What It Means to Be a Hiker as a Black Woman: Alexandrie Adebayo Shares Her Experience

Alexandrie (00:00)
When I started hiking, I was one of the few black women hiking. it was always odd when a black person or even some distant family members would say, you’re hiking by yourself in the woods.

And I would say, yeah, because I can’t find anyone who’s as excited as I am. So I created Black Hikers Explore.

Not to exclude anyone, but if anything to encourage folks to say, wow, this person looks like me and I’ve wanted to do that, but I thought I was an anomaly. I use my platform to show people that you can hike by yourself. You can hike with your kids. You can hike with a group of friends.

We all belong in nature so that’s my ultimate goal.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (00:52)
On this episode, I’m speaking with Alexandrie Adebayo.

Alexandrie talks about her love of hiking, how she encourages her children to get outside and enjoy nature and inspires other people of color to know that they belong outside, that the outdoors is for everyone.

This is a conversation that I thought was important to have and so I’m glad you’re here to listen. So let’s get into it.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (01:14)
Hello, Alexandrie. Thank you for being here today. I’m so happy to have you here.

Alexandrie (01:19)
Hey Lauren, thank you for having me. I’m so excited to be a part of your podcast.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (01:25)
were you able to get out and do any hikes this weekend or were you busy with kid activities?

Alexandrie (01:29)
Both of those things usually happen together. I’m exploring with my kids in tow. This weekend, ⁓ it was our first full week of school this past week. So to celebrate, we actually did a backyard camping. ⁓ Yeah, with the kids, both of my kids and all of their friends.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (01:32)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

that’s so fun!

I love

And that’s a great transition into our topic today And I wanted to ask you, like you spend a lot of time outside with your kids. You know, for example, the camping this weekend.

Alexandrie (01:59)
Mm-hmm.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (02:02)
Was that something that your parents also encouraged? Was that how you were brought up as a child?

Alexandrie (02:09)
so I grew up in the Caribbean and on a mountainous island, really my view from my house was a mountain. my family would often hike, although we didn’t call it hike, we would just call literally climbing the mountains, out of necessity. There were trails we would take to either fetch for water, clean water, water to do laundry,

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (02:26)
Okay.

Mm-hmm.

Alexandrie (02:32)
water to have around the house. And then I also grew up in a religious family where we would, ⁓ at least from what I understood when I was a child, you climb to the highest part of the mountain to get closer to God and pray. I didn’t understand it to be hiking. I understood it to be a part of our life, a part of our routine, getting essentials for the house, as well as

praying. So when I moved to the States and then I became a parent, it was very like an easy transition to my lifestyle. And I wanted to continue that into motherhood. So I take my kids hiking, camping, canoeing with me anywhere just to continue that part of my childhood.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (03:19)
I love that. So that’s one of the reasons it’s important for you to get the kids outside, What are some other reasons why you focus on bringing the kids outside? I mean, I know why I like making my kids come outside with me. What are some of your reasons?

Alexandrie (03:33)
mean the selfish reasons so they don’t destroy my house. ⁓ And then the other reason really I love the light in their eyes when they just do anything. When they’re crossing a stream ⁓ and just like balancing on rocks.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (03:37)
That’s a good one though, that’s a good valid reason. I think every mother can appreciate that. ⁓

Mm-hmm.

Alexandrie (03:59)
when they pick up their own stakes on the trail and they turn that into their hiking stick. I think my kids really for them to connect to nature to realize there is nothing to really fear out in the woods and also to give back to the earth that we live in understanding that they belong in this society. You have to appreciate where you are and also leave the trails as you found them for the next

family and next generations to come. They seem to enjoy it. They really enjoy when it ends with some type

water so they can even get messier and have fun. So ⁓ it is important for me for them

just connect to

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (04:47)
gonna say that even as kids get older, the water is still a draw. My 15 year old still will be playing with things with water, it’s hilarious. It’s funny how water is such a

Alexandrie (04:56)
It’s so

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (04:58)
you said, there are so many important factors of why to encourage kids to expose kids to nature. And you definitely, you hit them on the head there. So I like that. Shifting gears here, because the main reason I had you on is your account is called Black Hikers Explore. And I believe you started this account to encourage people of color and really everybody, right, to get

Alexandrie (05:15)
Uh-huh.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (05:22)
was the motivation for

Alexandrie (05:24)
when I started hiking ⁓ in high school, in college, I was one of the few black women hiking. I would hike with all of my friends and my friends are from various parts of the world. But it was always odd when a black person or even some distant family members would say, you’re hiking by yourself in the woods.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (05:32)
Mm-hmm.

Alexandrie (05:47)
And I would say, yeah, because I can’t find anyone who’s as excited as I am. So waiting for people, then I’m losing time and I’m not committing to my goal. ⁓ then the thought hit me, Instagram is a social platform and ⁓ people find ways to connect with others, right? Who shares the same ideas, the same hobbies. So I created Black Hikers Explore.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (05:58)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Alexandrie (06:17)
not to exclude anyone, but if anything to encourage folks to say, wow, this person looks like me and I’ve wanted to do that, but I thought I was an anomaly. ⁓ maybe I can join this group one day and ⁓ I use my platform to show people that you can hike by yourself. You can hike with your kids. You can hike with a group of friends. And I organize group hiking trips where I’ve taken ⁓

dozens of people, two dozens of people on hiking groups just to show them just the basics of hiking because you don’t have to be an expert. ⁓ I call it like a nature stroll and you can do a mile, you can do two miles and we all belong in nature so that’s my ultimate

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (07:01)
I like that.

Alexandrie (07:09)
goal. Yeah.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (07:10)
100%,

100%, everybody, everybody belongs out there. And as you know, as they say, representation matters. And like you said, if someone scrolling on TikTok or Instagram, and they see your face and they see you out in the woods, they’re like, wait a minute, I belong out there too. statistics have showed that people of color are

underrepresented in outdoor spaces. Why do you feel like that is the case? Do you think it’s, you know, cultural, geographic, socioeconomic?

Alexandrie (07:40)
Yeah, I think it’s some of the points you’ve listed and I can see the landscape changing a little bit. I’ve connected with some outdoor explorers who are from the minority

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (07:50)
Yes.

Alexandrie (07:52)
there are a few more now, so I’m very happy to be connected with them. But I do think it stems back from years and years ago of slavery and segregation. ⁓ If you take swimming, for example, there was a period of time in our history where pools were either emptied out or black people weren’t even allowed to swim because just based on our skin color.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (08:02)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Alexandrie (08:17)
And I’ve met a lot of adults who just don’t know how to swim. It’s not because of fear of swimming or fear of the water. It’s just because it wasn’t an activity that was just naturally encouraged in their family or ⁓ locally because of the systematic racism over the years. So I want to just be make an ounce of change in that

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (08:45)
love it.

Alexandrie (08:45)
back through my encouragement of swimming, hiking, camping, and just exploring outdoors because it’s freeing. I think it’s meditative, it’s therapeutic, and it’s also reinforcing the message of we belong everywhere. We are not adding harm by participating in an activity that’s typically seen as made for others. mean, think about if you go on Google Image.

and you’re looking for pictures of hiking or pictures of swimmers, the demographic typically does not look like me. And yeah, particularly a bunch of white men. ⁓ that’s why I love hiking so much. And funny enough, when I started the page, it was mostly to share my love of hiking. I never really intended to show how I do it with my kids because I didn’t want my kids on social media.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (09:18)
Mm-hmm.

You’re gonna see a lot of white men.

Mm-hmm.

Alexandrie (09:43)
But now I get also mothers messaging me, how can I get my kids started? Because they don’t want to, they don’t want a tradition and that stereotype of black people don’t do X, black people don’t do Y to translate down to their kids. So I think our generation is starting to put an end to that systematic ⁓ racism that’s been going on for years, for years.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (09:43)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Alexandrie (10:13)
making sure we lower the gap to black people exploring the outdoors.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (10:20)
I agree and I hope that with your children’s generation by then it won’t be odd for them, for anyone to say anything like, oh, you’re out there? Why are you out there? I hope it’s just like a generally accepted yes. Oh yes, this is an activity that black people do.

Alexandrie (10:29)
Ew!

Yeah.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (10:40)
I know you kind of touched on this a little bit too, but as a black woman, what does it mean to you to be able to get outdoors and hike? do you feel like you’re fighting against the cultural norms and stereotypes

Alexandrie (10:51)
when I am out there, when I’m packing my bag, heading out to go, that isn’t necessarily in my head. It’s mostly work was hard, motherhood is hard, and that’s my way of relaxation. ⁓ Some people choose a spa, some people need a facial. I need a tree, I need a waterfall.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (10:59)
Yeah, of course that.

Yes.

Alexandrie (11:15)
I need the sounds of the birds. need, sometimes I walk barefoot. I even do it in my backyard just to recenter myself. that’s typically my go-to with hiking. It’s a form of therapy. It’s a form of relaxation. And by doing so, I show people that ⁓ you don’t need a lot of things to just get out there.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (11:22)
Yes. Yes, to ground yourself,

Alexandrie (11:41)
You don’t need the latest hiking boots. You don’t need the best backpack. You don’t need the best gear. You really just need to put one foot forward and appreciate nature. you know, because the more usage we get out of our trails, of our reservations that may be near us, the more we show people that we belong there, we want to explore.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (11:43)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Alexandrie (12:08)
It’s good for our bodies. It’s good for our mind. It’s good for our health. So that’s typically what goes on in my

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (12:15)
we’ve talked about this with another guest previous episode that, you know, just getting outside just, I mean, we all know it. It’s so good for your mental health. It really is. So, yeah, if you’re having a bad day, like get outside and go for a walk, whether it’s around your neighborhood, a local park or on a trail that’s not too far away, like it’ll do you wonders.

you have taken a lot of maybe first timers or second timers out on the trail, know, people who aren’t as experienced as you. What are some advice that you would give to someone who’s getting out on the trail for the first or second time?

Alexandrie (12:50)
I try to plan my group hikes and make them beginner friendly. And one thing that I would say is whether you’re alone or you’re part of a group, make sure someone else knows you’re whereabout ⁓ Yes, hiking is fun and it’s great for your mental health, but safety remains a priority. I either hike alone or with my children and

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (13:04)
Good tip, yes.

Alexandrie (13:16)
Regardless, I still make sure I prioritize safety. I have certain hiking essentials that I pack and I actually have like a list of essentials on my Instagram that I share with people. Just make sure you have those. They don’t have to be like I said, top of the line, but just to ensure your day goes smoothly or the two hours that you’re hiking or what have you go smoothly. And then I would say,

Have fun. And if you feel any uncertainty, whether you’re 10 minutes into your hike, an hour into your hike, trust your instinct, turn back. You’re not here facing a gold medal. This is not a fitness, ⁓ what do say, competition. ⁓ Go out there. Exactly. The moment you don’t feel comfortable and

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (13:58)
Yes. Yes.

Yeah, yeah, you’re not trying to get like the fastest known time, you know

Alexandrie (14:16)
you’re getting exhausted, turn around, and also hydrate. Always bring more water than you think you need.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (14:21)
Yes.

Yes. There’s been times that I’ve been out on my own and I’ve just gotten like not that I was feeling unsafe because I was tired or the terrain, but I just had like a, you know, like a little voice in my head that was like, you should turn around. And I listened to that. I’m like, I’m turning around now. And, you know, I don’t know. I don’t know what it is, you know, but some higher power, but trying to keep me safe. But

Alexandrie (14:36)
Uh-huh.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (14:48)
I agree with you. Listen to your gut. Listen to your body. Turn around if you have to, especially if you’re out solo hiking for real.

Alexandrie (14:53)
No.

I think hiking is getting more popular now, especially it was during pandemic, post pandemic. A lot of people are leaning towards nature. There are apps to help you navigate, to stay safe on trail. ⁓ I would say another trip is make sure you just follow the trail. Don’t go off trail. Regardless of how interested it might be or how curious you might be.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (15:02)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Yes, yes.

Alexandrie (15:21)
There are trail maintenance individuals who have created the trails for a reason. They know where it starts, they know where it ends. So make sure you remain on trail and you keep them clean. And you know, if you feel any odd ways, just turn back. Even though you wanted to reach the summit or reach the view that you saw on Instagram, your health, your safety matters way more.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (15:50)
Yep,

100%, yes. Those are all good tips, thank you. So I know you are a world traveler. You have been so many unique places. I’ve been jealous, you know, flipping through your social media and seeing many of the places that you’ve been. Do you have any favorite places that you’ve hiked outside of the US? I’d love to hear about them.

Alexandrie (16:14)
⁓ yeah. Yeah, we have we have hiked, believe it or not, we’ve hiked in Hong Kong and we hiked in a beautiful ⁓ trail and then it takes us to, I can’t remember exactly the name, where you can see the beach. So we had a wonderful view of that, but that still isn’t my favorite. My favorite is our most recent trip. We went to Morocco. That was our first African ⁓ destination.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (16:22)
That’s cool.

now.

So, yes.

Alexandrie (16:44)
and we got to glamp in the Sahara desert. Yeah, we glamped for two nights with both kids. There was a swimming pool in the middle of the desert.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (16:48)
That is so cool. That is so cool.

Not something you expect to find there.

Alexandrie (17:02)
Very very new for us. But it wasn’t so much of a hike, but we got to ⁓ ride a camel in the desert. And then I guess just going up and down sand dunes can feel like a hike. It’s a workout. Yeah, so that was one of my favorite, favorite recent memories.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (17:16)
I mean, that’s a hike, definitely, ⁓

That sounds

incredible, and the kids, the kids enjoyed it?

Alexandrie (17:26)
They

really enjoyed it. mean sand, sand and toddlers because they were both toddlers at the time and ⁓ it’s sensory friendly. They really loved it. They enjoyed the pool ⁓ and we’re in a tent but real beds inside the tent. So they really loved it. They had a blast.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (17:29)
Yes.

Yes. Yeah.

What an incredible experience. That’s awesome. All right. So before I finish up with you, because I do appreciate your time and I know you’re a busy mom, working mom. So I know you have limited time. So I appreciate you spending it with me. I’m going to ask. I have been asking this of everyone. If you could only do one kind of hike for the rest of your life, would you hike to views or would you only hike to waterfalls?

Alexandrie (18:14)
Ooh. What if that’s my only option? I would have to choose a waterfall. Yeah, I would have to choose, I think, just the sound of the water. I love when I’m approaching the waterfall and I can hear the depth of the water. And then once I reach it, feeling all that sprinkle or the mist over my body.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (18:15)
Mm-hmm, I know.

Okay, okay.

Mm-hmm.

Alexandrie (18:40)
And if it’s a waterfall that’s super tall that I’m able to walk under, those are also really fun. That’s a tough question because it really depends, but that would be my choice.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (18:45)
Ugh, please, yes.

I know.

We were just, this summer, we hiked to a waterfall that we could swim at. The water was freezing. I mean, if it was 50 degrees, maybe, but like, it was so cool. But it was such an awesome experience though, to be able to do that. So that was really fun.

Alexandrie (19:08)
No way. Wait, Carol.

Would you mind sharing where?

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (19:13)
Oh yeah, yeah, it was in Virginia, Cascade Falls. It’s near Blacksburg, Virginia, which is where Virginia Tech is. It’s like 20 minutes from there. It’s a very popular trail, but thankfully, I mean, we were there over July 4th weekend and it wasn’t crowded. I think it gets more crowded when school is in session, when the Virginia Tech students are there. So, but it was beautiful. Highly recommend, highly recommend. So, all right.

Alexandrie (19:32)
Okay. Thank you for that.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (19:37)
Alexandrie, I really appreciate your time. I just want to let everyone know where they can find you, where they can follow along with all your hiking adventures with the kids.

Alexandrie (19:45)
Thank you. You can find me now on Instagram at Black Hikers Explore. That’s plural on hikers. ⁓ My website is still in the building phase, blackhikersexplore.com. If you ever want to join a group hike, I have a form on my Instagram where you can submit your email address. So you’ll be added to my newsletters and you’ll be receiving any information about upcoming events.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (19:52)
Mm-hmm.

Okay.

That’s good to know.

That’s good, especially if anyone listening lives in the, you’re in North Jersey, correct? You’re in the North Jersey area. Yeah, so if anyone listening lives in North Jersey and wants to go out on a group hike with Alexandrie, there’s you go. Find her Instagram, sign up there for her. So, but Alexandrie, thank you so much for your time and your insight into hiking with kids. And then again, what it’s like to be a person of color out in the outdoors. I really appreciate you sharing all your thoughts on that. ⁓ And thank you for being here.

Alexandrie (20:29)
Thank

Thank you, Lauren. Thank you for having me your podcast. It’s been so great to watch your podcasts evolve. ⁓ I look forward to seeing ⁓ many, many more episodes of your podcast.

Lauren – Her Side Of The Trail (20:52)
Thank you.

Thank you, thank you.