(GIF from Giphy)
Anyways, thanks for reading and sticking with me as I continue to evolve this newsletter—which is going on almost two years now!
Back to business.
Here’s What I’m Reading This Week
We published our May issue online last week. Here are a couple highlights from that:
We're Here. You Just Don't See Us. There’s a common misconception that black people don’t love wild places. Latria Graham, a southerner with deep connections to farms, rivers, and forests, says the problem isn’t desire but access—and a long history of laws and customs that have whitewashed our finest public lands. [Latria Graham for Outside]
The Adventure Therapy Cure for Survivors: When you take former sex-trafficking victims into the wilderness for a few days of roughing it, know this: They’ve seen worse. Florence Williams goes on a trip organized by Atlanta-based She Is Able and learns that one size of adventure therapy does not fit all. [Florence Williams for Outside]
Like the Appalachian Trail, But with More Stoplights: An energized group of explorers are bringing the spirit of wilderness through hiking to American cities. Record-breaking distance trekker Liz Thomas and others are altering how we see urban spaces and inviting folks new to the outdoors along for the fun. [Erin Berger for Outside]
Also, Shelma Jun was on the May cover, and can we all just take a moment to appreciate how rad she is?
“The more women there are in climbing, and the more diversity, the better the sport will be. It’s going to create a richer culture.”
And other good reads:
The Lost Legend of the Girl Rangers: In October, the 107-year-old Boy Scouts of America announced that it will begin accepting girls as Cub and Eagle scouts for the first time. But the Girl Rangers toppled this gender barrier more than 48 years ago. [Betsy Teter for Outside]
Women Fighting Forest Fires Say Abuse Is Rife—But Men Often Go Unpunished: Women in the U.S. Forest Service love what they do. But they also describe a toxic male environment that tolerates, and even promotes, their harassers. [A.C. Shilton for The Guardian]
The Marathon World Record Holder the World Forgot: Two weeks after Kathrine Switzer made headlines at Boston in 1967, 13-year-old Maureen Mancuso quietly shattered the women's world record. Few people noticed. [Amanda Loudin for Outside]
At Nike, Revolt Led by Women Leads to Exodus of Male Executives: For too many women, life inside Nike had turned toxic. [Julie Creswell, Kevin Draper, and Rachel Abrams for The New York Times]
Tweets are fun
And this one gave me all the feels:
This is what joy looks like. I have a longform essay in the print version of Outside Magazine’s May 2018 issue.
You can find an online version of that essay here: https://t.co/yaBeSxKFR5 pic.twitter.com/WV3rtloe16