por Carol Bosch – Caceres Bird from Chattanooga TN

What would be your earliest memories in the outdoors with a connection to Nature?

Growing up in an urban area (Tampa) in the 70’s my outdoor experiences were limited to nearby beach trips until my family bought some farm land. I loved exploring and running around while my parents worked on the barn and house. There was a river near my home that I adored and still do to this day. I spent a lot of time there too. Just enjoying the scenery and peace. However, my parents were not into the outdoors. No camping or hiking, EVER! My dad was adventurous in his own way though. We once drove from Lima all the way to Cusco on a trip back to my home country of Peru. It was an amazing experience and the things I saw driving through the Andes opened my eyes to a larger world that I knew I wanted to explore.

He also took us to the Smokey’s after I begged him for a real camping trip. We rented an RV and stayed for several days in a campsite near the park. I was hooked after that. That is when I first saw the city of Chattanooga (on the way to the Nat’l Park from Fl) at the age of 13 and decided I would one day live there. My husband and I ended up doing just that. Didn’t know a soul here but moved here in ‘92 with our first baby and a small carload of stuff. It was a great decision. This area is incredible for outdoor opportunities of all kinds.

What makes the outdoors special to you?

It is where I find peace and feel rejuvenated. It fulfills some of my wanderlust and sense of curiosity. You can take the same hike a dozen times and its always different. It just feel right to walk through different terrain and just be. Its been a huge part of my life and something I have passed on to my three boys. Almost all of our family outings and vacations included hiking or paddling of some kind. They are grown now but I see it has impacted them and encouraged them to live a healthy and adventurous life. Our oldest and his wife climbed Half Dome a couple years ago. I honestly don’t love hearing about it because it alarms me, but I’m also so glad they did. Our twins (age 19) hike and paddle still, with us and on their own. One of them hiked and video documented all the trails on Signal Mountain, where we live, for his senior project in high school.

I paddle a lot with my cousin Carmen who has found a love for the outdoors as well. My friend Jaime and I also hike and paddle together. As a fellow Latina (Cubana), she shares a desire to promote diversity in the outdoors and we have an Instagram page called Senderos Unidos where we post some of our favorite experiences. The outdoors is something that for years was considered a place for men to bond. But it’s absolutely for women too. We feel rejuvenated, clarity of mind and a sense of freedom from so many obligations and worries there.

” It was the first time I had met other women like myself who enjoyed the many of the things that I did”.

Carol Bosch

What is your favorite outdoor outing to date?

Over the years I’ve hiked and paddled in Florida, here in TN, N GA, AZ, CO, MN and abroad in Peru and Ireland.  The most perfect, single day was at Great Sand Dunes Nat’l Monument, hiking, sand boarding and enjoying the incredible uniqueness of the area. It was a perfect, clear day…the kind that stands out in ones memory for a lifetime.

But I think the most significant hikes in my life were in S.E. Alaska. I met my husband of 26 years while working in Glacier Bay. We hiked and paddled all over that summer! Experienced wolves running past our tent one night saw bear tracks as big as a dinner plate. It was untouched wilderness with no cell phones (early 90’s) and like nothing I had experienced before.

The lodge we worked at had a boat for tourists to tour the glaciers and we were allowed to hop on for free with our gear and kayaks. They’d go a few hours up-bay from the lodge and drop us off on one of the islands. We had to be at the same exact place 2-3 days later for pickup. This was next level hiking and camping! Memorable and transforming. We also made some great friends there and the connections were strengthened by these shared experiences outdoors.  It was the first time I had met other women like myself who enjoyed the many of the things that I did. They had some of the same wanderlust and desire to be outside. They taught me a lot and inspired me to seek my way apart from what I had known in Fl , in urban Tampa.

However, my home state has become increasingly important to me. It has changed a lot since those days. Fl is a true wonder (much more than just the malls, theme parks and the stuff of Fl Man news headlines!) and I’m fortunate to still visit often I love paddling the springs and hiking through the Everglades. It’s a different world. As I get older I get more nostalgic and maybe that’s part of it, but the sun, the sounds, the wildlife, and the uniqueness of it all come together for me in a way that is hard to explain. A full – circle feeling I guess.

What is on your outdoor bucket list?

My outdoor bucket list includes the Inca Trail in 2020. More of Ireland and Yosemite. I’m also planning to paddle the 190 mile Calusa Blue Way and hoping to get my cousin or Jaime to join me.

In a nutshell…

I’m passionate about the outdoors and it has been a huge part of my life since I was in my very early 20’s.  I was never encouraged as a child to be adventurous. Never allowed to venture to far into the woods or on a trail. My family was busy establishing themselves in a new country. Maybe that was part of it. It just wasn’t part of their culture and experience. But, as an immigrant child, you weave between two cultures. I was lucky that I was able to find my way and seek out opportunities that allowed me to enjoy the experiences I have had.  Now, as an adult, a mom and a teacher, I want others of all backgrounds to be exposed to the beauty of the outdoors and know that it is for all of us, regardless of how or where you grew up. I have students that have never seem some of our area parks, much less hiked any of the trails. I really want to see stereotypes broken and I love to create new relationships through a shared love for hiking, paddling, climbing and camping.

I try to use my educational background to bring real experiences to my students and connect them to their communities and our natural resources.