June 23, 2020

Episode #57 - "El" Miller (Bear Spray)

A courageous and heartfelt look at being African-American on a hiking trail.

Show Notes

Hiking and camping weren't something El was introduced to as a child but, as an adult, she feels that it has helped her relax. She says, "Hiking feeds my body, mind, and soul". Some of her favorite trails are the Goldmine and Section A of the Billy Goat Trail @ Great Falls in Potomac, MD. and she also enjoys Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Gardners, PA. In general, she says, "I appreciate any trail I get to wander!"

El enjoys campgrounds camping and says that while there was a time she would have been 100% certain there would be no backpacking in her future; today she is thinking that it might just happen.

When asked why she enjoys hiking, she says, "There is a sense of empowerment and accomplishment one gets when you're able to hike solo, and who wouldn't want to be a part of helping others feel that sense of empowerment, accomplishment, and joy?" That, she says, is why she wanted to become a hike leader.

El is now the co-Head Dame of the Maryland Chapter of Trail Dames and can be found most weekends leading women out on the trail and helping them find their own sense of joy and accomplishment.