Evelynn Escobar is a force of nature. As a new mother, creative, and the founder of Hike Clerb, the non-profit championing inclusivity of the outdoors, she applies a degree of thoughtfulness to her endeavors that can only be described as “powerful.” Her intentionality in creating holistic experiences and reshaping environments through the lens of equity for herself and those around her speaks to her intrinsic connection to her indigenous ancestry, while her work takes a distinctly contemporary approach to cultivating community.

What was the impetus for starting Hike Clerb?


It was really just an intuitive call to create a literal safe space, simply based on experiences that I was having in the outdoors. By the time I had moved to LA, I had done most of the major hikes here so I started venturing out. I took a road trip to Zion and then went to the Grand Canyon, which was my first time in a National Park. I had assumed that since it was a National Park it would be diverse with tourism, but what I found is that it was very white and homogenous. I remember going up one of the most popular trails and people giving me curious stares and I just thought to myself, “I look more like the people whose land this actually belongs to, yet I’m the outsider?” So I felt compelled to start something that was united in a way that we could think of space and an avenue where we could facilitate an experience around discovery in a way no one was doing at 
the time.

Can you put into words the intrinsic bond that you have with nature?

I think it’s very poetic to see how my life has taken shape since going out to quiet what was happening internally. I’ve been able to hear myself in a more direct way than I ever was able to before. I am black and also K’iche’, which is indigenous to Guatemala, so going out into nature has provided this opportunity for reconnection with myself that has been immensely powerful. I feel as though I’ve taken myself home; I’m so much more in touch with my ancestors and with my purpose, and feel an overall clearer direction in life now. This journey to reconnecting with the land has probably been the most powerful modality I’ve tapped into yet.