The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors

The nation’s wild places belong to all Americans. But not all of us use these resources equally. Although the Buffalo Soldiers proved essential to the creation of several national parks and Charles Crenchaw became the first African-American to summit Denali in 1964 minority populations are much less likely to seek recreation, adventure, and solace in our wilderness spaces. It’s a difference that Mills addresses in his new book.

Equal parts adventure story, history, and inspiration, Mills chronicles the first all African-American summit attempt on Denali. In 2013, sponsored by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), a team of nine climbers ranging in age from 17 to 65 challenged themselves on the dangerous and forbidding Alaskan peak. Mills uses this momentous climb as a jumping-off point to explore diversity in the outdoors. He shares the stories of some who have already achieved significant outdoor adventure accomplishments - from Mathew Henson, who stood with Robert Peary at the North Pole in 1909, to Kai Lightner, a teenage sport climber winning national competitions today. Mills’s own story of being a black man in the predominantly white outdoor industry also provides a touchstone for understanding the question, ‘Why don’t more people of color participate in outdoor recreation?’