Mardi Fuller - A lifelong backcountry adventurer, in January 2021 she became the first known Black person to hike all 48 of New Hampshire’s high peaks in winter!

Mardi Fuller advocates for racial equity through writing, speaking and community building.  

A lifelong backcountry adventurer, in January 2021 she became the first known Black person to hike all 48 of New Hampshire’s high peaks in winter.  She lives in Boston where she works as a nonprofit communications director and volunteers with the local Outdoor Afro network.  

She writes for Outside magazine, SKI magazine, Melanin Basecamp and more.  

Mardi is committed to personal and corporate Black liberation and thereby, liberation for all humanity.  She believes deeply in nature's healing power.

Mardi was involved in the short film, “Mardi & the whites”

Film Abstract

“Mardi Fuller has a rich relationship with nature that has evolved and deepened throughout her life. In the last 20 years she’s dedicated much of her time to exploring the landscape in the White Mountains (unfortunately coined “The Whites” by New Englanders) on Abenaki land. 

In that time Mardi summited all forty-eight 4,000 footers several times in all four seasons, often as the only Black person on the mountain. She has experienced great joy from communing with this landscape, but the overwhelmingly white hiking community that is so seeped in white supremacy and colonialism complicates her experiences. 

Recently, she has focused on creating more opportunities for Black folks to join her in appreciating this magnificent wilderness. Enjoying this land with her community has been a liberating balm that has strengthened her sense of identity as an outdoorswoman. 

“Mardi & the whites” is a peek into Mardi’s relationship with the White Mountains, the great outdoors, and the community that surrounds them; Above all, it’s a celebration of Black liberation in the wild.”

Mardi’s Quote about the film “The film is about my 20-year journey as an outdoorswoman in the super white White mountains of New Hampshire. It's about the pain and loss I experienced amidst a hiking community wed to the invisibility of whiteness. At the same time, I benefited from the grounding force that is Nature. Over the years and through much identity formation and development, I found a path of Black liberation.”

 

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Show Notes

• Who is Mardi
• Living in Boston, Massachusetts, USA
• Her passion for the outdoors and spending time outdoors
• Growing up in the suburbs close to NYC  
• Discovering backpacking while at college
• Starting to explore the White Mountains 
• Studying Spanish and French at College and spending time studying abroad
• Spending time in Europe
• The joy of travelling and experiencing other cultures 
• Making the decision to move to Boston and her reasons for staying
• Her love of the mountains 
• Hiking in the summer or winter?
• The importance of being prepared for winter hiking
• Up skilling and gaining new knowledge 
• Why Mt Washington is one of the most deadly mountains in America
• Appalachian Mountain Club - is dedicated to the protection, enjoyment & understanding of the outdoors across the Northeast & Mid-Atlantic regions. 
• Figuring out your own layering system to keep warm while walking in Winter
• Learning how to set your own personal expectations
• Wanting to hike all 48 mountains in New Hampshire over 4,000 feet (1219 meters)
• Her motivation for finishing off the remaining mountains to complete the 48 mountains in New Hampshire
• The film - Mardi and the Whites
• Paula Champagne - Visual Storyteller 
• Talking about her personal experiences in the mountains 
• Learning about the history of racial exclusion for people of colour
• Having to suppress her identity while out in the mountains and why it’s an ongoing journey 
• How have things changed over the past 20 years with regards to race and racism
• Speaking out against white supremacy and white dominance 
• Shilletha "Dragonsky" Curtis - Hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2021 
• “Redlining” all the trails in a state and the racial undertones from the name
• The importance of acknowledging tribal land - as a way of honouring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land.
• Hiking Mt. Katahdin in Winter and her goals for winter 2023 and wanting to finish the New England 67 mountains 
• Hiking all 67 New England 4,000 Footers
• How to connect with Mardi 
• Final words of advice for women who want to spend more time in the outdoors.

 

Social Media

Instagram @wherelocsflyfree

Watch the Film - Mardi & The Whites 

Linktree - https://zez.am/wherelocsflyfree