OutdoorAfro's Rue Mapp Goes to Camp

This Friday, OutdoorAfro.com founder Rue Mapp will head to California's Sierra Nevada foothills to document a weekend of outdoor adventures with her nephew and three children. Blogging and tweeting from a trailer provided by American River Sales and Rentals, Mapp hopes to change the way people think about camping.

Mapp founded OutdoorAfro in 2009 to get African-Americans excited about getting outdoors. The website lists outdoor events and lets readers connect with each another to schedule nature-based activities. It also displays photos, videos, and stories from excursions.

For this weekend's adventure, Mapp will try something new. A longtime tent devotee, she'll document her first experience in a trailer. "People tend to think of camping as a minimal-comfort experience: sleeping on the ground or in a tent in the backcountry," said Mapp. " Using a trailer as a base camp, you can enjoy nature and be comfortable too."

While Mapp and her companions explore the wilderness, she'll keep her OutdoorAfro readers updated: "We want to provide a comprehensive view of the experience in real time," she said. Fans will read about whitewater-rafting, gold-panning, and about the Ponderosa RV Resort where she'll be staying. Along with CampCalifornia.com, the trip's sponsor, the resort wants to learn how it can use social media to encourage more diversity in outdoor activities.

Mapp's foray into the RV realm is the first of four such planned adventures. Each trip will showcase a different region and season in California, an approach Mapp hopes will encourage people to get outdoors regardless of climate and location; she just wants people to be aware of the opportunities available to them.

--Colin Griffin