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Category: Introductions to the Outdoors

Abre Los Ojos

por Margarita Vargas Patrón

My mamá immigrated here when she was 20 years old, leaving her home, dreams, and loved ones behind on a questionable promise that she would return. Roughly 40 years later, she is in her home in San Diego talking to me on the phone. We call each other at least three times a week to talk about everything. It almost always ends with my questions about her childhood, my abuelitos, her hometown, and her life before us, her kids. On this particular call, I ask why she thinks I love the outdoors; was there a history of camping in our family?

From her perspective, this question was like most of my probing ones- random and filled with curiosity. This time, there was a purpose because I had never shared my love of the outdoors with her. Now I did, to make up for lost time. I’ve told her about my small hikes, the parks around my neighborhood, and the beaches we’ll explore when she comes to visit me. Before getting to this point, she helped me heal first.

“Allí, tu abuelita hacía de cenar y nos contaba historias bajo las estrellas.”

I considered a biology camping trip my first real encounter with nature. It required all the supplies I thought made it official: a tent (I rented), a sleeping bag (I borrowed), and no indoor plumbing for miles. I loved everything: the fresh air, the campfire, and sleeping under the stars. After that experience, I didn’t question my love for the outdoors. Except for the fact that amongst my friends it was considered a white people thing; it was something that required money- something my family and I didn’t have. Growing up, the common phrase was “no tenemos dinero.” Whenever I overheard a classmate share their upcoming family camping trip or their annual skiing trip, to me there was an unspoken barrier of access and a common thread that only white people had access. That classist and racial distinction made it easier to shrug those experiences as white people things. Internalizing whiteness prevented me from connecting with my mom on something that I didn’t know we both loved- the outdoors.

Because my idea of the outdoors was remarkably limited, I chose not to share my experiences with my mamá. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings; I didn’t want her to say that she wished she could do more. So, I buried this experience and thought I was doing both of us a favor. What I really did was give whiteness all the power to erase my experiences and define the outdoors. Returning to that phone call, her answer was a dose of healing:

“Claro. Íbamos a una casita más allá de la milpa. Allí, tu abuelita hacía de cenar y nos contaba historias bajo las estrellas. Íbamos para ayudarle con las cosechas de frijoles. No mas no le decíamos ‘camping’. Y aunque nosotros no tengamos mucho aquí, sí los llevaba al parque, a la playa, y caminar para tomar aire fresco. Eres libre y la naturaleza está a tu alrededor. Nada más abre tus ojitos, mijita.”

Thanks, mamá.

Margarita is a first-generation immigrant and the first in her family to graduate college. She enjoys reading, cycling, and learning new things. She honors the folks who came before her, who paved the way for any success that has come her way.

The 52 Hike Challenge

por Karla Amador

Take yourself back to your childhood and recall a moment you spent in nature with your family.

I remember when I was young, during spring break, my mom would take my sisters and me on walks at the “Enchanted” Fern Dell Nature Trail a.k.a “Ferndell Nature Museum” at Griffith Park in Hollywood, California.

The trail was beautiful with towering trees, a natural spring that fed the waterfalls, lush green tropical ferns, and lots of flora popping out at you. We would look for magical creatures: turtles, koi fish and dragonflies. My sisters, Sarah, Sybil and I, would run around, laughing, playing hide and seek. I remember imagining fairies lived there. We even found our family dog, Sasha, while walking up the trail to the Observatory.

It’s actually one of the main things I remember doing with my mom.

This was one of few activities I looked forward to as a kid. With three little kids, my parents did not have a ton of money to spend on expensive activities, so walking it was. It’s actually one of the main things I remember doing with my mom.

I didn’t realize it then, but spending time outside with my family was one of the most powerful ways for us to connect to each other and make memories.

Now I know the incredible benefits of getting outside regularly, and with family. The great outdoors can bring you an overwhelming sense of peace and well-being. It increases creativity and overall joy. The best part of all? It’s FREE!

When you bring your family with you, you will all benefit.

Benefits of Getting Outside With Loved Ones

You will:

  • Find time and space to communicate with each other
  • Enjoy the little things and spend quality time together
  • Unplug from technology and your daily life
  • Live a healthier and happier life

As you can see, getting out in nature can have tremendously positive effects on your overall well-being and strengthen bonds with your loved ones.

When you get outside regularly, you increase your physical strength and stamina, reduce stress, improve your mood, and so much more.

So why not make it a goal for you and your family in the New Year?

The Goal: 52 Hikes In A Year

In 2014, I was looking for a worthwhile goal for myself. After falling in love with hiking, I decided to commit to a hike a week for the entire year.

Every week I looked forward to my next hike. I enjoyed packing a lunch and eating outside. I enjoyed enlisting my son and friends to join me. I enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment when I reached a summit.

It was life-changing, and I decided to share my 52 Hike Challenge idea with others. The idea took off and spread like wildfire. I now run this movement to help as many people gain the physical mental, spiritual and emotional benefits derived through nature and hiking. We’ve now had more than 41,000 people take the challenge.

With the New Year and a pandemic upon us, one of the best things we can do is commit to finding healthy ways to destress, find joy, and keep our families united. Hiking is a great way to do so, safely of course.

Challenge Yourself in 2021 – Commit to 52 Hikes

I want to challenge you to commit to getting out into nature once a week for a year. That’s 52 hikes in 52 weeks. Are you up to the challenge?

Commit to something that will help you enhance your physical and mental health, build stronger family bonds, and so much more.

Curious about getting started? Here’s what helped me stay committed to my goal:

5 Ways to Stay Committed to Your Outdoor Goal

  1. Set your intention (what do you want to achieve?)
  2. Share your goal with a loved one and your immediate family
  3. Keep track of your progress (log your hikes and take pictures)
  4. Join a community (engage with people who share the same goal)
  5. Reward yourself (and your family) for your hard work!

Are you ready to experience the life changing benefits of 52 hikes?

You simply never know where this year-long adventure will take you, but one thing is for sure: you’ll make tons of amazing memories with your family.

Sign Up for the 52 Hike Challenge Now

So, what do you have to lose? Commit to making the outdoors a priority in your life. Sign up for the 52 Hike Challenge now!

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Karla Amador is the co-founder of the 52 Hike Challenge, a global movement that has inspired hundreds of thousands of people around the world to get outdoors and take advantage of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits gained through hiking once a week for a year. Together, with the community she has created a culture of support, which can be seen in over 430,000 images shared under the #52HikeChallenge hashtags on Instagram alone.

Finding my true calling

por Sebastian Moreno

My parents were born in Colombia and moved to the United States when they were teenagers. Because they had me in their early 20s, they had to grow up incredibly fast. I was born New York City and when I was 12, my parents decided it was more affordable to live in a house in Pennsylvania than cram four people in a one-bedroom apartment in the city. Growing up in a city and moving to the woods was a big change for me. I didn’t really appreciate living in the middle of a forest. I did spend a lot of my time in the backyard, but never exploring the four miles of uninterrupted forest behind our house. It was only when I reached high school that I began exploring the outdoors with my friends

After high school, I went to college to pursue a degree in pharmacy. Honestly, how I decided to pursue a career in pharmacy is still a mystery. Looking back, I think I chose that career because, as a pharmacist, I would be helping people, which is something I have always enjoyed. Also, I was pretty excited that I would be making a lot of money one day. What 18-year-old doesn’t love that idea?

“While I was on my hikes, I found myself asking all these how and why questions pertaining to nature.”

Sebastian Moreno

Pharmacy school sucked for me. I felt like I didn’t fit in with my peers and the classes were a total drag. I sabotaged my grade by not studying and putting in the effort to do well in classes. Due to my poor academic standing, I was kicked out of the pharmacy program. I found myself without any real direction and not quite sure what I wanted to do with life. I found solace being outside. I took this time to clear my head and think about what my next steps were going to be.

While I was on my hikes, I found myself asking all these how and why questions pertaining to nature. This piqued my interest and after talking to a few professors in the biology department, they suggested I take a population and evolutionary biology course. I really wasn’t sure what I would be learning but I figured what was the worst that could happen?

I loved the course, my peers, and my professors! Everything I was learning made sense to me. I was engaged in the classroom and my grades were significantly improving. My professors saw the eagerness in me, and I was presented with ecological research opportunities. First, I worked in a lab looking at squirrels and acorn dispersal. Although it was fun and interesting, I really wasn’t interested in working with small mammals. I then started working in a lab that studied birds. There, I learned valuable field work techniques and basic ecological concepts.

“My thesis looked at how large concentrations of urban vacant lots in St. Louis impact bird diversity. While working in this city, I was exposed to more than just birds.”

Sebastian Moreno

From my time in this lab, I knew I loved ecology and birds. But that was about it. I wasn’t quite sure where I saw myself working nor did I feel like I had enough experience to find a decent job. Graduate school seemed like a good way to continue improving my knowledge, skills, and narrowing my interests. I decided to pursue a master’s degree. My thesis looked at how large concentrations of urban vacant lots in St. Louis impact bird diversity. While working in this city, I was exposed to more than just birds. I got a first-hand experience of social and environmental injustices. This opened my eyes to a whole new world of ecology I was not familiar with. Although it was a bit too late to change my thesis, I knew my next chapter in life would incorporate these new interests. Again, with my newly found interests, I felt like I didn’t have enough experience to qualify for the jobs I was interested in. So back to school it was for me! Currently, I am pursuing a PhD. My goal is to mix my interests of birds, people, urban areas, and ecology together to create a project. While conducting my research, I also want to serve urban communities by connecting them with nature and empowering them to create positive changes within their community.

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Sebastian Moreno is a second year PhD student at the University of Massachusetts. He is interested in the intersection between wildlife and people. Sebastian‘s research looks to improve on the community science experience and lower the barriers that may prevent underrepresented individuals from participating in such programs. When he is not working on his dissertation, Sebastian is outside hiking, birding, or practicing falconry with his American Kestrel.