We’re black. We hike. You should too!

There’s no elephant in the room here, the notion is that black people don’t hike. And while it’s not as popular as an activity as it may be amongst other communities, it couldn’t be further from the truth. We do and we should. We don’t see nearly as many people that look like us on the trails while we’re hiking so it’s time for us to help close that gap. There are some dope black hikers out there doing some amazing things, but again there’s a lack of inclination in the community so we don’t see it as much as we’d like. Hiking offers so many perks that the average joe could benefit from that you’d be cheating yourself not doing it after reading this. Things like cardiovascular exercise that can be tailored to your skill level, progressively, and unplugging from society to capture some peace and relax your mind from the upbeat day to day cycling of your to do list. The list goes on, but don’t just take our word for it. Get active.

We are on a hiking tear and just couldn’t resist sharing some of these experiences with you in hopes it may inspire you to get outside! We have been hiking together for a while, but recent conditions have pushed us to do it more. We recently got more serious about hiking and have even purchased some official hiking boots and planned trips around it. It’s a COVID friendly activity that has inspired us to travel to destinations that we may not have visited if it weren’t for hiking and us yearning to get outdoors. As a result we have had some pretty cool experiences and developed a new hobby that we thoroughly enjoy. We have seen some beautiful scenery and got some great exercise at the same time so its a win win. It’s literally therapy that brings on so many benefits and contrary to popular belief can be fitting to most, if not all, levels of activity. We’ll explain more in detail later, lets take a look at some hikes we completed so far.

Hike 1: Big Si, North Bend, Washington

Let’s start with our first hike ever TOGETHER! Let me set the scene by saying we did this hike on accident. We were in Seattle, WA on a getaway trip to explore the city as it was both of our first times there. We had a friend there who invited us to visit so this made planning the trip a little easier. On this particular day we wanted to “hike” a trail to see some beautiful scenery and nice views. Hiking in Washington is one of the premier activities as they are surrounded by mountains and nature is cherished (as it should be) in that area. We researched the best hikes using the AllTrails App and Mount Si came up as one of the best. There were two that came up in the description, Little Si and Big Si. The description said little Si was ok as far as views, not as good as Big Si. Now I don’t know how we missed the length and or elevation of Big Si but we decided to go with the better views. There was a reason it was better. We embarked on the most challenging hike to date that we have ever done! We encountered people during our hike that were shocked we had not hiked seriously before and decided to hike this mountain. We were told that hikers trained on this mountain and it didn’t take long for us to realize why. Four hours, 7.83 miles, and 3,134 ft of elevation later we conquered a monstrous mountain in North Bend, Washington that gave us some amazing views when we reached the peak. Every challenging step and obstacle we encountered on the way was worth it.

Tip 1: Do Your Research!

Now, what did we learn from this World Citizens? Let us give a few tips for our newbies and novice hikers. Do your research! Luckily we were in serviceable condition and are avid exercisers because if not we would not have finished the hike, as we were told lots of people don’t on their first attempt. We use an app called AllTrails that is really helpful in getting the details of a hike. You should read the reviews of other hikers that have recently gone up the trail. This can be beneficial because you can learn about the condition of the trail and more about the difficulty level. There’s also google which when you search hikes brings up a special plugin that gives details and pictures of the hike. You’ll want to pay close attention to the difficulty and length of the hike. In the app they label the hikes easy, moderate, or difficult. Depending on your skill level, all three could mean something different to you so make sure you read the actual reviews for that specific hike. Only take on the hikes that you feel confident in completing. Depending on where you are, it could be much more than the trail that needs to be taken into consideration like possible wildlife and other obstacles so you want to be sure you are in a stable enough position to defend or take on these obstacles. Do your research!

Hike 2: Smoky Mountains & Blue Ridge Mountains of TN and NC

We are both from states that have some prestigious mountains with national state parks, so we decided to plan a friendly competition trip to see which place is better. We went to Tennessee to visit the Smoky Mountains National Park and North Carolina to visit the Blue Ridge mountains. They both ended up being great in their own unique ways, you can read more about that trip here. For this trip we decided to plan our hikes around waterfalls in the area since they are a perk of hiking that we enjoy. In Tennessee we hiked a trail named Rainbow Falls. It was a fairly easy trail that is about 6 miles total distance, so 3 miles up and 3 miles back down. The trail had some beautiful creeks and falls along the way to the top. We weren’t as impressed as we would have liked to have been we we got to the falls at the top (you win some you lose some), but the scenery along the way made up for it. In North Carolina we hiked two trails, Crabtree and Catawba Falls, both easy trails as well and both about 2.5 miles total distance. We actually did both trails in the same day. The two trails had majestic falls that are worth the trip and since they were easy to get to its fit for any level of hiking. Only one heads up necessary. The beginning of Crabtree falls is all downhill until you get to the falls,if you decide to continue the entire trail after crossing the bridge at the waterfall its goes straight up. No gradual climb, straight up. Completely different from the first part, but for a short stint.

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Tip 2: Invest in Hiking Boots!

Next tip: buy actual hiking shoes/boots! Because we weren’t avid hikers we didn’t feel it was necessary at first to buy hiking boots. We were hiking in regular sneakers. Don’t do it! One it can ruin the tread on your shoes if you’re using them for other activities like lifting or running. We encountered a lot of trails in Tennessee that were pretty rocky and had a lot of roots. We left the hike surprised we hadn’t broken our ankles they were rolling so much. After the hike we immediately went to REI and bought some hiking boots/trail shoes. You don’t have to go to the specific stores to get them. Nike and Adidas have regular trail shoes that do the job. It made so much of a difference for the next hike. We could focus more on the scenery than all of the roots and rocks on the ground. Invest in some hiking boots with ankle support!

Hike 3: North Georgia Mountains

Lastly is an area we most recently explored in Northern Georgia. We explored the areas around Cleveland, Helen, and Hiawassee Georgia which contain parts of the Appalachian mountains. We took on an intermediate hike up Yonah Mountain. The conditions weren’t the best on the day we went so we weren’t able to get the full experience when we got to the peak to look out due to fog, but the hike was admittedly challenging. Although we weren’t able to get the full experience it will remain special to us because its the location where we got engaged. We also went to Brasstown Bald which is the highest point in Georgia. This location is cool because you can drive up the mountain to the visitors center. There you have the choice of taking a shuttle for a small fee or walking a trail that is about .6 miles long to the overlook at the top of the mountain. There are also other trails available if you want to do a more engaging hike. The views at the peak were breathtaking and again very accessible to all so we highly recommend visiting.

These are a few of our experiences with hiking. Again, we just recently got more serious and intentional about hiking even though we’ve done it sporadically before, but the benefits and rewards of hiking are worth every minute of the planning and challenges you may encounter. And again its a Covid friendly activity that helps you to be active and explore the world. If you need help planning a hiking excursion let us know! If you have any suggestions on great hiking trips connect with us! And dont forget to subscribe!