During a travel nurse assignment in Charleston, West Virginia, the love of hiking and the outdoors was ignited in the founder, Monica Goodlett, MSN, RN. Unexperienced, she anticipated a simple 2-mile hike but ended up trekking over 3 miles through water, mud, and a narrow trail with no hiking poles. With no water, snacks, and bug repellant (luckily, no bug bites), she found the strength to continue and eventually reached a fantastic, breathtaking view of the famous New River Gorge Bridge. It was EVERYTHING! The physical and mental benefits (hike high) of the experience were immediately exhilarating. After coming home and not finding a group she could connect with, wanting to improve her physical and mental health, and believing that Black Iowans needed and deserved this experience, she founded Black Iowa Outdoors.