Lisa Enriquez, founder and president of WE HIKE, speaks with KC Counts about bringing community together under a full moon in the Franklin Mountains. Here is a transcript of their conversation:
KC Counts:
What inspired WE HIKE, and what is its mission?
Lisa Enriquez:
I'm going to say 100% community and safety. Coming to the area, I realized that we need people to be leaders to show people what is out there. Our mission is - we believe in the transformative power of the outdoors, exercise and education, and connecting with nature all have proven benefits for physical health mental well-being. Safety and fostering a sense of environmental stewardship as well. So, in line with that, we plan a continuous series of ecocultural event and urban outings that include walks, educational programming, hiking adventures, cultural exploration, both indoor and outdoor. And we cater to diverse interests and age groups to be inclusive for all mobile people.
KC Counts:
And where did your love for the outdoors come from?
Lisa Enriquez:
That was just by chance. I went out to learn how to hike, and I was doing it for a purpose and then I fell in love with it along the way.
KC Counts:
Well, let's talk about the series El Paso Under the Moon Lunar Pathways 3, Moon-lit hikes under full moons with different themes. Let's begin with the first one that's coming up on the 9th.
Lisa Enriquez:
So, we are bringing hiking - guided hike meditation and a siund bath on the full moon night because it gets a little late when the moon comes out and we will be doing family friendly things for all ages. If you're mobile, you can come out to the park and enjoy what we have to offer. You don't have to do the hike. You can do just the sound bath. You can do one or the other. You can just come sit, relax, enjoy nature as it is. We are themed for all three months, so for August - we are going off the science of the moon, so it's a Sturgeon full moon. So, we are going to ask people if they want to be more involved in the experience then they can wear browns, greens, their fishing attire, just really immerse themselves into the nature of the outing.
KC Counts:
What do people need to bring with them?
Lisa Enriquez:
People need to bring a mat, towel or chair. They need to bring a bottle of water and we should have something to write with. But we are asking people to bring a notebook or something to journal that they might privately have. That way they can have these three monthly experiences and then keep them with their private things that they have already. We will have paper and utensils. We're not sure how many people we are expecting; we've averaged 100. So, we just want people to also be prepared if they are hiking, we want them to bring their shade their 10 essentials, their water, their sunscreen, the appropriate clothing and just really watch the weather.
KC Counts:
And coming up in September, it'll be the Harvest moon on the 8th with Mexican heritage as the theme. And then comes the Hunter moon on the 6th of October. Where can someone go, Lisa, for more information and more details on how to participate?
Lisa Enriquez:
They can go to our website at www.wehikeadventure.org.
KC Counts:
And this is a fully bilingual experience, right?
Lisa Enriquez:
Yes, it will be in Spanish and English, both the hikes and the sound bath and guided meditation.
KC Counts:
And once again, where is the meeting point?
Lisa Enriquez:
So we're going to meet for all three months at Chuck Heinrich Memorial Park in Northeast El Paso, and that is right next to the mountain. So we'll have an urban, mountain, and desert experience all in one.
KC Counts:
All right. Anything important, Lisa that people need to know that I haven't asked about yet?
Lisa Enriquez:
I think one super important thing to know is that this is 100% free. We do ask people to pre- register on our website to help us prepare and make sure that we do have enough of the items for the people. We are welcoming volunteers, donations and sponsors to keep these experiences accessible and make them as wonderful for the community as we can, and the last thing is safety, as you mentioned earlier. And we do have some classes that we are starting up, we are going into our third one in August, down at the Convention Center and we're going to be continuing on. So if anybody wants to know anything about mountain, urban, desert safety, we're the people and we're going to help El Paso to know how to prepare, take them out, show them, and that way they can be prepared all the time for any experience they have.
KC Counts:
All right, WE HIKE President and Founder, Lisa Enriquez, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate the time.
Lisa Enriquez:
Thank you so much.
