por Crystal Salvador-Zapote
Growing up with undocumented parents limited what was available to me as a child. Most of our family outings were to the local park, which was less than a mile away from where I lived. We stayed within this one-mile radius for the first decade of my life, until my parents became naturalized citizens. Meanwhile, I got older and ventured outside less. Florida is extremely humid, even in winter, which makes going outside less than desirable.
My grandfather was an important part of the reason I got back outside. He was 60 years old when he moved to the United States, spoke no English, and had no way to navigate around town, yet he somehow managed to find the closest walking trails. He was content to venture away from home and would disappear from sunrise till sunset.
He was 60 years old when he moved to the United States, spoke no English, and had no way to navigate around town, yet he somehow managed to find the closest walking trails.
After a few instances of my grandfather “staying out too late” (or getting lost), my family decided he needed a chaperone. My cousins and I became obligated to be his walking partners. Our only advantage: we knew English and could work a smart phone. We reluctantly accepted, and quickly found out that we had to run to keep up with his walking pace. When I got a job as a backpacking guide he was one of the first people I told, and more than pride I sensed his envy of my opportunity to wander around in the desert.
Recently, through a lot of hard work and persistence—and with the help of an organization called Hispanic Access Foundation— I was able to land a fellowship with the National Park Service. My fellowship is with the National Trails System, a component of the National Park Service that aims to protect and preserve natural and cultural resources through designated National Trails.
While these trails may be unrecognized by a majority of the American public, they offer tremendous opportunities to recreate and reconnect to the history of the nation. The people that I have met since starting my fellowship are working to share this history and promote and provide access to these treasured resources.
Soon after starting my fellowship I discovered that the trail my grandfather loved to frequent, the Ream Wilson Clearwater Trail, is a designated National Recreation Trail—one of the four types of trails that make up the National Trails System—I had no idea.
This piqued my interest and, because I knew National Trails Day was approaching, I wanted to share a story about a National Trail with roots in an intriguing history of Latinos in the west, which brings me to Naomi Torres.
Naomi is an advocate for involving the Latino community in conservation work and serves as Superintendent for the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. She has been working with the National Park Service for many years and emphasizes the importance of encouraging pride of place with Latinx youth. She has worked with many partners to bring youth programming to the trail and is also working to connect people to the history of the Anza trail, a story that is not typically shared in the classroom.
Naomi also believes the story told today focuses on the Spanish colonial, which does not paint a whole picture of the history of the Anza trail. She hopes to be able to share the story of the diverse characters that make up the trails’ history, which include Afro-Latinos and the native peoples that lived and still live along the trail.
This work is not easy to do, as it takes a lot of involved time, but is necessary and the payoff is great. The Anza trail offers many opportunities to get on the trail or to visit historic sites, as well as opportunities to get involved. If you are in California or Arizona, I encourage you to connect to the Anza trail, and if you reside elsewhere just know that there are many other National Trails to visit.
At the beginning of February I was at Hike the Hill, a National Trails conference, when I got a call from my dad. My grandpa had been in and out of the hospital for a few years and had always managed to get back on his feet, but that was not the case this time around. Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to say goodbye, so when I flew into Florida to attend his funeral I knew I wanted to find my own way to commemorate his life.
When I was still living in Florida and would visit from college, my grandpa and I would often walk the Clearwater trail to a small bay where we could watch the sunset. On my visit to Florida I walked the same trail, this time without my grandfather. As I watched the sun set I reflected on his quiet nature and how he was the one who introduced me to quiet walks. The first that I can remember were walks on his farm in Mexico when I was only a toddler.
For this upcoming National Trails Day, June 6th, I have planned an early morning hike. The outdoors is a space where I can meditate and re-center myself, and with the events going on in today’s world I know I could benefit from carving out some space for quiet contemplation. I am also taking a pledge to leave the trail better than I find it, with the plan of going out with a trash bag to pick up any waste I find along the trail. I invite you to also get outside if possible. However, I understand it may feel difficult to step away from the world due to diverse reasons. If this is the case, no worries, the trail will always be there.