Renzo Spirit Buffalo
“Urban backpacking” sounds like an oxymoron. For most of us, backpacking is an activity that takes place away from the city, in tranquil green space far removed from the built environment. Navigating busy sidewalks and quiet trails, eating at restaurants and over a campfire, settling into a hostel and pitching tents--these dichotomies don’t fit the traditional images that come to mind when one hears the word “backpacking.”
But that didn’t stop New York City’s Inspiring Connections Outdoors (ICO) program, Patagonia’s Environmental Grants program, and members of the CatRock Youth Leadership Academy from teaming up and embarking on an outing that allowed them to do it all.
For a few days this summer the Youth Leadership Academy, which facilitates outdoor access with training and trips to parks near and far, challenged the notion that outdoor recreation and environmental engagement can’t coexist right in one’s backyard. Participants were encouraged to blend cityscapes and greenscapes rather than view them as disconnected entities, and to incorporate skills and knowledge about sustainability, conservation, advocacy, leadership, and wilderness safety into their everyday lives.
This outing was a perfect representation of these efforts--focused on “sustainable urban travel.”
“Every year CatRock students put their skills to the test for this trip,” explains Andrew Negron, a regular participant in the program. “They plan the trip with an eye toward drawing on everything they’ve learned with the program.”
As it turns out, “everything they have learned” adds up to quite a lot. Craig Meisner, Director of the CatRock Youth Leadership Academy and NYC ICO’s Development Director, runs through the training involved in a typical year with the program.
“Participants go through Wilderness First Aid and Outdoor Leadership Training courses, and additional leadership opportunities provided by ICO further develop those skills. They typically go on four or five trips a year, lasting anywhere from a day to a week. At the end of the year they ‘graduate’ as fully certified ICO leaders, and go on to co-lead.”
The most recent class of “graduates” took a final multi-day trip together that took them far from the city’s famous railway-turned-park to subway platforms, from a campsite on Staten Island to the plant-packed garden beds of a hostel. The group’s schedule was tightly packed, and they set out to do as much as possible on foot or by train. Their outing was rooted in exploring the means of living sustainably and of reducing one’s impact on the earth.
“For the most part,” Andrew begins, taking on the role of storyteller, “we took public transportation and walked everywhere.”
They made it from the Bronx to the Hudson River to Staten Island and everywhere in between, accompanied by the city’s din. There were countless highlights along the way, but the most memorable seem to have involved water.
“One of the first things we did was join an oyster conservation project [with the Hudson River Park staff],” Andrew says.
“We learned about how they clean the river and how to collect data on the oysters and the water. They told us one oyster alone can filter 50 gallons of water a day. We had to figure out how long it would take for the Hudson River to become cleaner based on a certain number of oysters.”
The staff that met with the teens did more than just offer eye-opening information--they also encouraged them to take a hands-on approach to their learning. After running through an explanation of oyster nets, the CatRock youth tested their net-making abilities on actual nets and helped the staff at the same time.
Opportunities for such hands-on engagement and service continued to play a role throughout the trip. Even their campgrounds provided them with chances to put their knowledge into practice.
The group set up camp in a campsite within the Gateway National Recreation Area, stopping to admire the view as they pitched tents and prepared their space. Their afternoon and evening was much like any other camper’s--they enjoyed the fresh air, explored the forest, and gathered around a fire in the evening.
It wasn’t until the next morning, after a group-cooked breakfast, that the less typical activities began.
The teens headed to the beach, though not to swim--at least not immediately. Instead, they met with a National Park Service staff member to learn about threats to the space’s well-being (mainly litter and other waste) and to carry out an intensive cleanup. Carrying extendable arms and special containers for waste disposal, the group moved along the sand and made a concerning discovery.
“We learned that a lot of medical waste washes up onshore,” Andrew lamented. “Needles, glasses, biohazard materials--things that don’t decompose for years and years, if at all.”
Hearing this second-hand is one thing; physically interacting with things like used needles and toxic waste is quite another. Activities like the beach cleanup and the oyster conservation project provide context for abstract issues, allowing participants to engage in a hands-on way.
“I’ve learned so much about conservation and sustainability through CatRock because we work with other organizations to learn about these topics,” Andrew says.
Before getting involved with CatRock he had been on a handful of camping trips, but that was the extent of his engagement with the outdoors. “I wasn’t knowledgeable about places to go for these kinds of activities or about groups that do this kind of thing. But ICO makes it possible. We’ve done conservation projects, we manage how much waste the group produces, we teach others. And these skills are useful in our own lives.”
Andrew says he can see a real change in participants who have developed these skills with CatRock--skills that extend into the realm of personal development. One experience that stands out in his memory involved CatRock’s annual ski and snowboarding trip to Jay Peak, a resort in Vermont.
“Jay Peak is one of CatRock’s most popular trips,” he says. “It involves not only snowboarding and skiing, but also an opportunity to further develop the leadership skills that we’eve gained on other trips. Some participants started crying less than half way up the slope because they thought they wouldn’t be able to handle it. But seeing their faces after they made it to the top, I saw resolve and determination. By pushing through their fears, they gained a strong sense of what they can accomplish if they persevere. These are peers of mine, all about the same age, and to confront physical and emotional struggles together… I think that’s why a lot of us come back.”
The program challenges the teens, to be sure. But there are fun, lighthearted moments woven into their days as well, as any passerby on the beach would attest.
Andrew feels that these opportunities to simply enjoy and appreciate the outdoors is important because “being in the outdoors is a unique experience that captivates [...] Everyone can only benefit from having experience of the outdoors in their life.”
Not all of the trip’s significant moments happened outside.
Having packed up their campsite only to have their plans to go bike-riding in Central Park thwarted by a rainstorm, the group made their way to HI New York, the second spot they would stay overnight. Though it didn’t put the teens’ outdoor skills to the test, the hostel offered an opportunity to develop the service and community aspects of their trip. Craig explains that their partnership with Hostelling International was crucial and that its staff was “an active part of the full experience”. There, the group volunteered to start a garden project for the hostel’s communal space.
The last highlight of the trip took place near the hostel at the National Dance Institute where the youth leaders enjoyed a nature-themed dance performance from elementary-age kids.
"It fit right in with what we were doing and the kids were able to interpret what they’d learned about river and nature and turn it into choreography.”
This performance, the “wrap up” for their trip, struck a chord with the CatRock youth leaders who are well-versed in making ideas accessible and “really good at [translating] lessons into things that kids will find interesting.”
When these youth participants graduate from the leadership academy they are able to co-lead outings for other young people alongside trained adults. Andrew considers this to be one of the best parts of being a CatRock participant--he enjoys facilitating an experience that he knows to be powerful.
“The kids always have a great time on the trips and the reason that leading trips is memorable for me is because the looks on their faces reminds me of the look I had on my face when I went on my first rafting trip and to be able to give them the same chance is a great feeling.”
Whether through teaching younger participants on outings or through collaboration with peers during training, these youth leaders are always forming connections.
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Inspiring Connections Outdoors contributes to the creation of more equitable outdoor environments by connecting youth from communities historically marginalized in the outdoor and environmental movement with outdoor activities that promote wellness, connection, and leadership. If you’d like to be part of the ICO family you can find information about how to get involved on our website, email the team with questions about volunteering (newvolunteer.nycico@gmail.com), participating or donating (craigadammeisner@gmail.com), and follow the adventures on Facebook and Instagram.