Employee Story: From the Suburbs to the Smokies

It was 2008. I was paddling a kayak through the Skokie Lagoons north of Chicago, and I was nervous. I hadn’t been kayaking before. I’d never been in a kayak before. And on top of that, I barely knew how to swim. But I was here for a reason: I was going to prove that a girl from the suburbs of Chicago could head out and do anything she put her mind to. Including kayaking.

Growing up, I didn’t see many Black kids out hiking, camping or doing outdoor activities. I think there were lots of reasons, from a lack of access to the more personal. For my family, it came down to logistics; In Evanston – only 10 minutes from Chicago – planning an outdoor trip with four kids in tow could get really complicated. On a personal level, I didn’t really feel like I belonged outdoors; I was a young Black girl, not an “outdoorsy person.” In fact, since everything I enjoyed doing was indoors, my friends and family called me an “indoor cat” – a nickname that stuck.

So how did I end up in a kayak, in a lagoon, when my only previous outdoor adventure was a camping trip that had ended with me sleeping in the car?

I had just applied for a part-time job with a company I’d never heard of: L.L.Bean. When I learned that it was an outdoor retailer, I figured I should be knowledgeable in at least a few outdoor activities. I decided to dive in – almost literally – with an L.L.Bean Kayaking Discovery Course.

When the class headed out on the water, I was less than thrilled at first – but I wasn’t turning around. Just because I hadn’t been in a kayak, that didn’t mean there wasn’t a place for me here. As we paddled through the lagoon, trying out beginner strokes and looking at the nature preserve’s trees and wildlife, I started having fun – my instructors were patient, kayaking was great exercise, I was with people I loved. By the time we got back to shore, I had started falling in love with the outdoors.

My first trip was in the lagoons near my hometown, but my next trip was farther, and the next one was even farther than that – until seeking out new outdoor experiences took me around the world. I went from barely knowing how to swim, to snorkeling with sea turtles; from not knowing where to hike, to hiking in Waianapanapa State Park in Hawaii and Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. I’ve gone as far as Ko Samui, Thailand and hiked and explored there. When I go outdoors now, I don’t feel like an outcast; I feel excited.

These were eye-opening experiences, in more ways than one. Not only was I learning to camp, hike, snorkel and kayak – I was also learning how beautiful the outdoors could be! Once I started paying more attention to the outdoors, I realized that I could find beauty in all kinds of places, whether I’m on the Road to Hana in Hawaii or walking my dogs on a sunny Chicago afternoon. I realized that no matter where I’m from, no matter where I go, there’s a place for me outdoors – just waiting to be explored.

I’ve been on this outdoor journey for more than 10 years, and I still wouldn’t consider myself the most “outdoorsy” person – but when somebody doesn’t necessarily feel like they belong outdoors, because of what they look like or where they live, I can tell them they shouldn’t be afraid to step outside and give it a try. That’s how it started for me: the moment when I jumped into a kayak, proved to myself I could do it, and paddled towards a whole world of outdoor activities.

I think my family would agree – I’m an “outdoor cat” now.