Naturing our Youth – Sunday 3.15.20

Naturing, which can be defined as the act of exploring in nature,  has so many health benefits to offer that can change the landscape not only for our generation, but for generations to come.  This is a movement and this change starts today with our youth! Scientific studies conclude that children who have direct experiences with nature will have an improvement in  overall well-being, health and relationships.

These benefits of nature  can be seen in improved creativity, improves academics, increases physical activity, improves social skills, reduces stress, reduces anxiety and improved self confidence!

Join us this Sunday for a family friendly hike! Two ticket options are available for Sunday’s hike. One is free or donation based and the other includes Lunch. Lunch is catered to order by 12oh7 Herban Eatery who is a plant based food service company. They will be catering a footlong pizza rollup. (The pizza rollup does contain wheat and nuts, however, if you or your child has an allergy, we can accommodate with a different lunch item. Please email us before Friday March 13 at 5pm to do so at [email protected])

Hiking is purely donation based. Any monetary amount donated goes to helping the organization with providing snacks, drinks, marketing, administration expenses and allowing us to push forward the #wehiketoo movement through weekly hikes! Donations can be made $Cashapp to $blackpeoplewhohike or here through the ticketing registration.

Our sponsors for this week’s hike include 12oh7 Herbian Eatery, Lance Omar Photography and  Dlinx Productions. 12oh7 will be providing complimentary plant based pre-hike snacks.  Lance Omar Photography  will be on site taking photos and capturing those special momemts. Dlinx Productions will be on site capturing video footage.

*We strongly encourage you register early as there is only 50 tickets available and Registration closes Friday at midnight.

Continue reading for everything you need to know about our hike for Sunday!

1. Our Hike: The trail we will be hiking is 2.9 mile loop that is rated moderate. The elevation gain is 462 feet. The hike should take about 2.5-3 hours with stops.
2. Meet Up: 8:30am at Larbarque Creek Conservation Area. The exact meetup location will only be emailed out Saturday morning to everyone that has registered. Please continue below to register.
3. Agenda: Meetup and Checkin 8:30am, Welcome and Intros 8:45am, Naturing 101 9:00am, Stretches and Group Photo 9:10am. Hiking 9:15am-12:15pm. The Hike will commence at 9:15am. If you are late it will be your responsibility to catch up with the group.
4. Arriving Late. Please look up the location of the park the night before and allow yourself plenty of time to get there the morning of. We will not hold the group up waiting on people. If you arrive past 9:15am you will be responsible for catching up to the rest of the group.
5. Things to Bring/Must Haves: comfortable clothes, comfortable shoes (hiking shoes/boots or sneakers with good traction) a jacket, water and bug spray. It is important to hike in comfortable shoes whether those are hiking boots or tennis shoes. If you are wearing sneakers I wouldn’t recommend wearing your nicest ones as they will get dirty. Dress warm and layer up! You will also want to bring light snacks and a backpack to hold everything.I always recommend bringing an extra change of clothes, shoes and socks to keep in your car in case it is muddy. Additionally, a towel and wet wipes may be helpful.
6. About Labarque Creek Conservation Area:  Larbarque Creek Conservation Area is 1200 acres comprised of  rugged, forested hills and steep, narrow valleys, canyons, bluffs and shelter caves carved into St. Peter sandstone. At least 54 species of fish have been identified in the creek and this diversity is almost three times greater than that of any of the 15 other tributaries of the Meramec River below LaBarque Creek. A variety of unique natural communities, such as sandstone glades, cliffs and seeps, exist in the watershed. Many migratory bird species breed in the area, including wood thrush, Acadian flycatcher, Eastern wood-pewee, worm-eating warbler, ovenbird, yellow-throated vireo, summer tanager and great-crested flycatcher.
7. What to Expect: The total hike should take about 2.5-3 hours and we should wrap up around 12:30pm. Throughout the hike we will stop for photos and rest breaks. There may not be any restrooms on the trail so you will want to stop prior to arriving. Is it possible that some areas of the trail may be muddy and dirty. Please dress accordingly. The trail is one big loop and will take us back to where we first started. Once we start the hike you will not have the opportunity to go back to your car to we finish.
8. The environment: These hikes are meant to be relaxing, therapeutic, but physically challenging. We encourage being adventurous and having fun but we also encourage safety and respect for others. On this particular hike we will have people of all ages and we welcome friendly dogs on a leash as well.
9. Weather: The forecast for Sunday is predicted right now at a high of 51 and low of 37. I would recommend layering up with at least three layers. The first layer you want to avoid cotton as cotton can you make you colder. Your outer layer should be a jacket that you can take off if you decide too once it warms up. I also recommend packing gloves, hat or ear warmers and dressing in two pairs of tall socks.
10. Lunch: We offer lunch as ticket option when you register. We will go somewhere to eat lunch afterwards as a group as well. This is completely option but if you decide to join us you will want to bring money with you.
11. About Us: @blackpeoplewhohike was created to inspire people of color to step out of their comfort zones and get active outside! We meet every Sunday morning at a different location in the St. Louis area. Current Sunday Funday activities have included hiking, rock climbing, kayaking and hot yoga! Future Sunday Funday actives include bicycling, skiing and zip lining. We have new people that join each week who are new to these various activities and we welcome that! This group is all about new experiences! We are on Instagram at @blackpeoplewhohike. If you are not already following us, please do so here! @Blackpeoplewhohike You can also follow us on Facebook here @Blackpeoplewhohike !

@Blackpeoplewhohike is a group of friends and perspective friends who enjoy hiking and other activities together. It is not a professional event planning or guide service that assumes any responsibility for your safety.