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Category: Representation Matters

With the Wind as My Best Friend

por Susana Renaud

The love of outdoors began for me when my mamí would say to us eight kids, “vayanse para fuera ah jugar” and off we would all go on our own way and, wouldn’t be seen again until it was time to eat. I would spend hours outside under mesquite trees with the wind as my best friend. I was always happiest outside. I grew up in a large Tejano/Mexicano familia in Tejas. I was the fourth of eight children growing up on a farm with animales that I would befriend, and later regret that I had, when they showed up on the dinner table. All of my early childhood and adolescence was spent either in the country or in small Pueblitos.

When I became a young adult at the age of nineteen I escaped to Austin, Tejas and that’s where more of my outdoor exploration began. I met friends who had grown up traveling, sailing, windsurfing, hiking, backpacking, skiing, and cycling around the world. The most I had ever done is ride my banana bike around my Pueblito. So, I was in awe and ready to go! I bought my first adult bicycle and it became my mode of transportation. After my shift of waitressing, I would ride my bike to Barton Springs, sunbathe and swim, then run around Austin Lake. I lived in Austin for eight years and I hiked so many of the surrounding trails and hung out in beautiful places like the Pedernales River and Lake Travis where I learned how to windsurf (well, tried anyway).

I moved to Berkeley, Ca. in 1989. I was twenty-eight years old and all of that outdoor exploration and play prepared me to do what I love to do the most, Backpack. My first trip up to the mountains was to Mt. Shasta for a week. The experience was breathtaking. Clear mountain air, cool water, brilliant skies that provided an opening to another world. I got to know my limitations. I always packed with other women, older and not Latinas. In fact, I never went outdoors with other mujeres or Latinos. I never ever saw any. I was the only India amongst a group of güeritos. I studied Yoga at the Iyengar Yoga Institute (I was again the ‘only’ Latina) and led a group of yogi friends up to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, we did yoga there in the buff. I kept riding my bike for transportation and going up to the mountains. I would go with different groups of women, again, never did I meet any mujeres who I could go up with. But I kept going, I was and am still in love and in awe with the outdoors. I became a Yoga teacher, finished my undergraduate degree in Integrative Health, met some wonderful older Xicanas who became my mentors, interned at the National Latina Health Organization where I became involved in program development for youth and connected with some amazing mujeres who I also took up to the mountains

I then returned to Graduate school receiving my Masters in Feminist Psychology, worked in the Latinx/Chicanx community in Oakland and San Francisco for sixteen years before being recruited by a large health and maintenance organization in Oakland. Fell in love a bazillion times, trekking outdoors with my loves and alone. And now, I always begin my outdoor experience with a blessing. With the wind as my best friend.

Susana Renaud is a 62 y.o. two spirit, Xicanx. She is a teacher and an instructor of Yoga and Mindfulness Meditation and wholistic wellness. Susana loves the outdoors and is always exploring and trekking to new places and enjoys meeting new people during travel. Susana’s newest adventure is birdwatching and looks forward to partnering with Latino Outdoors to invite other Queer folx outdoors! Follow Susana on IG at @qtbipocwomenoutdoorover60.

Sana Sana

por Maritza Oropeza Kritz

I walk amongst the trees 
Brisk breeze flowing through my hair 
I look up at my ancestors 
Protectors of the land 
Whispers of cries 
What have we done to the land?

I follow their cries to the mountains
Gazing at our beloved earth
I see her yearning of thirst 
Empty forest and black clouds 
On the brink of collapse 
Lands bare and seas empty 
Senseless wars against nature 
Man’s envy has overcome his humanity 
Days are numbered 
As we drift closer to extinction 
What have we done to the land? 

Nourish our earth for she will always forgive
Our shelter of wonders
Do not destroy her innocence 
Our strength in numbers can heal
The earth is our teacher
The earth is our mother
The earth is our home
Without our home, we are nothing

Poem by: Maritza Oropeza Kritz

Good, Wild, And Free!

por Carlos Rodriguez

I believe the outdoors to be something that should be available to all. Whether it’s a hug of a much-needed breeze in the desert or the warmth of the sun on an alpine adventure, nature seems to provide all that I truly desire. Therefore, creating the bridges for more participation from communities of color within outdoor culture has become linked with my outdoor lifestyle. The memories, skills, and relationships that have come about because of my incessant “call of the wild” are truly priceless. The outdoors have given me the opportunity to identify with something bigger than myself.

To introduce myself, my name is Carlos Rodriguez. I am a first-gen Honduran-American. I think of myself as a proud, brown, non-binary, omega male born on the mainland of Honduras. La Lima to be exact. My parents were children of the great minds of Lorca, Neruda, and Quilapayun. Honduras has always been a battleground for basic human rights and the most recent turmoil has left many with no other option other than seeking refuge elsewhere. I share a vital parallel with these comrades. As a child of immigrants, our parents grow up believing that a better life exists in the United States. While my story will focus on the great outdoors and what it’s taught me, the heart of it all is exploring the world and designing my own life and opportunities in a way that my parents were never able to. By pursuing what I love, I can pay homage to the sacrifice my parents gave to give me this privilege in the first place.

My parents migrated to the United States in the late 90’s. Their move to the states ultimately resulted in them moving to Brooklyn, New York and eventually relocating to Birmingham, Alabama. I lived the majority of my life in Alabama and graduated from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. After a short stint trying out work opportunities, I decided to move back to NYC. This time I would reside in the Bronx for 7 years, and now I’m in Colorado writing this post the day after a successful summit of Longs Peak by me and my siblings. The outdoors has a way of always being fair and within that fairness is where all the possibilities begin. For me, it’s also where some of my best memories come from. To name a few examples, I have biked across Martha’s Vineyard, hiked north rim to south rim at the Grand Canyon, seen the fall foliage at Acadia, did “The Incline” with my father, and explored the Smokies at night. I explore this country because it gives me a constant flow of opportunities to satiate my “pioneering spirit”. I’ve always had a calling to push myself physically and I realized that the Rockies were always calling. At the end of 2021, I relocated to Denver, Colorado to expand my ability to experience the outdoors in a different way. Spotlighting the therapeutic value of engaging with different natural environments is something I believe to be foundationally American. How can we ever expect to truly understand the beauty of conservation efforts if Gunnison trout fishing is a hobby only reserved for your more conventional “outdoorsman?” This is the next paternal mold I have set out to deconstruct.

Throughout my life, I have come to terms with my own privileges and how they have given me the ability to explore on my terms. You should always choose to educate yourself before setting out on any new endeavors, but getting outside is as simple as taking a step out your door. If you find that you like being outside, you should make it a habit to spend time doing so. As you begin to develop an idea for how you like to spend your time, you can begin to budget for this lifestyle in a way that makes the most sense for you. I encourage you to not be fooled by the glamor of new product releases. The real value comes from getting to know the equipment needs of your adventure and keeping your eyes out for cost-effective ways of acquiring equipment, whether that be at yard sales, estate sales, and/or seasonal sales online/in-store. I strongly believe that this is vital information that must not skip another generation. My parents never had this type of access or knowledge, but I, thankfully, now do. Therefore, giving back to my community and creating more spaces for brown and black people to thrive outdoors is my leading motivation. Latino Outdoors is blazing such a unique trail. This is our opportunity to ensure that the connection we, as Brown people, have with the nature around us, returns in a way that allows more people like us to do the same. I want people to become aware of the role they play in ensuring future generations understand how to grow with nature. The seasonality of nature is something pure. We all should cherish the beauty the world offers while still seeing the beauty that resides within us all. Why not respect the outdoors at every turn? Thoreau would be proud of such an exceptional American. For in his blind pride, he would truly understand the meaning of being good, wild, and free!

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