Our Story
Latinxhikers started as an online platform in August of 2017. When Luz Lituma & Adriana Garcia noticed that stories of outdoorsy Latinx women were not being told, they found a way to change by sharing their own experiences in the outdoors on Instagram. In April 2018, they took it offline and started hosting hiking events on trails in the southeast region and beyond. Over a dozen hiking & social events later, they plan on continuing to break down barriers in the outdoors by creating access, providing representation, & empowering our community to establish connections with nature just as our ancestors once had.
WHO WE ARE
ADRIANA GARCIA
Co-Founder
Adriana Garcia is a lifelong outdoors person that was born and raised in a small town outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee. She grew up in a nature-loving family that took annual trips to their local state park where she got to run wild and feed her curiosity with swims in the swimming hole, classes at the nature center, & long walks to waterfalls. When she wasn't at school or playing sports, you would catch her playing in the woods behind her house.
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Through her work with Latinxhikers, she realized equity in the outdoors is greatly lacking so she has focused her efforts on leveling the playing field so that ALL people feel comfortable and welcome in the outdoors. She previously championed an initiative with a community-based nonprofit in Atlanta called Nature for All - Atlanta. It involved creating equitable access to the outdoors, community engagement, advocacy, education, and empowerment. She is also currently serving on the board of the Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy
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Altogether, Adriana is a storyteller, outdoor equity advocate, photographer, and forever adventurer. Besides introducing new folks to the beauty of the outdoors, her favorite activities are camping, hiking, and outdoor cooking on our public lands.
LUZ LITUMA
Co-Founder
Luz Lituma is an outdoor enthusiast from Atlanta, Georgia with a newfound passion for road tripping, backpacking, hiking, and all-around adventuring all over the United States. With the road being her home currently, she is taking full advantage of the public lands the West has to offer.
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In her younger years, you would not find Luz outside. She was very sheltered living the "typical" sheltered Latina childhood. As she grew older and became more independent she knew things had to change. She knew she had to connect to the outdoors, it was calling her.
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Luz graduated with a Marketing degree from Georgia State University and has unexpectedly found herself in outdoor advocacy after creating Latinxhikers. With her previous role as the Latinx Partnership Coordinator at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Florida Trail Association, her mission is to create more stewardship opportunities for the Latinx population. Creating personal experiences by bringing others to volunteer on these trails creates a personal connection and helps organizations expand who their volunteers are. Bringing awareness on who maintains the trails is her current goal.
