Our Founder, Tracy Stephens, started hiking back in 2018. He was introduced to hiking after his boss invited him to go to the mountains. He was hesitant because he always kind of lived by that stereotype that “Black people don’t hike”. He decided to take the chance and go on the hike. He fell in love with it immediately. Soon he was telling his friends about the hobby, hoping to get people together to hike with him. While at first a few people were willing to join him, eventually he ended up alone on his hikes. For the next three years he hiked on his own.

In 2020, he created a logo for a group he would come to call “BLK Hiking Club,” but he was hesitant to get started. He showed some of his friends and continued to hike on his own. New Years Day of 2021 came around and he went hiking with a friend. They met a Black woman on the trail who spoke with them about her experiences. She talked about the traumas of hiking alone, seeing signs and political messages that made her fearful.

Coming back down the mountain, Stephens realized what he had to do. He had the idea; the logo already solidified. It was time to make a plan and put it in action. He went home, created a social media page and the rest was history.