By Blaise Caudill

My story begins similarly to others who have history in Arizona. My parents started work on the border of Arizona and later moved to Bisbee, a city with a rich mining history as well as my birthplace. Eventually, my family and I settled in Tucson. Arizona as a whole has so much to offer and so much that I love. At the top of the list is the biodiversity the state is home to. You can be in one place, surrounded by desert and red rock, and then drive a few hours north and be engulfed by forest. I especially appreciate the variance during the winter, where I can still enjoy the outdoors without having to compromise my desire for warmth.

While my family did not actively enjoy outdoor activities like hiking and camping, I remember admiring the mountains as early as the age of 5. It wasn’t until I joined the Boy Scouts that I became exposed to Arizona’s amazing outdoors. However, I had a particularly difficult experience that shaped my early relationship with the outdoors. I joined the Boy Scouts at a time in my life when I didn’t feel confident and was labeled unhealthy. On my first hike, I felt so much shame at being the last in my group, struggling to make it to the peak. My scoutmaster stayed behind to encourage my trek to the top and eventually, I made it. The view was stunning, and while I was still working through the feelings the hike brought up, I couldn’t help but to acknowledge that I was able to overcome something incredibly strenuous.

For a portion of my life I would say I felt like an “other.” I wasn’t a stereotypically fit kid who enjoyed the Boy Scouts, and later on I struggled to claim my Latino identity. Having ancestry from two different backgrounds, I often felt not Latino enough for the Latinx community, and I didn’t feel like I completely belonged with the Caucasian community either. Eventually, I found how to lead my own narrative, and find comfort in the fact that I could be many things and not be one certain way for one certain group.

I believe that’s why I feel so tied to HECHO’s mission. HECHO creates a space and a platform for diverse narratives. Exposure to the outdoors, and representation in outdoor recreation is crucial. I want to change the perception that you have to be wealthy and well-versed in outdoor experiences to a narrative that is grounded in community, around enjoying the time we get to spend together, and that celebrates our culture and our connection to the land – herencia y querencia.

I started my undergraduate degree at NAU and began to date my first boyfriend, somebody who was a part of the hiking club. He had moved from Oregon and was active in outdoor recreation, and so I began a rekindled relationship with the outdoors. I was able to find a joy in our hikes and in my environment that I hadn’t been exposed to before. There’s something to be said about surrounding yourself with people that you can learn from. It took a second being able to work past feelings of comparison, but I learned to embrace the process and listen to the stories that were being shared.

These days, I label my time outdoors as an act of self-love. There is no time where I feel more spiritual, more connected, more grounded than when I’m treading the trails. I feel my body working, I can sense the adventure behind the next switchback. To me, being in the wilderness is to celebrate the beauty of the earth, and that brings me an authentic happiness. It is a connection I’m grateful to experience and hope others can find. For this reason, I am a big believer in conservation, and ensuring that future generations get to enjoy the beauty our earth has to offer.

Guest Blog: Finding Self-Love in Outdoor Experiences