay. Wrong.

As LouAnne and I flew over Scammon’s lagoon, we could see the shadowy forms of whales below in the enclosed bay…then the almost-empty 40-passenger twin-engine plane landed on a dirt strip in the middle of a cactus-covered desert, and the “airport” was a little palm thatch shed with a couple of taxis hoping for someone to disembark. I was glad we were traveling together as we grabbed our bags and hopped into one of the taxis. Here is where my Spanish language would come in handy. The driver asked, “Adónde van?”. “Al Hotel Serenidad, por favor.” And off we went.

Longer story short, LouAnne, the other dozen students, and I became great friends. Something about the outdoors, camping, minimalist lifestyle, and the camaraderie of living together for a couple of weeks in the wilderness and paddling down the coast with our food and gear tucked into the crannies of a sea-worthy kayak, like a floating backpack, well, it was certainly a turning point. There must have been something in the synchronicity of budding Spanish language skills blended with the amazing teachers we had on our NOLS Baja course, the gorgeous coastline, and the simplicity of living day to day in our environment like the local fishermen and farmers in México. Now, 48 years later, the stars overhead, the swish of the sea, and the trails that lead into the desert are truly a comforting home.

Trudi Angell has been a pioneer of adventure travel in Baja California Sur, México since 1983. Leaving a wake of 30 years of sea kayaking, plus exploring the peninsula on mules to ranches and rock art sites. She has ridden mules through Baja from top to bottom, twice, and is planning another 1000-mile mule-pack trip for 2024. She is celebrating 20 years of having dual citizenship. She produced a documentary about mule riding on El Camino Real in Baja, and her Spanish is now really good!

Yo Cuento: Then & Now

por Albert Arévalo

New Horizons

Growing up in South Texas, I never thought too much about my identity or socioeconomic status. Despite being a minority, the majority of the residents from Brownsville, TX, 94%, identify as Latinx. Similarly, my low-income experience was one that was shared by many of my friends and relatives. Because of it, I utilized something that was free and always available to me, my imagination. I remember exploring el monte with my neighbor Richie, and we’d both spend hours surveying the land and pretending we were Power Rangers. Additionally, our proximity to the US-Mexico border meant that I could easily traverse between two countries, something that I recognize as a luxury and privilege.

Before his passing, my grandfather owned and operated his own construction business, Grúas Valdez. My cousin and I would routinely spend our weekends with my grandparents in Matamoros, Mexico, and we would use my grandfather’s mechanic shop as our own personal playground. In hindsight, it wasn’t safe, and I would not recommend it, but on the rare occasions my grandfather pulled himself away from work, he would bring us along on one of his many fishing trips to Playa Bagdad. Because he was a talented welder, he was able to construct and convert the back of his white Ford pickup to a truck camper, with bunk beds. To date, one of my favorite memories is waking up to the smell of the ocean and watching my grandfather fish. After several fishing trips, I began to notice how my grandfather’s demeanor changed from his typical fast-paced no-break perception of life to fully being relaxed. His place of respite was the beach, and his love for fishing always lured him back to the outdoors.

Unknowingly, these childhood experiences would ultimately shape my own love for the outdoors and encourage me to pursue a career in the outdoors. After graduating from Texas State University (Go Bobcats!) with a bachelor’s in sociology, I decided to take a giant leap of faith and move to Washington, DC. At the time, I felt prepared to tackle the world, but I had no clue how I would go about it. I’d be lying if I said it was easy because it was not. I spent my first few years working odd jobs, and one morning I decided to take a detour and came across a welcome sign for Rock Creek Park. The building was closed, but a ranger opened the building. I spoke to Ranger Einberger, and I mentioned my interest in volunteering my time at the park. He shared his interest in expanding their programmatic and outreach efforts to reach the Latinx community, and I gladly jumped at the opportunity. Thereafter, I’d spend every weekend working the front desk welcoming visitors, and leading environmental programs in Spanish! While I led programs in Spanish, I realized that I rarely interacted with other individuals who looked like me and were doing environmental work as a career. With a click of a mouse and various key phrases later, I stumbled across an interesting organization, Latino Outdoors.

I read about their work, their mission, their vision, and discovered that they had a local presence in DC, so I emailed them and eagerly waited for their response. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long and heard back from Nydia Gutierez. She invited me to one of their outings to meet the team and learn more about their local work. I was already sold from what I read about the organization online, but meeting other individuals who shared similar interests was refreshing. After that first outing, I shared my interest in the organization and my commitment to reconnecting other individuals to the outdoors. The universe works in mysterious ways because Nydia and I are both from Brownsville and coincidently went to the same high school –we actually graduated a year apart! Also, the other individual that I worked alongside would become an elected official in Congress and represent New Mexico District 2, Gabe Vasquez. I consider myself extremely fortunate that both Gabe and Nydia took me under their wing and allowed me to grow as a professional and as a person.  

For the last seven years, I’ve had the opportunity to represent the organization and work with others in engaging and reconnecting underrepresented individuals to the outdoors. Through kayaking, backpacking, hiking, trail running, camping, and many other activities, we’ve served the mission of Latino Outdoors in the DC area. Our work would not be successful if it weren’t for our amazing partner and our local community. The individuals that attend our outings entrust us to introduce them to new experiences and, most importantly, to have fun. Moreover, our outings provide visible representation by reclaiming our narratives in physical and digital spaces. Above all, Latino Outdoors is a community, so if you see us, stop by and join us.

Albert works as an environmental consultant and volunteers as the DMV Program Coordinator for Latino Outdoors. Albert is committed to increasing access to the Latinx community to public lands and educating students about opportunities for careers in the environmental field. Albert is a Senior Chesapeake Regional Fellow for the Environmental Leadership Program and leads the DEIJ committee for the establishment of a new National Park, the Chesapeake National Recreation Area. He has a bachelors in Sociology from Texas State University and is completing his masters in Sociology from New Mexico State University. He currently lives in Maryland with his husband, Lisandro, and his two dogs Bruno and Camila, and as a family, they love exploring and visiting National Parks.