One thing outdoor culture still struggles to admit: a lot

One thing outdoor culture still struggles to admit: a lot of people don’t feel unwelcome because they “don’t like nature” — they feel unwelcome because the social codes around gear, fitness, money, and experience can be weirdly rigid. Some of my favorite trail conversations have been with people who showed up underprepared, asked basic questions, and weren’t trying to look like an REI catalog.