Daniel White, The Blackalachian

Daniel White hiking on the Appalachian Trail.

Daniel White

Background Information

In 2018, Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) started The African American Experiences in the Smokies Project (AAESP). This project focuses on the experiences and stories of African Americans in the Smokies and surrounding areas to bring visibility to a historically overlooked population in Southern Appalachia. Through oral histories, AAESP can collect and preserve the stories and experiences of African Americans who are connected to the area or the park. Not only does this advance our research efforts, but it also allows the park to share these first-hand accounts with current and future employees and the public. The Project’s oral history with Daniel White, who is popularly known as The Blackalachian, not only captures a contemporary story of an African American and his experience in the outdoors and in the Smokies specifically, but it also opens a larger conversation about the presence of African Americans in outdoors spaces in the United States.

Who is The Blackalachian?

In September 2021 the AAESP conducted an oral history with Daniel White, The Blackalachian, who thru hiked the Appalachian Trail (AT) in 2017. Although he was raised in the Blue Ridge Mountain city of Asheville, NC, White did not grow up hiking or recreating outdoors apart from fishing. When he did decide to delve into the world of outdoors, he went in headfirst challenging himself to complete the AT in 2017. He began his journey on April 20th and completed the AT on November 20th. ¹ Although he did research on what he would need in preparation for the trail, White learned many skills and tactics along the way through trial and error as he completed the 2,200-mile hike.

¹ According to Trail and Summit, “a thru hike is when you walk the entirety of an established long-distance hiking trail from one distance to another… without leaving the trail for an extended amount of time.”Robert Taylor is the first African American known to thru hike both the Appalachian Trail (AT) and the Pacific Crest Trail. While he found his overall hiking experience enjoyable on the Appalachian Trail, he did encounter constant racism on his journey in the late 1990s.

On Trail Family and Trail Name

According to White, while on their journey, AT hikers commonly find others who they bond with on the trail and eventrially estab;ish a fictive kinshio called a “trail family” with one another. Typically, one’s trail family will give them a “trail name”, a nickname that is based on someone’s attributes, or a story or experience on the trail. While White did find his trail family, he gave himself his own trail name, “The Blackalachian” - a name that has stuck with him for the past four years.

The Blackalachian in the Smokies

During his AT journey, White reached the Smokies in May 2017 and has vivid memories of his time treading through Charlie’s Bunion and Clingman’s Dome during a snowstorm that caused him to briefly go off trail. Although he describes his time in the Smokies as “brutal” during his AT endeavor, White has since returned to the Smokies for recreational hiking and plans to visit again in the future when he is back in the area.

Becoming an Experienced Outdoorsman and “Humanitourist”

White has also built a philanthropic career and lifestyle that are both rooted in the outdoors. Referring to himself as a “humanitourist”, he is currently in Maine building a sustainable homestead community where he plans to establish a summer camp. While all are welcome, White intends for the summer program to cater to African American children. The camp will focus on teaching the children about farming, sustainability, recreating, and living outdoors. He purchased the land in Maine completely through crowd funding.

Since hiking the AT, the hiker and cyclist has also completed the Underground Railroad Trail (2018), Scotland’s TGO challenge (2019), the Camino De Santiago that spans across Europe (2019), and the Waitukubuli Trail in Dominica (2021).You can listen to the oral history that the AAESP conducted with Daniel White by accessing the recording on the shared drive. A wayside panel on Daniel White is expected to be erected in the park in Spring 2022.

Why is Daniel White an important figure?

Daniel White’s presence in the outdoor world is impactful when it comes to racially diversifying outdoor spaces. While the number of African Americans who recreate and work outdoors is significantly lower than white recreators, White’s story debunks the monolithic myth that African Americans simply do not recreate outdoors or that they are uninterested in doing so. Secondly, White’s presence in outdoor spaces can inspire other Black people in the United States to get involved in more outdoor related activities. He has seen the deficit of Black people in outdoor spaces and is working to make a change by creating opportunities through projects like the Maine homestead community. This will not only get more African Americans interacting with outdoors and the environment, but also show them that it is something they can peruse professionally.

 

Research Sources

Farrell, Tony. “Robert Taylor: A True Trailblazer.” Backpacker, 1 Sept. 2000, www.backpacker.com/trips/robert-taylor-a-true-trailblazer/. Accessed 14 Mar. 2023.

Finney, Carolyn. Black Faces, White Spaces : Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors. Chapel Hill, The University Of North Carolina Press, 2014.

Melton, Marissa. “US Ranger on Mission to Attract More African Americans to National Parks.” VOA, 30 Mar. 2021, www.voanews.com/a/usa_us-ranger-mission-attract-more-african-americans-national-parks/6203926.html. Accessed 14 Mar. 2023.

Oral History interview with Daniel White (2021), African American Experiences of the Smokies project, Collections Preservation Center, Townsend, TN.

Staff Reports. “Meet the Blackalachian.” The Urban News, 18 Feb. 2021, theurbannews.com/lifestyles/2021/meet-the-blackalachian/. Accessed 14 Mar. 2023.