Community Leader: Kristen Hernandez
Climber, Advocate, and founder of Trailmothers
by Katherine Ku and Matt Levy
At first glance, Stoney Point Park is trashy, unkempt, and not at all impressive. The mild, yet impossible to ignore smell of horse manure wafts into your nostrils. The sandstone boulders are marred by graffiti, and there is broken glass scattered all over the sand. If you’re lucky, you might even see pieces of a car bumper scattered around the perimeter of the park or an abandoned shopping cart peeking out from the dry shrubbery.
Despite all this, for many SoCal climbers (including myself), Stoney represents their first outdoor climbing experience. It’s a crag loaded with history, with lines established by the likes of Royal Robbins, Yvon Chouinard, and John Bachar. Seeing the park in its current conditions is disappointing, to say the least.
Enter Kristen Hernandez, Stoney’s guardian angel in many ways. You’ll see her, often accompanied by her son Liam and a crew of volunteer stewards, working day in and day out, picking up literal tons of trash, sifting pieces of glass out of the sand, washing spray paint from the rock, and even rebolting top rope and sport lines.
I met her for the first time at a Stoney Point clean-up, hosted by Trailmothers, an organization she founded, dedicated to protecting and preserving the outdoors. I watched as she handed out large blue buckets, garbage bags, trash pickers, and other materials we’d need throughout the day. She encouraged us to stay hydrated, reminded us to eat snacks, and cheered us on as we wriggled through brambles to pick up left behind beer bottles. We picked up over 200 pounds of trash that day.
So how did this all start? According to Kristen, it began when she became pregnant with her son in 2012. Instead of giving up her love for the outdoors, she brought her son along as he grew - hiking through Los Feliz Park in Burbank, picking up trash and learning about the trails as she went. She started Trailmothers as she wondered whether there were “other mothers like her,” but today, volunteers of the organization are from “all walks of life.” She’s hosted dozens of events, from “clean and climb” days at Stoney and Malibu Creek to yoga and clean-ups at the beach. Kristen aims to “build communities within communities,” while “inspiring and motivating [people] to care more about the places they climb and hike.” To her, it’s simple - “it’s about respecting the land you walk on.”
Kristen’s motivation is contagious, not only as a community leader, but also as a rock climber. She recounted to me an experience from years ago that held her back from climbing, when some “told [her] that [she] had to be physically strong and had to look a certain way to climb.” Today, climbing is a means for her to recharge herself, something that brings her “immense joy, allows her to be herself no matter what, and something that helped her gain confidence within herself.” Her passion is evident, as she proudly admits that climbing is a vital part of her life, helping her stay balanced and driven.
Today, she is working to grow Trailmothers through partnerships with other like-minded organizations like We Explore Earth and Overdue to co-host larger events in the upcoming year. She also hopes to work with local climbing gyms to educate rock climbers of all levels on environmental ethics before they head outdoors. Most of all, she urges us to all do our part, as she continues to educate and lead the community in the cause for environmental conservation. Meeting Kristen has been a bigger motivator than I realized - I’m reminded of that first clean-up I attended every time I see the big bucket I still take outside to collect trash I see at the crag.
If you’re interested in learning more or helping out, Trailmothers is hosting a Stoney Point Park Clean & Climb event in honor of Earth Month on 4/9/22 from 10am - 12pm. In partnership with We Explore Earth, Trailmothers will be co-hosting beginner backpacking / camping events. Kristen and her crew will also be co-hosting more beach clean-ups and education activities with Overdue in the near future.
Trailmothers is always looking for more environmental stewards and new initiatives focused on outdoor preservation and restoration. For more updated news and events from Trailmothers, please also follow them on Instagram @trailmothers.la and check out their website.
