Photo credit: Lupe Sotelo
This year thousands of people in the Sierra Club community chose to #OptOutside on Black Friday. REI inspired the worldwide trend in 2015 when they announced that instead of having a sale on Black Friday, they would close their stores and encourage shoppers and employees alike to spend the day in the great outdoors. Three years later, #OptOutside is growing with every passing season.
Our Outdoors for All volunteer co-lead, Shawnté Salabert, led a group of #OptOutsiders to Vasquez Rocks Natural Area, a seismic wonderland located just northwest of Los Angeles in the small town of Agua Dulce. Nearly 40 people showed up to hike along the Pacific Crest Trail, a gem of the National Scenic Trails System that winds through the park.
Folks opting outside in Agua Dulce Photo by Jane Simpson
Many Sierra Club outings begin with a brief acknowledgement of the specific Indigenous communities whose land the group is exploring. Shawnté took this practice even further, offering commentary throughout the outing about the Tataviam people whose morteros (grinding stones) and pictographs are still on display in the park today. She also shared stories about the park’s more recent history, as stomping grounds for Tiburcio Vásquez, who was either a scoundrel or a saint, depending on who is telling his history.
In Atlanta, the Sierra Club Military Outdoors team partnered with Minority Veterans of America, REI Co-Op and Mission Continues to host an #OptOutside walk of the Atlanta BeltLine focusing on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Fourteen people came out on a chilly Friday morning, accompanied by a huge crowd of tourists, for the busiest day of the year at the MLK Historic Site.
Walking the BeltLine with Sierra Club Military Outdoors Photo by Lornett Vestal
The Atlanta BeltLine is a sustainable redevelopment project designed to transform Atlanta, connecting 45 neighborhoods via a 22-mile loop of multi-use trails, streetcars and parks – all based on railroad corridors that once encircled Atlanta. The Military Outdoors folks got a chance to experience the sights and sounds of Atlanta’s largest and newest outdoor public green space, passing by businesses like the Krog Street Market and Two Urban Licks, and visiting state parks and public art pieces that are located along the Eastside Trail. The two-mile walk led the group to the MLK Historic Site where participants stopped to learn about one of Atlanta's most iconic hometown heroes. Then the group took the ATL light rail on a loop around downtown and ended with a tour of the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In Tucson the local Sierra Club chapter partnered with Latino Outdoors, the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, Saguaro National Park, the National Parks Conservation Association, REI, Tierra Y Libertad, Church Ink Tattoo, BEYOND Foundation, and Tugo Bikes for a community bike ride along the Santa Cruz River path. More than 65 people joined in, including families with young kids new to riding. Sierra Club Outdoors, in partnership with the Grand Canyon Chapter, helped convene a large coalition of groups to support the event and provided gifts for participants. Huge thanks to local community farm, Las Milpitas de Cottonwood, for hosting our start and end points for the 14 mile bike ride as well as the post-ride celebration.
Opting outside in Tuscon Photo by Lupe Sotelo of Latino Outdoors Tucson Chapter
Did you #OptOutside this Black Friday? Tell us about it in the comments!