Hi! My name is Courtney Tomiko Lanctot.
I answer to Courtney, Tomiko, Miko or Tot. That’s it. Those are your choices…
I am bad at these “So tell me about yourself…”. Which part do you want to know? I have 30 years of self to tell. I’ll go with -how I found my passion.
I have always been a curious adventurer of the “how to…” and “F it, why not?”. Growing up in Alaska I was exposed to normalized scenic adventure to which I hadn’t utilized or explored. It wasn’t until my 5th year in Colorado that I really became Alaskan.
Not that I didn’t explore, it was more parallel to a “typical” Black experience within Colorado until then. You know, a nice drive through the mountains in summer, exploring little cute towns, simple things. Summer 2016 I was going through a break-up and a friend offered for me to join on a camping trip. “F it, why not?”. Changed my whole trajectory of life.
My adventures had stayed somewhat casual. A little bit of camping, some hikes, hot springs, ya know, cute shit. May 2018 I was prepping for a road trip with a friend. I was tasked with finding lodging. We were taking him to Stanford for residency planning to hit the major sights along the way (Grand Canyon). As Utah was going to be a necessary stop, I checked Airbnb as it is my go to. What was available was glamping. It looked fun and exciting. We would have our own cabin but the full kitchen and bathrooms were shared. His response very much was “Hell no, Black people don’t do that shit. I am not trying to die.” Mind you, the reviews were fantastic and the pictures felt incredibly friendly. I wasn’t surprised by this as it was not uncommon but disappointed that we would hinder a possible adventure.
It was then that I decided, we really need to expose ourselves to so much more for the sake of when you go beyond your comfort zones safely, you grow more confident in yourself and abilities. This felt like my calling, my passion.
I decided to create and organize experiences beyond the stereotypes of “what Black people don’t do”. I call it, The Unpopular Black. Summer 2018 it was simply friends and friends of friends to join in. We paddle boarded, tubed, camped, hiked the Sand Dunes, went to hot springs, road tripped and so much more.
After doing a 2 month solo road trip through the West Coast, I felt called to explore and show us (Black Folks) that domestically there is so much to explore and adventure through. Starting in Colorado August 2019, I will curate weekend experiences. For info on those experiences HERE.
Link HERE