BIPOC Backpacking- White Rocks Mountain, VT

These trips run on a sliding scale $300-$1000.

PLEASE READ SLIDING SCALE AND SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION BELOW

COVID-19 Safety Protocols:

-Small Groups

-Individual Tents

-Negative COVID-19 test taken at least 3 weeks prior to trip

-Health screen day of trip

-Full vaccination preferred

Logistics:

Trail: Appalachian Trail/ Long Trail (North Bound)

VIEW THE TRAIL HERE (this is not the official trail map and it is not the map for our trip.)

This is a loop trail.

Daily Mileage and Elevation:

Day 1: no mileage. stay in Petersburg NY

Day 2: 5 miles 615 ft elevation gain

Day 3: 8 miles 1,588 ft elevation gain

Day 4: 4.5 miles 702 ft elevation gain

Details:

FOR SCHOLARSHIPS: CLICK HERE

These trips run on a sliding scale $300-$1000.

The BIPOC backpacking trip is a 4 day wilderness excursion for Black, Indigenous, and People of color. During this trip participants will summit White Rocks Mountain in the Green Mountain National Forest. We will engage in daily journalling and a group activities. These trips are much more destination-based in comparison to our BIPOC Forest Bathing Immersion which are more focused on slowing down and finding rest and bringing in lots of group acitivites. These trips are more focused on covering mileage and summiting peaks. Please take this into consideration when registering for this trip.

These trips are intended for folks who are active hikers and have some experience with backpacking and camping and/or anyone who feels comfortable and capable of pushing their body in this way. If you are brand new to backpacking and camping we suggest you start with the BIPOC Forest Bathing Immersion which is an easy introduction into backcountry skills so you can learn the basics that will better support you for this kind of trip.

Accessbility

The nature of hiking and backpacking (heavy lifting, distanced hikes, crouching, bending, etc) and the terrain of this specific location makes acessibility to this specific event limited. We are working to ensure these trips are accessible to everyone and are open to feedback on how to do that.

Meals are determined based on participants needs including allergies and food restrictions. Meals are primarily vegitarian with the option for meat.

**Due to safety concerns for the group, we do not disclose specific sleeping locations prior to registration. I understand this may cause some concerns/ feelings around uncertainty for folks looking to register and want to respect what may arise. Please reach out to raei@the-rusty-anvil.land if you would like more details and information before registration.**

WHAT IS PROVIDED TO YOU:

• gear (your own tent, backpack, sleepings bag, sleeping pad, cup, bowl, spork, & headlamp).
• food and snacks
• transportation to/from trailhead (will need one volunteer to caravan)

WHAT IS NOT PROVIDED TO YOU:

• transportation to/from meeting location (please contact if transportation support is needed. A carpool list will be sent upon registration).
• personal gear (clothes, shoes, toiletries, etc)
• personal dietary snacks

Please contact Raei@the-rusty-anvil.land for support with clothing. A packing list will be sent upon registration.

WHY BACKPACKING?

As Black people, our ancestors’ journey to freedom from the South was made possible by traveling in undeveloped wild areas. To remain undetected by slave patrols freedom seekers used the landscape. Ancestor Harriet Tubman freed over 300 enslaved people from the South by utilizing waterways, moss for navigation, bird language, and plant medicine. Maroon camps in remote hard-to-reach wilderness areas served as a place for temporary or semi-permanent refuge for freedom seekers. We still see today there is a connection for Black people between wilderness and freedom, and a complex duality between this freedom and fear for our lives.

Today, Black people and people of color are 3x more likely to live in nature deprived areas. Symptoms of nature deprivation include but are not limited to attention deficits, mood imbalances, poor cardiovascular health, poor emotional regulation, and a compromised immune system. Yet, trees and plants have an incredible capacity to support human health.

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Reclaiming a healthy relationship to wild land as Black, Indigenous, and People of color is a means of resistance to forces that seek to exclude us. Being out in nature is a way for us to shed ancestral traumas related to the wilderness and find our own way of connection. We deserve to enjoy wild spaces and learn these skills without worrying about our safety, and truly benefit from the healing that nature has to offer.