The Thanksgiving Holiday is traditionally a time for family, laughter, fun, food, and friends. Growing up in a Latino family, everytime we got together — for a birthday, quinceañeara, baptism, or even a baby shower, celebrations around a table of food with family and friends with laughter and unity were always a must. So in a way, we had many Thanksgivings.

#OptOutside is special to Latino Outdoors because it allows us to grow our family. And it lets us do it after the celebration in the kitchen, and on the trail. Rather than spend Friday morning in line at a retail store, the #OptOutside campaign has allowed us to grow our network of outdoor enthusiasts. It allows us to grow our families of conservation-minded hikers, bikers, snowshoers, birders, and more. And it lets our local Latino Outdoors leaders do what they do best, lead on the trail. Not to mention, it gives us a good excuse to work off the tamale calories too.

We #OptOutside because its what we love to do. As volunteers for this organization, dedicating to bringing cultura to the outdoors and bringing in more members of our community to enjoy our public spaces, we thrive on showing others our favorite trails, our knowledge of the land, and our connection to the environment.  That’s why we choose to #OptOutside, and why we’ll continue to do it in the years to come. We encourage you to look for a local #OptOutside Latino Outdoors event near you, and encourage you to eat an extra tamale, because you’re probably going to work it off in great company, with new familia, on Friday, Nov. 24. Vamos Afuera!

#REI #OptOutside #sponsored

Gabe Vasquez- NM Coordiantor