Team Blackstar gave me the freedom to stop pretending I don't notice when I'm the only person of color at my drop-zone. Yes we see color. And we realize the lack of diversity isn't a neutral thing.
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I was asked to join a group of individuals, most of whom I've never met, to spend three days over Christmas break in Red Rocks, near Las Vegas, Nevada. It just so happened that my schedule was open and had planned on staying in Portland this year, so I decided to take the leap. It's not every day I get asked to do some rock climbing in a different state with a group of climbing enthusiasts. I figured it was either going to be an amazing adventure or it would be a Christmas to remember and not in a good way—so I took a gamble.
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Solo backpacking is life lived on your own terms. You are free to come and go at your will and dial the difficity to the level you want. You are experiencing life boiled down to its purest form, with nothing but your shoes, your wits, and your thoughts to guide you through your journey.
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I started boxing because I wanted to confront fear of violence, fear of being overpowered, fear of getting hurt. I bike because I was told from a very young age that the world is a dangerous place.
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"falling to your death is a completely acceptable and practical fear"
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Then there’s the one time I used duct tape, super glue, and butterfly sutures to close a friend's eyebrow that was split from the mid-line to the corner of his eye.
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Chemo Brain. It’s a real thing. Chemo brain is when you lose your memory, permanently or temporarily. For me, I can barely remember the 6 months before starting chemo, most of the chemo months are gone, and several months after chemo are also gone.
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Part of what makes shared culture in outdoor recreation so great is the shared vocabulary. However, having to learn an entirely new lexicon can be off putting or intimidating to newcomers. Get a head start with our deep dive into adventure sports lingo.
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These beautiful landscapes exist within a continuum of Indigenous culture. To forget this is to ignore local voices, local culture and local communities in favor of special interests. To do so is to disregard our heritage. Bears Ears is a cultural and natural landmark and it deserves our protection.
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Are you a Woman of Color who loves the Outdoors? Want to be featured in a video project that's all about your goals and accomplishments? Melanin Base Camp is teaming up with Brown Girls Climb on Project Diversify Outdoors to highlight the accomplishments of Women of Color in the Outdoors.
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I was struggling to stay warm and keep my food down, I was anxious to start moving again whether it was ascending or descending I didn't care.
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Instructor OPENING
Full Time Seasonal Position Feb 22 – November 15 2018
$75-$80 per day, Room and Board provided (location: Grizzly Creek Ranch, Plumas County, California)
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So the bug was there before I even landed. I tried to keep my excitement in check...
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Utah is full of epic natural beauty; there are a total of five National Parks within the state. This past Labor Day weekend, I visited Zion and Bryce Canyon.
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All around me under a moonless sky human drama unfolded. Careers were saved or lost on the dark road. I kept running
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Before skydiving, the idea of being small and not having control of my life absolutely terrified me. The idea of failing a test, or having a sorority event go wrong, would give me severe anxiety..... Who could imagine that in jumping out of airplanes, I would find my peace.
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We spent the day covering crevasse travel and rescue, kick and plunge stepping, snow anchors, digging an avalanche snow pit, and taking turns sliding down a hill to practice self-arresting, a technique vital for mountaineering if you fall.
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I'm an adventure seeking 20 something who enjoys early morning summits, software development, travel, and photography. You can find me playing around in the great outdoors, or pursuing any number of creative endeavors.
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When most people talk about the Grand Canyon, they tend to be speaking of the Colorado river in the Southwest of the United States. For those of us residing in the pacific northwestern states a few other rivers come to mind. While the Colorado tops many lists, a different Grand Canyon has called out to me for many years.
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Some people ask why am I so crazy about training and climbing. My response is, it's my reason for living. I see in most people’s eyes that they think I’m being dramatic, and I usually leave it at that. But for the select few that I share my full story with, I like to believe they can appreciate where I am coming from.
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