Will ‘Akuna’ Robinson discovered salvation by mountain climbing. Since then, he’s earned the Triple Crown and constructed a following round his good-vibes angle and sharing his psychological well being therapeutic.
You understand the metaphor: Put one foot in entrance of the opposite. Will Robinson has walked that mentality since he was a baby. When he returned from service within the Iraq Warfare, it was the one method he bought by.
When he took his first steps on the Pacific Crest Path (PCT), he started an journey that will change his life in some ways. It was on the path that he met his accomplice and finally, improbably, hiked his method to turn out to be a Merrell ambassador.
We talked to Robinson about Akuna Hikes and the brand new path adventures he has deliberate.
About Will ‘Akuna’ Robinson
It was in 2016, throughout Robinson’s first try on the PCT, {that a} path veteran taught him to savor the path and focus much less on ending quick. He was given the path identify “Akuna” by some fellow hikers, and he took it on with delight.
It’s a riff on the phrase “hakuna matata,” made well-known in “The Lion King.” It roughly interprets from Swahili to “no worries.” Or as Robinson places it, “good vibes.”
Robinson defined that if he finds good vibes amongst a bunch, he’ll alter his tempo accordingly to spend extra miles with them.
He left the path after 1,600 miles that yr as a consequence of nagging knee pains. Nonetheless, the bodily setback was overshadowed by his psychological salvation. He’d discovered a calling and a group the place he might really feel like himself and comfortable.
Watch: Iraq Warfare Veteran Finds Therapeutic on the Appalachian Path
On Shaky Knees
Robinson’s first backpacking hike got here in fundamental coaching. Like everybody else round him, he hauled an outdated 100-pound pack throughout. He served within the U.S. Military engaged on the electronics in Apache helicopters throughout the Iraq Warfare.
His service time got here to finish, a medical separation, leaving him with service-related persistent ache in his wrists and knee.
And he returned residence to Slidell, La., with extra figurative baggage: PTSD, anxiousness, and melancholy.
Robinson was solely 23 years outdated and spent greater than the subsequent decade making an attempt to navigate his bodily and psychological ache. The burden of it led him down a darkish path till, one evening, he took greater than the prescribed quantity of medicine in an try to finish his life. His physique rejected the try, and his mom made him promise he’d by no means do it once more.
After his mom’s demise, amid the return of darkish ideas, Robinson was struck by a spark of inspiration. He was watching the film “Wild,” primarily based on the memoir by Cheryl Strayed, and identical to that, he determined to hike the PCT.
Path Salvation?
At first, Robinson mentioned it was onerous to pack like he’d see civilization once more.
“While you first begin thru-hiking, they are saying you pack your fears and you actually do,” Robinson mentioned. “I keep in mind packing 8 L of water every single day for the primary 454 miles of the PCT. I refused to hold much less as a result of I used to be afraid of operating out of water.”
He slowly discovered to streamline his packing listing. He discovered the lengthy miles put distance between himself and ideas that lingered on his previous.
“I just like the sound of nature, time to replicate, and lack of distractions,” he mentioned.
Whereas expertise makes him really feel welcome on the paths, he is aware of he nonetheless stands out. He discovered to show his regional Cajun accent on and off throughout his time within the army, however he’s nonetheless usually the one Black hiker he sees on or across the main trails.
“There’s not many guys who will come into your city with lengthy locks, tattoos, and speaks with a rustic accent,” Robinson mentioned.
He additionally caught the eye of Instagram followers and even an out of doors model.
Robinson was almost midway by the Appalachian Path when somebody from Merrell reached out with a suggestion to check out some new sneakers. The model despatched forward a pair of Agility Synthesis Flex, and he beloved them.
Later, at residence once more, he checked out outdated photographs of himself on the Southern Terminus of the PCT and seen he was sporting Merrell sneakers again then too.
City & Terminus
On these lengthy hikes, Robinson tries to duck into city as soon as every week to scrub up and let his knees relaxation. “I’ll come to a city and go bowling and speak to the locals and have a couple of drinks,” he mentioned.
It supplies relaxation for his soul too.
“As soon as all of it turns into about miles, you lose a variety of what you will get out of a thru-hike.”
One in every of his favourite stops is the city of Idyllwild, Calif., whose canine mayor, Max, just lately died. Others embrace Salida, Colo.; Landers, Wyo.; and “almost each path city in New Mexico was very nice too.”
Discovering Traction
One in every of Robinson’s favourite sneakers proper now could be from Merrell’s Nova sequence. He first put them on for a photoshoot and instantly felt good vibes, because it had been.
“It’s a cushty shoe and dealt with any sort of terrain I’ve thrown at it, from rocky to manicured trails to roads to moist forests,” he mentioned. He additionally loves that there are a number of colour choices, even in his measurement 15.
Robinson reaches for all-terrain footwear that may work wherever he goes. After that, he seems for fast-drying sneakers as a result of thru-hikers are inclined to plow by water. He mentioned, “There’s nothing fairly as terrible as waking up out of your tent and sliding your toes into some moist sneakers.”
He advises folks to check out some sneakers and discover one they like earlier than they hit the path. When you’re on the path, stick to that shoe for the complete path. It might be tempting to alter sneakers in keeping with completely different path circumstances and climates, however it opens up the potential for blisters in your toes and even straining an Achilles or leg.
For Robinson, the lighter the shoe the higher. This helps offset the additional pound he carries within the type of the knee braces that maintain his knee caps in place.
On Sponsorship & Illustration
There are positively extra folks from marginalized communities coming into long-distance mountain climbing. So far as the enterprise goes, the push for extra inclusivity and variety has just about stalled.
Robinson defined that some manufacturers, like Merrell, have had a spread of ambassadors and supported completely different causes. Then Black Lives Matter protests got here to the forefront amid the COVID pandemic and types jumped on the bandwagon with minimal exhibits of assist, like posting a black sq. on Instagram. After that, there actually wasn’t a lot follow-through.
Even manufacturers he noticed do the minimal have since stopped. Specifically, Robinson mentioned manufacturers are inclined to assist nonprofits and organizations relatively than people from less-represented communities which might be out mountain climbing.
“That’s one thing I can’t fairly perceive as a result of it’s the people which might be out right here doing it who’re often the folks inspiring of us to hunt out these organizations,” he mentioned.
Robinson, the primary Black man to tick off the Triple Crown, is sponsored by Merrell solely.
Will ‘Akuna’ Robinson Turns into 1st African American Man to Hike Triple Crown
“So far as the Black group goes, we’re on the market,” Robinson mentioned. “I believe firms aren’t trying in the proper place or so much don’t need to make investments what they should spend money on these folks, which might be their funds and their platforms.”
To Robinson, illustration can merely imply getting on the market and being on the path. That is very true with the ability and prevalence of social media.
He shares his tales and ideas by his Instagram web page and is aware of that his presence on the paths challenges broad perceptions. Inside the Black group, he mentioned he’s heard the opinion that mountain climbing and being open air is “white folks stuff,” which he sees as self-limitation.
“We’ve bought to cease limiting our world. Society is doing that sufficient,” he mentioned.
Future Trails
Subsequent up, Akuna plans to hike the Buckeye Path, taking the identical package and sneakers he’s been mountain climbing on this summer time.
“By now, my package is dialed. It’ll suffice for many circumstances,” Robinson mentioned. “If something, I’ll add a midlayer or hoodie in between my puff and base layer. Possibly I’ll carry rather less meals with me since I’ll have extra entry to cities on this path.”
On the horizon, Robinson needs to show his viewers on to a number of worldwide hikes.
His bucket listing hike is the Nice Wall of China. Till then, he hopes to sort out Te Araroa Path, which runs 1,864 miles by New Zealand, within the subsequent few years.
Past the path, his long-term aim is to save lots of up sufficient to purchase a couple of acres of land in Maine to homestead.
He mentioned, “I’ve realized that I do higher with PTSD, anxiousness, and melancholy when I’ve locations the place I can simply unplug. The place I can take care of social norms and issues after I need to however I’ve only a place the place I could be away from all of it for me time.”
This text is sponsored by Merrell. Discover out extra about its mountain climbing footwear on-line.
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