By: Clint Cvacho

 

Maine Event: connecting students with nature

During my time teaching at Restoration Academy in Fairfield, recognizing the power of time spent in the outdoors to inspire and to develop relationships, I started an outdoor program to connect mainly African American students with nature.  The pinnacle of this program was something born out of a suggestion by one of the students who had gone on a few trips with me, who one day said we should hike the Appalachian Trail.  While hiking the entire trail was out of the question because of time constraints, it was amazing to have this African American young man suggesting such an ambitious outdoor goal, especially when it was not something we had ever talked about on a hunting or camping trip.  He was dreaming big, which caused me to dream big.  This comment set us on the path to endeavoring what is now known as the Fourteen State Challenge, but which we called the Maine Event.  We would take a group of young men and over the course of six trips in three years, we would hike a section of the Appalachian Trail in all fourteen states it runs through.

 

Alabama Outdoors partnership

Something of this magnitude could not even be begun without the right equipment.  For that, I turned to Scott McCrory with Alabama Outdoors for assistance in acquiring the gear we would need for the group.  Not only did he provide the gear we needed through free rentals and outright donations, but he also wanted to come along with us and bring his son, who was only six years old when we started in the fall of 2014!  The journey over the next three years took us to some of the most scenic places on the entire Appalachian Trail and put our diverse group into contact with the amazing trail community of the AT. 

 

Diversity on the trails

We constantly had our minds blown by the people we met and we were constantly blowing the minds of others.  You could tell that it was unusual to see a group of African Americans on the trail, but in our experience, instead of meeting opposition, we found most people to be interested in hearing the story of the students and their journey up to that point.  We found that lack of ethnic diversity on the trail did not, necessarily, translate into lack of inclusion.  We also found that as we summited Mount Katahdin on July 7, 2017, we were different people than when we had spent our first night on the trail on November 7, 2014. 

 

We all belong in the outdoors

All of the nights spent eating the same noodles, pitching tents in the same windy and cold conditions, and, all of the same strained muscles. All of the night hiking, all of the same endless ups and downs, all of the times we cursed Benton MacKaye for his idea, and all of the laughter, forged us into a brotherhood that no book club or shared seminar ever could.  We found out that the outdoors really does belong to all of us and is there to bring us together if we would just take that risky first step.

 

Check out our original story from that unforgettable experience, Exploring the Outdoors with Restoration Academy.

 

Interested in getting out on the AT or another thru-hike yourself? Let us help you find the gear you need for your backpacking adventure! Visit one of our stores or take advantage of our shipping or curbside pickup. We want everyone to enjoy the outdoors, and we work to build loyalty one connection at a time.  #BeOutdoors