(cheery music) - All right, here goes nothing.

- Where to start.

Let's see.

Okay, so you'll see some holds are probably better to hold with your hands and some holds might be better to hold with your feet.

All right?

If you can do what looks and feels comfortable.

But there isn't like a set way of doing it.

- Okay.

Well, I would love to see you.

- Sure.

- And get into that flow.

- [Jas] What is the wall saying to you?

- [Allison] "What is the wall saying to you."

That's beautiful.

- It's like, how does it want to be climbed.

Maybe it's that way, maybe it's this way.

- Wow.

Oh, yeah.

- Woohoo!

Did it.

- Well, let me see if I can... See what the wall is saying to me.

- Of course.

- Wall, how would you like me to climb you?

- [Jas] Yeah, climb it.

- Let's see.

I like this little handle thing here.

(ethereal drum music) (acoustic music) - [Jas] My name is Jas Maisonet.

I use they them pronouns and I'm from New York, born and raised.

- [Allison] Have you always been in the outdoors?

- [Jas] Yes, because I grew up in a time where kids played outside.

We'd go outside, we'd ride our bikes, we'd end up at some friend's house down the block and then we'd be home for dinner.

- What is QPOC Hikers?

What does that stand for?

What is it about?

- It's for queer people of color who like to hike, or are interested in hiking.

Who want to experience the outdoors.

- So much of the outdoors, the way that it's like commodified and sold to us is about epic adventure and summiting Rainier.

Especially being here, I'm like everybody's summiting Rainier and then Baker.

But yeah, a hike is a hike, right?

- [Jas] Yeah.

I think anytime I step outside of the house with the intention of benefiting myself in within nature then that's a hike.

- I love that.

Tell me about the QPOC piece of it.

Because I'm a person of color, I'm not queer, but I know my own journey and struggles with feeling comfortable in the outdoors.

Why was it important for this to be for queer POC?

- I think because there are a lot of queer circles centered around like happy hours and drinking and meetups that way.

And I wanted this to, in addition to just like being a queer space, a queer POC space.

That it was a sober space for people to link up.

(acoustic music) - [Allison] Tell me about the safety piece.

- If you're hiking by yourself, you're probably not as safe as if you're hiking in a group.

Also, if you have one brown person by themselves, it's probably not as safe as if you have a whole collective of people who can you know, watch each other's backs or not if that's necessary.

- You've shared that your gender identity was something that you sort of came to understand about yourself.

I'd love for you to tell me about that.

Growing up, I never really saw myself as one way I would say.

I would have folks be like, "Hey buddy!"

"Oh, I mean honey, sweetie."

"Oh, sorry."

I'm just like... - [Allison] What are you?

What do I call you?

I'm like, "Hi."

You can just say, "Hey," you don't have to attach, like, okay, that's fine, whatever.

But, I didn't really have that voice until recently.

And just being like, actually I'm done with this.

I'm done trying to please other people and I'm done trying to like, not make other people uncomfortable by being my true self.

Right?

My pronouns are they them.

This is who I am, this is who I've always been.

This is what feels right.

This is what's comfortable and I am set.

- Thank you for your bravery.

- Of course, yes.

It's for the person, the people who need to see someone who's like them.

Who's brave enough.

Brave enough, right?

To just live your truth and be you.

Be your weird authentic self, because that's what we need in the world.

- So, how did you get into climbing?

I'm gonna say that's one thing black people don't do.

- [Jas] Correct.

Black people don't climb, they don't swim, they don't go outdoors.

- Exactly.

- There's a lot of of things.

I mean, they don't jump outta perfectly good airplanes.

But, yeah.

No, I started, I think it was like, someone's birthday party when we were 10 years old or something and I was like, "Rock climbing is cool, yeah!"

And then obviously in my adult life I was like, "Wait, I enjoyed that."

- [Allison] Well it was very like, ballet.

And very like, flowy movement.

Which honestly showed me how I could move my body.

- [Jas] It is an art form.

It is sort of like a ballet, sort of meditational, because you are in control of where you're going.

Yeah, do it!

- Let's see, I like this little handle thing here.

- [Jas] It's like, I know certain holds I'm not a fan of.

- Right.

Well, this is like really odd, 'cause I'm like really spread out.

Yeah.

- [Jas] And then yeah, a lot of like, understanding your body's weight.

- Yeah.

- [Jas] Right?

Where it is.

- I know.

I'm very bottom heavy, so I'm like, this is great, but could I pull myself up?

Nope.

Oh, this is that sneaky one.

Yeah, that's not gonna.

(Allison laughing) I'm outta breath, am I scared?

- [Jas] You got this.

Literally, it's just one movement at a time.

- Like this.

- [Jas] There it is.

Nice.

- Okay, that was already better.

Let's go this way.

Felt that in my quad.

Okay!

- [Jas] You're getting there!

- [Allison] Nice.

Okay.

- [Jas] There we go!

- [Allison] I'm gonna take my time up here.

- [Jas] Victory lap up top.

Absolutely.

- Thank you for this lesson.

- Of course, yeah.

Thank you.

There's some people who come to hikes not knowing anyone.

They just come by themselves and then they like, meet their best friend.

So, if I can... - [Allison] That's beautiful.

- [Jas] Keep just creating a space so that people can do that, like.

It's great.

Was that my intention when creating this?

No, I just wanted a safe space to hike with other folks who were like me.

- [Allison] You didn't know you were gonna change the world?

- [Jas] No.

Still don't know if that's gonna happen, but if I can leave an imprint, a positive impact, then great.

If it touches at least one person's life, then I think that's the goal, honestly.

(acoustic music) - [Alison] Hear more about this episode on the "Out and Back" with Allison Mariella Desir podcast.

Just search "Out and Back" wherever you listen.

- [Speaker] Fleet Feet is on a mission to inspire the runner and everyone and is proud to sponsor Crosscuts "Out and Back" with Allison Mariella Desir.