Trails to Equality: How to Decolonize Your Mind and Outdoor Spaces

Written By Melissa St. Clair

Listen to the audio version of the piece below.

Who decided what the rules were for the outdoors? Who decided who gets to be there and not be there? Who decided what was polite outdoor etiquette? No matter if you’re the cardinal saint of Leave No Trace practices and never head outdoors without your 10 essentials, you still do not determine who is “allowed” to be in nature. You don’t get to decide that listening to music is inappropriate for a trail hike or camping spot. You don’t get to make decisions on land that was stolen from our indigenous friends. Because before black people were kicked out of National Parks they were the stewards of all this greatness you wish to enjoy today. This is not your land. This is not my land. 

White people. Colonizers. These are the people making up the rules, guidelines and etiquette on how to best enjoy and interact with nature and fellow hikers/campers. The National Park service website lists an article on hiking etiquette states the following: 

“Make yourself known. When you encounter other hikers and trail users, offer a friendly “hello” or a simple head nod. This helps create a friendly atmosphere on the trail. If you approach another trail user from behind, announce yourself in a friendly, calm tone and let him/her know you want to pass.” 

Tone policing? Why? Continually reminding people that to be a good outdoorsman that you must announce and offer nothing but friendliness? White people commonly use this tactic. Think I’m going a little too far? Am I reaching? You feel triggered because you are an avid hiker guilty of bringing a less than helpful elitist attitude to nature? 

Are you aware that black people were not allowed to enter National Parks for decades? That they too had to go through desegregation starting in 1945 but taking years and years to actually make happen. According to Nationalgeographic.com, Black people make up only 2% of the visitors to National Parks annually. White people, colonizers, have not made it comfortable or easy to join nature with them. If they had we would see far greater than 2%.

left 2 photos: pehc.colostate.edu, right photo: CNN.com

I have listened to experienced outdoors people complain about things like music on a hike. I don’t mind the music. I mind the complaining and superior attitude. Seeing people get made fun of for the types of footwear they have on or if their sweatshirt is moisture wicking etc… Mind your business. If someone is asking for your help picking out gear, great! I’m sure your expertise and love of the outdoors is invaluable. You know when it’s not helpful? When nobody asked. When it’s done in a way that makes people feel insecure about joining in. 

Beautiful locations are often gate-kept as a way to “control” the flow of visitors. Stop. Hold on right there Christopher Columbus. You didn’t discover anything. It’s not yours to hide or make difficult for others to find and enjoy. You don’t get to decide who is worthy of this knowledge. You can be an amazing human and spend your free time educating others about being great caretakers of wild spaces but you still are not the ruler of the parks. Don’t get me wrong, there are certain things that make sense. Like staying on the trail so we’re preserving the most natural beauty possible. But when you just make up rules like “make yourself known” it’s very off-putting. Like the bully who stole all the toys is now telling everyone if they can or can’t play with them and how they should play. 

So what are you going to do to help integrate our vast outdoor space? How will you personally affect change? What positive impact can you have next time you are on the trail? How will you teach other white people to decolonize their mindsets? How can you deepen your understanding of the bigger picture? Hate to disappoint you once again but yes, even the National Parks are racist.