10,000 Steps to Denali Grows Across U.S.

LANDER, WYO — This summer, a movement will reach from the highest point in North America across the nation. As the first group of African Americans attempts to reach the 20,320-foot summit of Denali in June, youth across the nation will be encouraged to get outside as well.

Expedition Denali: Inspiring Diversity in the Outdoors is an historic climb of Denali that will take place on the 100^th anniversary of the peak’s first ascent. Spearheaded by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and supported by The North Face, REI and the Foundation for Youth Investment, its purpose is to inspire a legacy of increased diversity in the outdoors, starting with today’s youth.

An important initiative to motivate youth—particularly youth of color—to discover, explore, and protect our wild spaces is 10,000 Steps to Denali. Summit day for the team will be a five-mile (roughly 10,000 steps) round-trip push to the summit and back to High Camp. While these nine role models seek to make history, NOLS and participating organizations will mobilize families across the nation to get outside and take their own 10,000 steps in solidarity. Already nearly 30 events have been scheduled.

It is widely recommended that people get 10,000 steps of walking each day, well over what the average individual achieves. The 10,000 steps the Expedition Denali team will take on summit day, in addition to all the work they’ll do leading up to that day, are to inspire America’s youth to explore their own potential and their outdoor opportunities.

Expedition Denali invites organizations to host 10,000 Steps to Denali events in June. To learn more about events scheduled in your area or about planning your own, visit https://expeditiondenali.nols.edu/home.

Founded in 1965 by legendary mountaineer Paul Petzoldt, NOLS is the leader in wilderness education, providing awe-inspiring, transformative experiences to 17,000 students each year. These students, ages 14 to over 80, learn in the wildest and most remote classrooms worldwide—from the Amazon rain forest, to rugged peaks in the Himalaya, to Alaskan glaciers and Arctic tundra. Graduates are active leaders with lifelong environmental ethics and outdoor skills. NOLS also offers customized courses through NOLS Professional Training, and the NOLS Wilderness Medicine Institute is the leading teacher of wilderness medicine worldwide. For more information, call (800) 710-NOLS (6657) or visit www.nols.edu.

The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, In., was founded in 1968. Headquartered in San Leandro, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes, endurance athletes, and explorers. The company’s products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking, running, and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting good retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains.

REI is a national outdoor retail co-op dedicated to inspiring, educating and outfitting its members and the community for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship. Founded in 1938 by a group of Pacific Northwest mountaineers seeking quality equipment, REI is committed to promoting environmental stewardship and increasing access to outdoor recreation through volunteerism, gear donations and financial contributions.