- [Narrator] Fleet Feet believes that running changes everything and we're proud to sponsor Crosscut's "Out & Back" with Alison Mariella Désir.

We host fun, runs, training groups and events.

Whether you're training for your first mile, or your 50th marathon, we're here to run with you.

- [Alison] A lot of campgrounds, they weren't designed for Black and Brown folks.

Then when they did start to include, they were segregated for so long.

Just like a lot of our ancestors have fought for so many rights that we have today, there's also ancestors who were fighting for our right to be able to enjoy this outdoor space, and so that is just as important, to make sure we are taking advantage of that right to be out here.

(upbeat music) - I am here at Lake Timothy, Oregon, land of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation.

Tonight I'll be camping with Lestarya Tuadi Molloy, founder of Friday Outdoors.

When Lestarya talks about camping, she describes it as cozy, comfortable, inspiring.

I don't know about you, but I've been camping and I've never experienced it in that way.

Words that come to mind are dirty, uncomfortable, type two fun.

In fact, I can almost hear my father in my head saying, "Who would pay good money to sleep on the floor outdoors?"

Part of Lestarya's work is to ensure that Black people not only feel safe in the outdoors, but can get comfy and cozy.

I'm here for it.

- There she is.

Hi.

- How are you?

- So good to meet you.

- So good to meet you.

- This is such a beautiful spot.

- Yes.

This is, when I think of camping, like this is what it's about.

- [Alison] Yeah.

- [Lestarya] Well, do you wanna help get the tent set up?

- [Alison] Let's do it.

I'm thinking, let's set it up over here?

- Okay.

- 'Cause mainly we just wanna have a flat space.

- Ah, I learned that lesson.

- And then we need to make sure it's big enough.

There we go.

Go that way.

Cool.

And then now we'll start to stand it up.

And if you wanna put yours, the grommets, - Oh, into the holes, okay.

- Yep.

- Oh, wow, this thing is huge.

- Yeah.

There we are.

- [Lestarya] Yeah.

We've got this tunnel-sized tent, and what's nice is we'll be able to stand up in it.

- Yeah.

- [Lestarya] And it just makes it easier to change your clothes.

- It's not claustrophobic.

- [Lestarya] Exactly.

- It's definitely easier when you're doing it with me.

- [Lestarya] You seem, you got this.

- I mean, I'm a great instruction follower.

(both laughing) Do you want us to be all the way down?

- [Lestarya] Yeah.

- We're gonna get our workout.

It's definitely a workout.

- [Lestarya] Let's see if this is it.

- All right, we did it.

- Yeah.

- Like knowing that your home is set, before you go off and do other things, is such a relief, right?

- Yeah.

- Like now it's done.

- No matter what, we'll go to sleep tonight (both laughing).

- So I didn't grow up camping, like I didn't even play in the dirt, - But when my parents passed away, I was 11, and I moved with family, and that's when I was introduced to hiking.

I was very much hiking to heal, and over the course of hiking, I would go to these campgrounds, that's where a lot of trails are.

And I started noticing people, I'm like, "What are they doing?"

Right?

And they were camping, and they had the tents, and the campfire.

And it took years though, for me to work up the courage to say, "Okay, I wanna go on my first camping trip."

But eventually I did.

All of us were new.

None of us had gear, but we really made the most of it and just said, "Let's go out and do it."

Right?

We pulled our money together, to get gear we could share.

We brought whatever we could from home.

I brought my pots and my pants from home.

I brought my stove that I do hot pot on from home.

I brought my pillow (both laughing).

And we just had a good time.

- I love that.

It shows that, you know, even if you don't have the right stuff, if you have the right attitude, right, you can make it happen, and then learn from that experience.

- [Lestarya Gear, safety, the outdoor skills, these are all barriers to us getting out there.

And if we can knock down those barriers, then it's just up to us to say, "Hey, I'm gonna go do that."

- There we go.

Hey, hit the propane.

- What is it about camping that is exciting and worth it to you?

- Ah, I mean, well, look at the spot that we're in.

The trees are so tall, the sun is shining down.

I can hear the birds.

Like that is beautiful, right?

But it's also that community, and connection, right?

Like you and I in this space, having conversations, right?

It's such a bonding experience to be with friends, and be in community with each other.

Ooooh, I love camp food.

- I can't believe this is camp food.

- Yeah (both laughing).

I found, in my experience, that words like adventurous, or outdoorsy, are typically reserved for white men.

And we don't often see ourselves in that light, you know?

- I agree.

There's a lot of times, when you look at magazines especially, or movies, it's the white guy conquering the mountain, and just showing this kind of one dimension of what it means to be outdoorsy.

But what I love about us being out here, and I just say for like, for my journey, I've become much more outdoorsy, and in the way that I want and need to be.

- Mm.

- Right?

Like sometimes I just wanna lay in a hammock, and that is outdoors.

And there's other times where I do wanna go mountain biking, and I wanna go snowboarding, and all the things.

And it's really just letting go of what typical outdoorsy is, and also just taking up space, as a woman of color.

The more we see each other, the more we're out here.

And also just realize there's more of us, actually, than we realize, just because we're not shown oftentimes.

- Right, right.

Well, I definitely wouldn't be camping if it weren't for you, so thank you for that.

- Oh, I'm so glad, yes.

(ducks quacking) (water rippling) (coffee brewing) - [Both together] Cheers.

- [Lestarya] As important as it is to recreate out here, it's just as important to leave the space in the same, or actually better condition than which we found it.

And just knowing that this is all of our outdoor homes, and that we are sharing it, and really being with nature, just being in these trees, being next to the water, and hearing the ripples, it gets my mind going.

It's calming, but it's also this invigorating energy that I don't get from anywhere else.

My mind starts to reflect about who I am in this moment, who do I wanna be?

What kind of impact do I wanna make?

What's my contribution?

And if we think about it in that way, then of course we're gonna wanna take care of it.

- [Narrator] Fleet Feet is on a mission to inspire the runner and everyone, and is proud to sponsor Crosscut's "Out & Back," and back with Alison Mariella Désir.