This past August, I had the pleasure of mentoring a BIPOC-led camping event for other BIPOC individuals interested in learning outdoor skills.
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Archery, fly fishing, turkey calling, wild game cooking, you name it. If it occurred outside, you would likely be able to learn a new skill at this camp.
All Outdoors embodied a theme of community, which made the event quite special.
While I have spent a lot of my life mentoring or teaching others various skills and sports, the structure of this event was new to me. The vast majority of participants spent the weekend onsite, putting everyone in close proximity to one another, allowing for real conversations and growth. I have made a variety of connections through the event that I am sure I will continue to foster for years to come.
Sage Mountain Botanical Sanctuary
All Outdoors was held at Sage Mountain Botanical Sanctuary. Sage Mountain was opened in 1987 on Abenaki territory in Central Vermont. It has long stood as a center for environmental stewardship and education for people of all backgrounds.
In my experience interacting with individuals with Abenaki ancestry at the camp, I discovered that Sage Mountain holds a special place for Abenaki individuals who feel a call to their homeland.
The luscious gardens, various trails, and friendly and knowledgeable staff made Sage Mountain the perfect venue for an event such as All Outdoors. Sage Mountain provided the perfect blend of rustic living and comfort for individuals of all ages with a variety of camping experiences. The feeling of community was palpable and unforgettable.
Fly Casting at the Event
I was sent to Sage Mountain as a representative of Kinfolk Hunting Collective, an outdoors non-profit based in New York. Kinfolk is focused on providing hunting and fishing programming to individuals of diverse backgrounds. Given the community that Kinfolk has established in New York state, the organization has branched out into sending representatives to a variety of events in the northeast.
As an avid fly fisherman and hunter, I was tasked with teaching fly casting and turkey calling at All Outdoors. I have taught fly fishing to a variety of people from a variety of backgrounds. However, having the opportunity to teach fly casting to such a large and diverse group of strangers was a whole new experience.
For two hours, I fielded questions about all things fly fishing. From the use of flies to the actual casting instruction, every participant was engaged for the entire time that they stopped by my station. Watching spin fishing converts and brand new fishermen alike cast a fly rod for the first time was a joy.
Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of the fly casting lesson was the fact that most of the participants were inspired to go fishing the next day. Sage Mountain offered a shuttle and free fishing licenses for ten individuals who wanted to go to a nearby pond that boasted a fly fishing-only regulation.
The sign-up list filled up almost immediately following the fly casting course. I was approached by several individuals throughout the day who wanted to make it known that the course had inspired them to go fishing. Simply picking up the rod and slinging it around had ignited enough curiosity that everyone wanted to catch a fish, on a fly rod no less.
Wild Game Wizardry
In addition to the fly casting instruction, I assisted another Kinfolk representative, who has serious culinary chops, with a wild game showcase. My Kinfolk counterpart put together a fantastic spread that included moose meatballs, venison sausage, bear shank, trout, and more. She spent four hours tending to each of her dishes with care.
Each of the game items provided on that day is food that a lot of people do not have a chance to eat very often. She was able to do fantastic work with a spread of very flavorful meats enhanced with fresh herbs and vegetables grown right there at Sage Mountain.
My role was to help with presenting the food and speaking on wild game and hunting. Our presentation ultimately culminated in an extremely engaged discussion, one that I was not expecting in the slightest. The questions posed by the group of hunter curious individuals were astounding.
While many questions from the audience focused on how one gets into hunting, passes hunter safety, and what type of gear is necessary, it was the deeper-level questions that surprised me.
We fielded questions about rituals enacted following a harvest, the emotions involved in a field-to-table process, and how it feels to see others enjoy success.
These types of questions demonstrated intense thought on the part of the hunter-curious individuals. Additionally, with many of our audience boasting an indigenous background, their thoughts were rooted in their own connection to land and sea. The back-and-forth conversation we had with our audience was one of the most unique experiences I have ever had.
Creating a New Community
With plenty of downtime throughout the event, there were several opportunities for random conversations with strangers. As someone who loves the power of connection, I relished those opportunities.
When you are among 75 different people in a relatively confined space, you are able to hear about a variety of backgrounds. I learned quite a bit about different walks of life. Those types of interactions provide a lot of perspective, and I learned a lot about community.
Community is the word that was thrown around the most at this event. Whether someone was Black, White, Indigenous, Hispanic, Asian, etc., many people felt like they had found a community at the event. I am proud to be able to say I was a part of such an event, and I look forward to more in the future.
Ultimately, I hope that through the presentations I was involved with, a few individuals who attended will be inspired to continue on with the journey of fly fishing, hunting, and wild game cooking.
