From left are state Olympic Regional Development Authority Director of Sport Paul Wylie and adventurer Dom Mullins, who was a guest speaker at North Country School on Feb. 1. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

The Adirondacks are a paradise for hikers, ice and rock climbers, Ironman participants, mountain bikers and others who love outdoor activities. We don’t see many Black men climbing the cliffs of Chapel Pond, Cascade and Wilmington Notch, or plus-sized Black women whipping around the Ironman course, much less in an ultramarathon, races far longer than a marathon.

Two of the best — adventurer Dom Mullins, who participated in the first all-Black team to scale Mount Everest, and Mirna Valerio, ultramarathoner, author and corporate media icon for L.L. Bean, REI — and others, shared their joy and convoluted journeys to the outdoor sports they love on Wednesday, Feb. 1.

Mullins and Valerio were featured speakers at North Country School, beginning with an 11 a.m. presentation for Keene Central, North Country and Northwood School students. In the evening, they held a second session for the public.

In between, Mullins led an ice climbing workshop for kids, and Valerio took others up Cascade Mountain. Both grew up in improbable locales for being introduced to the great outdoors, Mullins in the Coney Island Projects and Valerio in Bedford-Stuyvesant, two tough, urban Brooklyn neighborhoods with elevated crime rates, especially so when they were growing up.

“I grew up in Brooklyn, an urban environment with lots of streets and cars and not much outdoor space,” said Mullins. “It wasn’t until I joined the military that I was introduced to the wilderness. I remember the feeling I had when I looked out into this training field and, for the first time, there wasn’t a streetlight or building I could see anywhere; all I could see was wilderness.”

From left are Betsy Balbeuna and Mirna Valerio, who was a guest speaker at North Country School on Feb. 1. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

Mullins also credits the military for helping him feel safe in what he experienced as a rugged environment. There he learned how to keep himself clean, dry, hydrated and warm with enough nutrients to function and accomplish goals, which became useful later in life when he took up mountaineering.

Also in common, both found the arts as a stepping stone out of their challenging circumstances. For Mullins, it was ballet, and for Valerio, it was singing, which led to instruction at The Juilliard School and Oberlin College and Conservatory, and an 18-year career as a music teacher.

Their pathways to connecting with nature were different and, in some ways, very similar. For Mullins, it was a stint in the Army, initially when training in Kentucky and then during two tours of duty in Afghanistan, where he witnessed his first sunrise. For Valerio, it was participating in New York City’s Fresh Air Fund as kid.

Following his service and seeking ways to deal with the emotional challenges of his transition from combat to civilian life, Mullins accepted an invitation to go on a hike out West with a fellow veteran. He didn’t know that his friend had in mind not a stroll in the woods but scaling a rather large mountain.

Valerio started running following a health scare while teaching in a Maryland private school. Her doctor asked if she wanted to be alive when her then 5-year-old son reached 20. Valerio got the message, first setting the goal of running a down the block, then a mile, then five.

From left are North Country School Director of Diversity Yunga Webb, and Benita Law-Diao, a board member at the Adirondack Park Agency. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

These goals weren’t easy for a large woman; she self-describes as being fat. How big? 250 lbs. Since Valerio has run races 60 miles or more in length, placing a respectable fifth for her age group in one. Valerio also doesn’t plod or jog; she runs. Valerio has run about 30 ultramarathons since 2013, about three a year. She has also taken up biking and tennis and tried surfing. What Valerio doesn’t do is run to lose weight or get fit.

“I am fat and fit,” she said.

Being a teacher, Valerio sought ways of using her experience to motivate others, so she started a blog, Fat Girl Running, that got noticed in the media. That attention led to a man named Josh sending her an email calling her a fraud, saying her running ultramarathons was fake and that no one her size could accomplish what she said she was doing. Valerio shared Josh’s words with her followers and the media.

“My number of followers increased, and I got a lot of sponsors, so thank you, Josh,” said Valerio. “I am more than what my body suggests to some people. I’m not supposed to be hiking Fourteeners (Colorado peaks over 14,000 feet) and Warrior Threeing (running three ultramarathons a year). I shouldn’t be an advocate for health and fitness. I shouldn’t be setting crazy goals and lining up with people who don’t look like me. But I do.”

“When I’m outside, I like to feel that I am rediscovering parts of myself, my humanity, my connection with nature,” said Mullins. “When taking our first steps in nature, it doesn’t need to be some aggressive activity to be valuable. For many people, just providing them the opportunity to be outside and experience that feeling nature provides is enough; hearing the chirps of birds, the sounds of a bubbling brook; that’s challenging and enlightening enough. Best way to start though partnering with another.”

Here are Clint McCarthy, associate professor of outdoor education at SUNY Adirondack; Cornelius Gilbert, SUNY Adirondack chief diversity officer; and Justin Oliver of Saranac Lake. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“In my daily activities, I try not to box people in and to allow them to express the fullness of their humanity,” said Valerio. “My wish for all of you, for all of us, is that we allow people to live, experience, and express their entire humanity unabashedly without us putting on them our preconceived notions of who they are, might be, or where we think they belong.”

“I thought the program was so enriching,” said Yunga Webb, director of diversity at North Country School. “I have been outdoors adverse, and now I’m motivated to go out. Many people around me love outdoor activities, but I haven’t been motivated to join them until now.”

“One of the things that Dom spoke about was how success is always unfolding,” said Bob Woughter, Keene Central School principal. “Our students well received his message, such as what he learned as part of doing a basic ballet movement laid the foundation for everything he’s achieved up to today. That was very eye-opening for our kids.”

“I thought the presentations were excellent,” said Cornelius Gilbert, SUNY Adirondack chief diversity officer. “I enjoyed the personal stories, and I think people can learn and say to themselves, hey, I might not be comfortable at first, but if I keep at it, I can do it, too.”

“The whole time they are talking, I’m thinking how can I get more people up here,” said Adirondack Park Agency board member Benita Law-Diao. “I want to share their stories, so people will understand that there’s a way for them to connect to nature and overcome difficulties. Having role models like these two is amazing. People need more role models and people they feel comfortable with who can show ways of connecting with nature.”

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(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley. He has been covering events for the News for more than 15 years.)