OA Virtual Hiking Challenge
The Grand Canyon: Rim to Rim

Saturday, 10/10 - Sunday, 10/18

We are excited that you are joining OA for this fun virtual hike and hope that it will get you outside as much as possible for the next week. Before we begin hiking the Grand Canyon, we first want to acknowledge the first peoples of the Grand Canyon--the Southern Pauite, Hopi, Havasupai, Yavapi-Apache, Diné (Navajo), Zuni and Hualapai. They have been the stewards of this land since long before it became a park and we honor their history and culture as we explore this land.

What is Land Acknowledgement?

A Land Acknowledgement is a formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous Peoples as the traditional stewards of the land.  It recognizes the enduring relationship that Indigenous Peoples have with their traditional territories and helps create awareness of the continued process of colonization and subjugation. Land Acknowledgements are necessary to build mindfulness of our present participation in colonization of Native and Indigenous Peoples. 

In some ways, a Land Acknowledgement is a form or recognizing past wrongs by both governments and past and current occupants of the land. For some, a Land Acknowledgement works to recognize that many Native American Tribes and Nations are still here rather than writing them out of history. In some forms, a land acknowledgment works to give thanks back to our surrounding outdoor spaces and for their resources and means to live.  

OA acknowledges the Native Peoples of the Grand Canyon region. Wherever you are currently living, think about doing your own Land Acknowledgement when you head outside in your own region. For those in North America, the Interactive Territories Map will show you which Indigenous Peoples have lived in your land before.

Many outdoor spaces in the United States were created within the context of complex social and historical movements and mindsets. A more complete understanding of land requires acknowledgment of the people and cultures who have been negatively affected throughout the complicated history of land rights and outdoor recreation, many being people and communities that do not fit the Euro-American narrative. 

Reading stories from these groups broaden our understanding and help us act more intentionally and work to build an equitable community in sharing, enjoying, and preserving land and outdoors spaces. Take a look at the following viewpoints that are not always included in outdoor recreation education.

1. Indigenous Dispossession: Dispossession of Indigenous land resulted in small parcels of often non-arable land (land not suited for agriculture) sectioned off for Indigenous Peoples, also known as Reservations.
2. Erasure of Indigenous presence: Most outdoor parks, spaces, and lands are touted as “untrammeled, pristine, and untouched” with no discussion of Indigenous Peoples who lived or currently live on these lands. Indigenous Peoples are relegated to the status of a relic.
3. Erasure of African American presence: Some public lands overlie areas that have become culturally important or sacred to African Americans, including former plantation lands and cemeteries, refuge maroon colonies, and newfound sacred sites for the religions (some still practiced today) carried over by enslaved Africans.
4. Distortion of Indigenous presence: To the extent, Indigenous people are mentioned, their narrative is distorted (e.g., Ahwahnechee people were allowed to remain in Yosemite Valley if they performed native art for tourists).
5. Cultural appropriation: Camps and outdoor programs often appropriate Indigenous culture, symbols, or other icons such as totem poles, feathers, and teepees, while simultaneously distorting or erasing the history of the Indigenous people.
6. Assumptions about environmental connections and what it means to “recreate” in nature: Some assume that there is only a single way to connect to nature, namely, the solitary and isolated escape into a “pristine” wilderness. The reality is that different communities connect in different ways based on their culture and history.

Indigenous Peoples of the Grand Canyon

In your journey through the Grand Canyon you will be part of the landscape of many Indigenous People. Each day of your journey, please start by reading/listening to one of the stories from Voices of the Grand Cayon: Jim Enote (Zuni), Nikki Cooley (Navajo), Leigh Kuwanwisiwma (Hopi), Coleen Kaska, (Havasupai), and Loretta Jackson-Kelly (Hualapai) as they share what the Grand Canyon means to them and what they know in their hearts to be true.

Voices of the Grand Canyon

Here is one story:

 

Interpreting Land History

As you hike down into the Grand Canyon, we encourage you to think about these three questions:

• How has this land changed over time?

• What & who have lived here in the past?

• How did they relate to the land?

 

Instructions for the Virtual Hike

Create an account

1. Click on the Link Below to go to the My Virtual Mission website
2. Select the green "Join" button in upper left
3. Enter code ["Get Outdoors"] and then click "Request to Join" button
4. Create an account (it's free!)
5. If you want to manage your profile, click on MY ACCOUNT button at the top and Settings.

Our Grand Canyon hike lasts for 9 days-- Saturday, October 10th through Sunday, October 18th-- and any physical activity during that period can be logged into the hike. We encourage you to record your mileage daily so you can see on the map who you are "hiking alongside" and experience the views at different daily stops. Mileage can be tracked in whatever manner meets your needs, such as using a fitness tracker or app, estimating your route in google maps, or timing your activity and calculating the corresponding distance.

Adding mileage

• Scroll down to "post a distance" to submit your miles
• If you have a fitness watch or device, or use fitness apps like Strava, you can link that to auto fill your activity - Connecting Devices & Apps or
• Download the IOS or Android App to your phone to add your mileage from there (links to App Stores at the bottom of the Challenge website

Completing the journey

You have 9 days to complete the 22.6 miles from the South Rim to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. You can follow your progress on the Mission Map and click on Show Me Street View to explore. Everyone who completes the mileage by the end of the challenge (end of day on Sunday, October 18th) will be entered into a raffle to win a daypack or other outdoor gear to aid in your next adventure!

Email oa at princeton.edu for any questions/issues.