COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – One Colorado Springs woman is tearing down social and economic barriers that she says deter the Black community from outdoor adventures. Patricia Cameron started Blackpackers in 2019 – a non-profit that encourages black people to get outside, and gives them the means to do so despite any potential lack of knowledge and means to do so. Now, she’s getting ready to open the organization’s first office in Downtown Colorado Springs.
Patricia tells KRDO13 the nonprofit quickly took off with the publicity she got hiking the Colorado Trail, which stretches from the southwest corner of Denver all the way down to Durango.
“I think I expected it to get some attention but not what it became,” Patricia said.
Five years later, Blackpackers now has a whole board of directors, received a $60,000 grant from the state, and is about to open its first office space.
Patricia says hiking has costs that are often overlooked.
“To say that it’s no cost and to say that cost is trivial is not accurate,” she explained. “Hiking shoes that are appropriate for the trail, maps, what about transportation? Especially in Colorado Springs where we are a transit desert.”
She knows this from personal experience.
“I grew up on Chelton and Academy and could barely ever get to Garden of the Gods,” Patricia said.
She says it’s difficult for many Black families to experience the great outdoors due to generational wealth they missed out on during slavery and the decades of systemic racism that followed. That’s why she started Blackpackers – to provide professionally guided outdoor excursions and the gear necessary to get out there.
The non-profit also offers professionally taught classes where you can learn all about adventuring and surviving in the wilderness.
Patricia admits she was clueless when she first got interested in the outdoors.
“I had to Google everything,” she laughed.
She says education leads to confidence and even potential job opportunities that could help shrink that wealth gap.
“If I can get people professional certifications, if I can get them the knowledge that somebody who was born and raised here has or grew up doing it, maybe we can attack some of that wealth gap by getting them participating in one of the biggest industries in the country, and certainly in Colorado,” Patricia explained.
But it’s about more than just gear and money. Blackpackers hosts wholesome meet-ups that build a sense of community for those who are Black in the outdoor space Patricia says can be hard to find in Colorado.
“It’s kind of like a family reunion every time,” she smiled as she looked back on recent memories. “I don’t mean for it to be that way, but it ends up becoming like we’re barbecuing, everyone’s watching everyone else’s kids.”
“It’s incredible to watch what happens when we don’t have to be on guard, and we don’t have to worry ‘Are we the only people here?’” Patricia explained. “And sometimes people think that’s overreacting to worry about being the only Black person in a space, but it’s not.”
The grand opening of the Downtown Colorado Springs Blackpackers location is this Saturday at 339 E Pikes Peak Avenue from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It’s open to anyone who’d like to come celebrate the organization’s mission and learn more about its offerings.