Kammok Becomes Climate Neutral Certified

By Luisa Vargas The weather in Austin has been less than ideal (by Texan standards). We’ve seen more rain these past few weeks than we do all year, and Thursday was the hundredth consecutive day of thunderstorms. Or at least if felt that way! The result of constant rainfall at the Barton Creek Greenbelt trail in Austin, TX.   Wednesday night, our team decided to hold off on doing Taco Tri as the thunderstorms were getting pretty bad. It turns out all it did was rain that day. But the fun part about a virtual Taco Tri is that even though we didn’t get to participate in Austin, people all over the world did. Photo of  Seth Tullar (right) in Australia. This month was particularly exciting because our friends in Australia participated! This is one the furthest away someone has been whose taken part in Taco Tri. Thank you, Seth, for tri-ing with us! We hope the weather was better “down under." Abelardo was runner up in the competition taking part in the tri in Alaska!  We hope next month we’ll be able to Taco Tri again in Austin and can’t wait to see what other exciting places people will participate on July 1st!

Our outdoor community is built on seeking adventure. Sometimes this means spending time in harsh weather conditions and challenging ourselves physically, while other times it means having difficult conversations and changing our perspective. In this three-part series, we'll be sharing the stories of individuals redefining what it means to be outside. Written by Luisa Vargas. As the chief of the Cameron County Beach Patrol, Art Hurtado is no stranger to being outside. In addition to recent ultrarunning achievements, he spends his time encouraging people to spend time outdoors. Art at Lower Falls in Yellowstone National Park, September 2020 In pre-pandemic times, Art hosted weekly, open-invitation runs in Brownsville, Texas. He also started the only ocean aquathon in Texas in addition to creating one of the first swim clubs in Texas with the goal of making ocean swimming accessible to all. “It might be intimidating, but with the proper education and training, you’d be able to read the ocean too, and it would make it accessible to anyone,” Art says. Having grown up in the Rio Grande Valley, Art tells us it’s common for kids to grow up without the opportunity to spend their free time exploring nature. He started seeking adventures later in life because connecting with the outdoors wasn’t something his parents prioritized. Like many people in this area, Art’s parents grew up in poverty, and he explains that when you’re in that situation, your time is not spent finding ways to travel. “I think a lot of this culture comes from other people, from your parents, someone has to take you [out into nature],” Art says. We all carry both the weight of our parent’s struggles as well as benefiting from their privilege, and for this reason, we continue to see many of the social inequalities that are passed down over time. “My parents worked up from their poverty to lift me up, so I have the option to go to more places,” Art says. The generational progress means that creating equitable outdoor recreation will take time, but Art knows that like his parents, he has a role to play in this. We all do. His parents paved the way for him to have the opportunities that led him to spend his life outdoors, and he is working to do the same for others. Art in Palo Duro Canyon, October 2020 Art has become a mentor in the community by providing people with guidance on places to go and how to get outside safely. Working for the beach patrol provides him with plenty of willing volunteers to facilitate events that encourage people to swim and run. Even though there are many ways to spend time outside that don’t require extensive travel, it’s difficult to adventure because places like Brownsville are far away from parks and other cities with more recreational areas. The closest major city, San Antonio, is at least 5 hours away. Similar to my conversation with Rocio, Art explains that finding safe and welcoming outdoor spaces close to home is crucial to getting more diverse groups of people outside. “Brownsville’s park department has done wonders for the community in the past 7 years. They’ve poured money into developing trail systems—it’s shined through,” Art says. He is hopeful because he sees things are changing. Especially during COVID, local governments are expanding trail and park systems. Since there is access to green spaces closer to home, people are beginning to explore more.   Isla Blanca Park located on South Padre Island,  August 2019 The layers of inequality in outdoor spaces span generations. However, it’s people like Art who focus on the things they can control who end up shaping their communities and ultimately, the system. If we each focus on encouraging and helping one person to spend more meaningful time outdoors, think of all the lives that would be transformed. Art’s story is a reminder that education and systemic change are the driving force of creating equitable outdoor spaces, but it’s individuals who ignite the movement. Today, I challenge you to elevate time outside for someone in your community. Share your favorite local park with a friend, lend a family member your Kammok gear, show a stranger on the trail your favorite overlook. Here are some other ideas on ways to give adventure: Organizations and companies supporting diversity in the outdoors: Melanin Basecamp Disabled Hikers Venture Out Project

Barton Springs, July 2018 AUSTIN, TEXAS –– In 2016 a couple of Kammok employees wanted to do an early morning bike/run/swim before work. They thought it'd be fun to get tacos after, told their friends and it soon became an Austin community event. Thus, the Taco Tri was born.  On the first Thursday of each month, the brave early-morning souls of the Kammok community come together before dawn to ride bikes along Lady Bird Lake to the Violet Crown trailhead, followed by a dip in Barton Springs pool. Pedestrian Bridge on Town Lake July 2019 Although a triathlon at first glance seems intimidating, the event is inclusive of everyone with a casual social bike ride, go-at-your-own-pace trail jog, and a splash in the pool. No laps required, unless of course you wanted to. No matter how much you challenged yourself or came because your friend was there, everyone had the same motivation: do it for the love of tacos.  It's a requirement to seal the triathlon off with a taco. Kammok HQ's resident taco food truck, Granny's, supplied breakfast tacos for every participant after the pedal back to Kammok.    Pre-COVID gathering at Granny’s for Tacos In 2020 when everything went virtual, so did Taco Tri. In October of that year we launched the Kammok Taco Tri Strava Club. It has now become a world-wide Kammok community event tracked through Strava. Each month anyone who wants to run, bike or swim in their own part of the world can join the club, track their activity, and connect with others around the globe who are doing the same thing. We also have given prizes to some ambitious folks to did all three activities, conquered the highest elevation, and went the longest distance.  Mike Lane, Winner of The Highest Elevation Gain in Granada, Spain   Dana Bruhis, Winner of Completing Virtual Taco Tri running and biking in Colorado  Every first Thursday of the month, the Taco Tri will live on virtually (for now). Here's how you can participate in the upcoming event: Join the Kammok Taco Tri Strava Club Say "I'm in!" to the upcoming Run and Bike events. (Strava does not support Swim event at this time, however we will still be able to see your activity if you do this!) Complete at least one of the three activities, and track your activity on Strava.  Finish at your favorite taco spot, or make them at home. Starting for our May 2021 event, we will be sending a limited edition Taco Tri sticker to every new participant! Say you're doing the Taco Tri by filling out this short Finisher Registration to receive your sticker after the event.     

Our outdoor community is built on seeking adventure. Sometimes this means spending time in harsh weather conditions and challenging ourselves physically, while other times it means having difficult conversations and changing our perspective. In this three-part series, we'll be sharing the stories of individuals redefining what it means to be outside. Written by Luisa Vargas. At the beginning of February, we witnessed the power of community. Slim Pickings Outfitters is the first Black-owned outdoor shop in the nation. They’re a fellow Texan business whose home is not too far from ours in Stephenville, TX. Their mission is bringing diversity to the outdoors and building a space where everyone feels welcome and supported. Like most small businesses, the pandemic hit them hard. When The Outbound Collective caught hold of Slim Picking’s struggles, they quickly set up a Go Fund Me, and with the help of social media, in just three days they raised over $100,000 and hit record sales. People saved Slim Pickings Outfitters and everything they stand for. This brings me hope. It’s proof that collective power is real and we each have a part to play in it. If you’re reading this, you likely want to do something to help, and I’m here to remind you that you can. You can start by supporting organizations and businesses led by Blacks, LatinX, Asians, Muslims, Immigrants, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities. It’s in the intersectionality of these groups that we will bring about transformational change. Today, we’ll be learning about Aleshea Carriere’s life. Listening is one small thing we can all do, but actions still speak louder than words. At the end of this post, you’ll find a list of resources and things you can do to help others like Slim Pickings Outfitters. For now, let’s dive into the story behind Glitz n Grits. Aleshea at Guadalupe Peak: 8,749 feet Aleshea Carriere was 5 years old when she came home from school with a Girl Scouts flyer asking her mom if she could join a troop. This didn’t mean she would automatically be participating in outdoor activities, but her mind was set on being outside. Alesha’s mom volunteered to lead the new group of 20 girls who wanted to take part in this adventure. While Aleshea’s sister’s troop focused on more scientific learning, Aleshea was adamant about getting to do the adventurous stuff.  Girl Scouts became Aleshea’s way of exploring the outdoors. Aleshea and her Girl Scout troop on her first campout at Eisenhower state park Aleshea studied history and political science in college with ambitions to go to law school, but after interning with a law office, she realized it wasn’t for her. Aleshea says she accidentally stumbled into a teaching job but continued to spend her free time in nature and taking pictures. After working seven years in education she decided that it wasn’t a job that fueled her. She decided to quit her job, and that summer Glitz n Grits was born. What started as a food blog quickly developed into a travel and outdoor adventure blog as well. “I heard the song ‘My Texas’ by Josh Abbott after college and realized I had lived here my whole life and hadn’t done half the stuff in Texas,” Aleshea says. She started sharing the outdoor activities she was doing and recognized that she was an anomaly. People were asking her why she was spending so much time outdoors, and that’s when she connected the dots. “The Civil Rights Act wasn’t passed until 1964. So when people ask why Black children are nine times more likely to die from drowning, I explain that my mother was born before 1964, so there was a time she wasn’t allowed in public swimming pools or public places,” Aleshea says. As she began sharing more, more people wanted to learn more. Aleshea enjoying a day of exploring Texas Eventually, Aleshea was asked to come back to Girl Scouts and help plan trips to places such as Arches National Park. Before the pandemic, she led a backpacking troop in Plano. When Aleshea sat down with the girls and asked them what outdoor activities they wanted to do, there were many responses. Aleshea said a little Black girl told her, “I want to climb a mountain.” To which Aleshea responded, “Okay we can do that.” Aleshea recalls that the girl’s eyes lit up as she asked, “Really? You can take me to climb a mountain?” Aleshea replied, “Girl, we’re going to climb a mountain.” Partly, it’s businesses that fail to show a wide range of humans on their platforms. Another part is that people don’t see different kinds of people out on the trails. Not only different races but ages, abilities, and genders.   Aleshea volunteering at Day Camp Aleshea shared several instances where people have stopped her on the trail asking her if she knows where she’s going or what she’s doing. “The number of people that stop us to make sure we know what we’re doing. I think, do you not see the backpacks, poles, and water bottles?” Aleshea says. She also shared that on a trip to Caprock Canyons State Park, she was with a friend who is white and LGBTQ+, and people were shocked when he said he was an Eagle Scout. “When I say yeah people who identify as LGBTQ+ can be in Eagle Scouts, they’ll just look at me,” Aleshea says. At Girl Scouts they have a saying, “you can’t be what you can’t see,” and Aleshea says that can be applied to diversity in outdoor spaces. If we don’t see others who look like us climbing mountains, we begin to believe that’s not a possibility for us. While there is still so much work to do, Aleshea shares the progress between generations. “I was joking with someone that this is my ancestor’s wildest dreams. I’m getting to do things they probably never got to do or would’ve thought of doing,” Aleshea says. Organizations to support: GirlTrek Adaptive Climbing Co  Indigenous Women Hike Check out Trailey’s guide of resources here.