Resistance and Rest
Dodi Arnold, an Outdoor Afro leader, reflects the importance of the outdoors during the volatile last year.
Meet Irene Yee (aka @ladylockoff), a climber, photographer, & National Geographic Explorer.
Find out what a day in Irene’s life is like, from how she starts her mornings to her favorite way to unwind after a day at the crag.
6 AM
Wake up, listen to my short news podcast while making coffee and a quick breakfast: oats, yoghurt or a protein smoothie. I usually eat breakfast and take my coffee to go on these days, preferring to sleep and run, rather than get up early with an ample amount of time.
I can be an early riser if need be. There’s less heat and the light is much better, but if you gave me the choice I would always opt for the late start and take the sunset light.
Irene in Parks Project x National Geographic Tie Dye Hoodie on left, Tie Dye Joggers on right.
Irene's friend, Maiza, waking up in their tent
7 AM to 5 PM
Usually I’m out for at least half if not the whole day. It can be just climbing, just photographing, or a mix of both. That depends on who it is and what they want to climb, what I want to photograph, or if I just want to get out and climb.
Lunch is usually snacks (nuts, peanut butter, goldfish crackers) and or a bar (a Clif bar) and ample amounts of water. Since we’re out all day the question usually becomes, ‘where are we going to eat dinner?”, about half way through the day.
Though this can change if we’re camping, usually its get back to camp and immediately start dinner, eat, and hang by the campfire until someone starts to fall asleep.
Maiza wearing the National Geographic x Parks Project Vintage Magazine Cover Tee.
5 PM to 10 PM
After I get home it's usually a mix of leave-it-till-tomorrow and might-as-well upload these photos now to be ready for tomorrow.
Then it's definitely a night of relaxing and just going to bed.
Irene isn't always on an assignment. Here's how she spends her days at home.
Work...
Typically, I wake up sometime between 6am and 8am—my preferred alarm clock is leaving the curtain open and letting the sun wake me up. I like to stay in bed for a bit listening to a short news podcast, and though most won’t admit to it, checking my social media. Then it's coffee time! Life does not start before coffee.
I love a good netflix and breakfast morning, and take it slow and easy when it’s not a major work or adventure day.
Then, it’s time for work. The photo editing process is my favorite, it's a chance to bring the photographs to life and is probably where I spend the most computer time. I’ve found a lot of photographers dislike the editing process but I find it really satisfying, pushing and pulling light to where I’m happy with the result. I’m incredibly hands on from the first stage to the last.
...and play
In the evenings, I usually need to move around. Living in the desert means your window for activity is in the morning or in the evening, trying to avoid the heat of the day. Hiking, running, paddle boarding, climbing is the rotating list of things I choose to do with my evening hours. Something active, and away from my computer or phone. Usually I make it a point to put my phone in airplane mode, making sure I’m taking that time for myself.
After dinner, I normally get back to work editing or throw on Netflix before bed. I take a quick shower, brush my teeth, and take out my contacts. Then fall into a very meme like state of scrolling through some funny videos on social media before actually going to sleep.
