Meet Miriah Royal, Volunteer Outdoor Afro leader and environmental advocate. When she’s not working in the office of Diversity and Inclusion at Bucknell University in central Pennsylvania, Miriah is often leading groups of new and established nature lovers on outdoor adventures.
The meat and potatoes of my outdoor journey started about 5 years ago. I had a friend who, as the Director of Outdoor Education, asked me why I don’t join in on the activities he organizes. I said “You know, we - as in Black people - we don’t do these things”, which he challenged by saying “Yes, yes you do.” He invited me to come on this hike which happened to be at Ricketts Glen, and I was just blown away that that existed out there in the world. He then invited me to come along to see a film he was hosting, An American Ascent, which is about following the journey of these Black outdoor adventurers that were actually climbing Denali. To see faces that looked like mine and hearing that the soundtrack was music that I listened to made me realize that there was a whole world out there that I was missing. That was the catalyst for me and I have not looked back since.
In the film, An American Ascent, Outdoor Afro was mentioned. I said “What’s that? That’s a thing?” So I jumped online and at the time the closest group was in DC, so I signed up for a 10 mile hike with the organization. I met two other awesome Outdoor Afro leaders on that trip and instantly, I found home. I found family. We were able to talk about some of the things we’ve experienced in the outdoors, and it was just so welcoming. I was able to admit that I was kind of new to all of this and there was no judgement in that space. They brought me right into the fold and I couldn’t NOT become an Outdoor Afro leader. It just clicked. I find that every day I’m just so thankful for this organization for inspiring me and uplifting me to go on this outdoor journey in my own way.
It’s all about showing this engagement with nature through our lens. We are celebrating and inspiring all Black leaders in connection to nature. For me, there’s always a lot of hiking, but we also do a lot of storytelling. We look at our surroundings, look back on history and see that our roots are here and they’ve always been here. We also realize that just because someone in history may have not been in this exact place, we are here now and this is where that history starts. It’s really just about us reconnecting to what has always been ours. Our stories just haven’t been told. We’re also teaching folks how to get out in nature and recreate!
I really give myself grace to jump into any outdoor activity – even things that some folks feel aren’t outdoorsy. Sitting and meditating in a park counts. Everyone’s outdoor experience and their connection to nature varies. It’s not always about climbing Denali. It’s about what calls to your being. I am fascinated by all of the different ways to engage with nature. Throughout quarantine, I’ve enjoyed trying new things and I have been learning how to make my own backpacking meals. I even bought a food dehydrator so I don’t have to go out and buy any packaged meals for long hikes. I’ve also rediscovered my love for biking, and I bought a book of all of the trails in PA to plan out different experiences that I would like to host as Outdoor Afro events. I just love adventure and the outdoors provides that on such a massive scale.
Ahhh, honestly I don’t! They’re all special for various reasons. Some, because of who I went with or what happened on that hike, and others because they were just amazing visually. Ricketts Glen is always a favorite because it’s mind-boggling that there are over 20 waterfalls in one place ( and in PA). Hiking on Catalina Island off the coast of California was also pretty epic.
