Making friends and finding a community can be challenging, especially as we get older. For a long time, I struggled to find a group where I felt like I truly belonged. That changed when I took a leap of faith and joined Latino Outdoors for a park walk. I was incredibly nervous and almost backed out, but once I arrived, I was warmly welcomed despite the group already being familiar with one another. They greeted me enthusiastically, offered snacks and drinks, and made sure I felt comfortable.
We started with a guided nature meditation, which I found very enjoyable. From there, I had the chance to connect with everyone. I never felt like an outsider; instead, I was genuinely included and got to know some fantastic people. They were funny, engaging, and kind. At the end of the walk, we gathered for a closing session with mini raffles. To my surprise, I won a meditation pillow that I still use regularly.
Since then, I’ve stayed connected through social media and continued to participate in more hikes, campouts, and events. Josie, Elaine, and Daniel have become particularly significant to me. They’ve been incredibly supportive, offering advice and information about camping and keeping me updated on upcoming events. Their help and encouragement have been invaluable.
Joining Latino Outdoors has been a transformative experience. I finally feel like I’ve found a community that accepts me and shares my love for the outdoors. They’ve never made me feel self-conscious about my Spanish, and their warmth and inclusivity have made me feel truly at home. Being part of this group is a blessing, and I’m excited to keep learning and growing with them. Having this community to turn to is a wonderful feeling.
Ashely is a 27-year-old Latino woman with a deep love for art, from painting, and drawing to pottery. Crafting beverages like coffee, smoothies, and teas is another passion. She thrives in the great outdoors, enjoying activities such as hiking, swimming, and biking. Known for being friendly and caring, Ashely takes pleasure in helping others and building connections. Art, nature, and community are central to her life, shaping how she expresses herself and engaging with the world around her.
Semillitas Outdoors is Latino Outdoors’ annual celebration of Latine children in the outdoors. From April 20 to April 28, we’ll be hosting virtual and in-person events that center the experience of Latine children and their families.
This week is important to LO for many reasons. We understand that kids are the foundation of a vibrant future. Fostering a love for the outdoors early in life provides life-long benefits to individuals and the community. It’s also a way of honoring our raíces and our culturas which have always emphasized the importance of maintaining a connection between generations.
Last year at a LO campout I met Maddie, a middle schooler and fellow Texan who enjoys being out in natureand has been uniquely touched by the magic of the LO comunidad from a very young age. Her grandma, Josie Gutierrez, happens to be LO’s Texas Regional Coordinator and has been fostering Maddie’s love for the outdoors since she was only four years old.
This is the transcript of segments of a conversation held on April 3, 2024, between Luisa Vargas and Maddie. Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity and accuracy.
Interview Transcript:
What is your favorite thing about being outdoors?
My favorite thing about being outdoors is seeing different plants and getting to learn more about them and different animals. I like all plants, and sometimes my favorite varies depending on how I feel. It’s kind of like whenever somebody asks me what my favorite song is.
Do you have a favorite plant of the day?
I feel like bluebonnets are my favorite plant today. They have been blooming everywhere.
What is your favorite memory of being outdoors?
My favorite memory of being outdoors is probably my first campout with Latino Outdoors when I was four years old at Garner State Park. My grandma took me, my grandpa, my aunt, and my mom, and we went swimming in the Frio River and hiked a little bit.
Have you gotten to go back since?
Yes, many, many times. Not this year so far, but hopefully I will be able to.
What’s your favorite place to camp in Texas?
There are so many. It’s very hard to choose. I’m very indecisive about that.
Can you tell us about when you started going to LO events and the person who started taking you?
I started going to LO events when I was around five and my grandma started taking me. At LO events, we would table and we would help show kids about being in the outdoors and what’s fun about it.
What is your favorite Semillitas Outdoors memory?
Probably tabling with my grandma. We get to help kids make little rocks, and they get to put their favorite thing about nature on them. I usually draw butterflies and ladybugs and flowers.
What advice would you give a person your age about going hiking or camping?
I would probably say to bring comfy shoes and shoes that you don’t mind, to get a little bit messy and to not be nervous about it because it’s really fun.
What is something that you’ve gotten better at or have overcome since you started going outdoors?
Pack less when I go camping!
What do you want to be when you grow up and why?
Right now, I’m indecisive about what I want to do, but I just know that I want to go to college in New York at NYU and just travel. I’m a city girl who still enjoys being outside.
Once upon a park in the Texas Hill Country. The year was 1987; the location was Garner State Park. The cast of characters was a best friend of mine who was a summer regular with her family at this park and me, with no camping or hiking experience, nada. The only parks I knew of were the city parks and a small local lake or two. I loved adventure and a good road trip. So, when my friend suggested we camp out for the weekend at Garner, I was quick to say YES! She was the first friend to suggest hiking and camping to me. She said her family went every year. That was good enough for a 20-year-old me … vamos afuera. A quick reminder, there was no social media, no Facebook/Instagram/Twitter y menos, el Tik-Tok in the 80’s.
Growing up, I never heard any mention of careers that involved parks. The few magazines, TV shows, or movies I watched or read that involved camping or hiking never had anybody that represented my culture or community. So, I was intrigued by this adventure in nature. What a cool opportunity, I thought. I even remember feeling a sense of empowerment. If I survived this weekend under the stars, then maybe I was stronger than I thought. My friend said the park had no wildlife we had to worry about, (como osos) and that was good enough for me. Little did I know then that this trip would connect me to nature in the most beautiful way. “The star at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas.” These lyrics from a country song I heard growing up, now really meant something to me. My perspective of nature took a whole new meaning.
“Camping and hiking sounded so foreign, yet the connection to La Madre Tierra was even closer than I ever imagined. It wasn’t until that camping trip to Garner that I saw nature in a whole different way.”
I was born and raised in San Antonio. The schools I attended and the community I grew up in were primarily Latino. I never thought I was missing anything growing up. I had a beautiful family, tons of cousins, great friends, and what I felt was a good education. My dad took me to Disneyland Park every summer, and I had a Sweet Sixteen. One set of grandparents had chickens, ducks, roosters, and a horse my dad bought me because he said I asked for one and that it was a good deal, haha. The other set of grandparents had beautiful roses and banana trees in front of their casita and the back was full of cilantro, tomatoes, chili pequin, y cebolla. My mom was the oldest of thirteen and my dad the second to youngest of seven, and here I was, their only child. I never quite felt alone because I had so many cousins close to my age. My parents met in Middle School and married right out of high school. My dad was a migrant worker from the ages of eight to fifteen. The family would travel to Indiana and then Michigan every year “al Norte.”
His love of fruits, vegetables, travel, and the outdoors was a huge part of his youth. The road trips to Disneyland in California were his idea of taking me to a park. My youth was spent outside playing with my friends y familia. My parents divorced by the time I was 5. My mom moved to an apartment complex, and that is where we lived till I started high school. I learned how to roller-skate, ride my bike, and practice cheerleading and dance routines. I met my best friend there, and we are still in touch to this day. My relationship with my Dad stayed strong, and I love my mom dearly for not letting what didn’t work out for them affect my relationship with my dad.
Pictures of Josie during the past ten years.
My first steps were afuera in my abuelitas yard. We celebrated birthday parties, graduations, anniversaries, and even Easter at the local city parks. I learned to speak Spanish, and my culture was celebrated all around me in the food I ate, the music I listened to, and the travels to Mexico, where my grandparents still had family. Camping and hiking sounded so foreign, yet the connection to La Madre Tierra was even closer than I ever imagined. It wasn’t until that camping trip to Garner that I saw nature in a whole different way. It was a combination of my youth and the possibility for my future that left me speechless in the wild. Standing in the middle of the clearest river, surrounded by hills, listening to the birds sing as they flew from one magical cypress tree to another. The sun was shining, and I stood there and listened. This space made me feel vulnerable, happy, strong, silly, naïve, independent, fearless and so much more. My soul stirred, and it was at that exact moment I knew I would be back.
I did return to that park for many years as a friend, mom, daughter, sister, aunt, and grandmother, and in the last seven years, as the Program Coordinator for Latino Outdoors. I wanted everyone I cared about to feel what I felt in nature and to create their own adventures, make beautiful memories and feel the sense of empowerment I felt. I knew they would never forget how they felt. I just had to get them there, afuera.
Josie with the Latino Outdoors flag.
That first park was just the beginning. I learned more about a Texas state agency, The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD). In addition to protecting wildlife and their habitats, their mission is to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreating opportunities for the use of enjoyment of present and future generations. The Texas Parks are celebrating 100 years of Texas State Parks in 2023.
I learned about these parks in 1987. But once I did, I shared this with anyone who would listen. It wasn’t as easy back then; there was no YouTube to show you how to put your tent up, much less Eventbrite to sign up for a how-to class.
“Then one day, I got a message on Twitter asking me if I would like to be an Ambassador for Latino Outdoors in San Antonio. It was a quick YES! There was no way I wasn’t going to be a part of this journey.”
It wasn’t until my girls were young adults that I was blessed with a sweet granddaughter. I had more time to explore and wanted to take her to the parks her mom had enjoyed as a child. The year was 2015, and my granddaughter was four. I was researching the outdoors on social media and discovered Latino Outdoors on Instagram. I saw myself in the images they shared. I noticed they had plenty of beautiful outdoor images of Latinos hiking, camping, backpacking, swimming, fishing y mas. I also noticed none of these images were tagged in Texas. I wanted to be a part of this new community. So, I tagged them every chance I got with outdoor Texas images. Then one day, I got a message on Twitter asking me if I would like to be an Ambassador for Latino Outdoors in San Antonio. It was a quick YES! There was no way I wasn’t going to be a part of this journey.
Latino Outdoors was still in its early stages as an organization in 2015. We had no monthly budget for outings, and at the very beginning, I became very resourceful. I introduced myself to anyone in charge of the outdoor spaces I wanted to visit and learn more about, not just for myself but for possible future outings with the Latino Outdoors-San Antonio Chapter. I tabled at any outdoor event possible, joined in on the ones that were exploring, and was consistent on the new Facebook and Instagram pages I created. No one knew about Latino Outdoors. The organization had just a handful of chapters in California. They had no clue about the outdoors in Texas. This would be my chapter to create, nurture and grow. My daughters were now young adults, and that left me more time to explore. I wasted no time. Just like I made sure my daughters went camping, hiking, and tubing down the Frio River, as part of their youth, I now had a sweet four-year-old granddaughter that I could take along on this Latino Outdoors journey. This year she will be a teenager, and I am so proud of her. She has been a huge part of the San Antonio Chapter and, most recently, even helped me with a LO presentation for the Texas Parks and Wildlife; not kidding. May her love for nature nurture her soul always.
The first few outings were with family, friends, and co-workers. I made sure to take images of these beautiful spaces and share what we saw and learned from our outings. I knew from the beginning that this chapter was going to grow. I just had to make our foundation strong and sprinkle it con amor, authenticity, adventure, and respect for all the places we visited. People often ask me if I have had any negative outdoor experiences with our groups. The answer is no. I never just show up, and I always make sure I contact the parks we will be exploring. I want to share these spaces that belong to us all with my Latino community. I want to ensure that our voices are being heard and that our history y cultura are valued and represented. I want to hear kids say, “When I grow up, I want to be a Park Ranger, Wildlife Biologist, National Park Service Director, the United States Secretary of the Interior.”
I was not getting paid to be an ambassador con Latino Outdoors, but I knew how important the platform I was given a voice and space to shine would be. I am so proud of the last seven-plus years con LO. Our foundation is respect and kindness for each other to create meaningful and lasting relationships that go beyond the outdoors. Juntos, we bring out the best in each other. This is how we learn and grow.
Obstacles will come and go, but I always say to listen to the universe and make sure to have a plan A, B, and C. Always have snacks, hydration, your first aid kit, and great company to laugh with when things don’t go as planned.
“I want to hear kids say, “when I grow up, I want to be a Park Ranger, Wildlife Biologist, National Park Service Director, or the United States Secretary of the Interior.”
Seven years ago, I took a chance on me and in the process, I have become more curious, stronger, daring, bold, gutsy, confident, and so proud and vulnerable to be a Latina Outside. In keeping our cultura alive I want us to fearlessly embrace our individuality as we protect and take space on the land we love and protect.
I am so proud of the Texas Chapter and what our Leaders, volunteers, and community have helped create. We somehow all found each other and continue to authentically grow. We are familia celebrating each other, our gente, our tradiciones, y la Madre Tierra.
I have learned to kayak, backpack, not shower for four days, lol (but seriously), make fire, pitch my own tent, sleep in cold weather, travel to National Parks I only dreamed of, and even visit the White House on this journey con Latino Outdoors. I hold space on councils with Texas Parks and Wildlife and National Parks Conservation Association. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this. I just wanted to share my love for the outdoors, one park at a time. I realize now that this was just the beginning of the work that still needs to be done. I know that in my lifetime, I won’t fix every issue in conservation and solve every inequity in representation and beyond. But I do promise to do what I can as I continue to learn and grow with my newest role as “Regional Coordinator for San Antonio, Texas.”
I am not a complainer; I am a doer. I believe in myself, my family, and my community. There is a need for the connection we seek as we are validated and included in these open spaces. It all starts with you. Take a chance and change is ok at any pace.
