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Welcome to Melanin Base Camp: your home base for diversity in outdoor recreation and environmental justice. Our purpose is to inspire you with weekly content from Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous and Queer People of Color who love the outdoors. Join the movement and help us #diversifyoutdoors.
Recent Articles
Did you move to Washington D.C. in the past few years? Are you outdoorsy? If you’re looking for budget friendly alternatives close to the city, here are three amazing hikes within three hours of D.C.!
Every year, thousands of thru-hikers embark on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), Appalachian Trail (AT), or Continental Divide Trail (CDT). However, only a select few achieve the coveted Triple Crown by completing all three, trekking nearly 8000 miles across the American wilderness. Here are six Asian American Triple Crown hikers who have defied stereotypes by taking the road less traveled.
Do you live in Washington D.C.? Are you looking for a short hike with great views? Then you should check out Bearfence Mountain in Shenandoah National Park.
Hiking used to be a solo activity but now, my son has started joining me and my dog Merle on our outdoor adventures! At 15 months, he can hike in the desert terrain for 30 minutes on his own! But it didn’t start out that way.
Twenty three years ago, I was adopted from China by a white Canadian couple. This isn’t an uncommon experience; couples in the West adopting babies from Asian countries was like a fad around the 2000s.
First and foremost, Liz Thomas is a Japanese-American Triple Crown thru-hiker, a Yale graduate with a degree in Environmental Science, an award-winning author, editor-in-chief at Treeline Review, and the first to traverse the Chinook Trail, a legendary 2000-plus mile trek in the Columbia River Gorge and Wasatch Range in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. And she wants you to try an urban hike.
We even had a group hang out where we just aired all of the ignorant things that other people had said to us. At first we were angry, but anger turned to action and we ended up practicing how to de-escalate and redirect with one another, as we each took turns being the aggressor.
To pretend that trail and ultrarunning are welcoming to all is the same as racing with a torn Achilles. You wouldn’t do it.
If people could take the bus or train to their local park or trailhead, they would have a much easier time feeling more solidly connected to nature.
But then life happened; friends moved away and group chats gradually went silent. Some of us outgrew friendships—or worse—found ourselves on opposite sides of important human rights issues. So here we are, in our thirties, feeling lonely and slightly embarrassed. What do we do now?
“What do I wear?” is the most common question I get asked by new climbers going to the gym.
Which made me start to question, where do we fit into these predominantly white outdoor film narratives?
This election year, I’d like to illuminate the well known but unnoticed ways white supremacy bars immigrants and people of color from voting. I’d like to remind you that this demographic comprises over 50 million people.
Whether living in the occupied West Bank or in the U.S., Palestinian climbers are using their voices to speak up against genocide and build communities around a shared passion for the outdoors. Their determination is a reminder that this sport is about so much more than just climbing walls.
In late July 2013, Grandpa (할아버지) and I had a dangerous conversation on the suburban streets near our home in Riverside, California.
I am a middle-aged woman who happens to skydive instead of woodworking, riding a motorcycle or one shot D&D campaigns. How to explain any of this to a stranger who is primed to misunderstand? Oh, I don’t.
Before I became a filmmaker, I worked as an outdoor educator leading wilderness trips. I always dreamed of backpacking in the Patagonian wilderness. Last year I crossed this dream off my bucket list with a solo backpacking trip.
Ending legalized racial segregation on public lands was not enough; we can’t be satisfied until BIPOC have access to the hidden knowledge required to fully participate in outdoor recreation
In a recent article, I wrote about the dangers of romanticizing the Pacific Northwest, and so many of you wanted to know if there were any better options. So if you’re still looking for the mountain town of your dreams, here are a few reasons why you should move to Anchorage, Alaska.
Check out our Featured Bloggers page to hear firsthand accounts from Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous and 2SLGBTQ+ people who love the outdoors!
Want to learn how to kayak? Planning a weekend hiking trip or a visit to a national park? Check out our Trip Reports page for relatable content from our team of outdoor bloggers. We tackle how to get started and what type of gear you’ll need. You can also read interviews with grassroots activists, environmentalists and educators as well as longform articles on complex issues like race, gender, sexuality and disability in the outdoor community.
Looking for gear to purchase? Before you do, check out our Gear Reviews page.
Join the conversation at Around the Bonfire and submit your own article to the blog.
Finally check out our Diversify Outdoors page to connect with other affinity groups, influencers, bloggers and nonprofit organizations promoting diversity in the Outdoors. Learn more at DiversifyOutdoors.com! And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and on Instagram where #melaninbasecamp and #diversifyoutdoors have been used over 58K and 154K times respectively.
When my Mom, a Salvadoran immigrant, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD) at 64, I never imagined that a year later, she'd be scaling 60-foot walls with the grace and determination of a seasoned climber. Hers is a story of resilience, community, and the unexpected joy found in facing challenges head-on.