Spotlight on Daniel Shinwoo Kim
/BY CARA SCHAEFER
If you happen to meet Daniel Shinwoo Kim on top of a summit, there’s a decent chance he’ll be sporting a Korean American flag. And possibly a full kitchen set up. Through a mix of education, representation, and delicious snacks, Daniel is hoping to inspire YOU to go out in nature.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Shinwoo Kim
OUT THERE: Why is inspiring others to go out into nature important to you?
DANIEL SHINWOO KIM: It’s important because I believe everyone has a passion for nature. When you’re a child everyone wants to go outdoors and feel the dirt. But then, I guess as we get older we become more ingrained in the city culture. We lose touch with what we experience as children.
I just love bringing that innate curiosity back to people. As a wildlife conservation major, I’m really passionate about the outdoors and want others to see why. I was able to get people outside who would tell me, “I will never go on a hike. I only go once a year and that’s all I do.” And now that person goes hiking with me maybe twelve times a year.
OT: I noticed that one thing that is really important to you is more representation. What would better representation of Asian Americans in the outdoors have meant to you growing up?
DSK: Personally, as someone growing up in America, I would never see people of my likeness going out into the outdoors. It might have been a passive thing, but that prevented me from wanting to go out into the outdoors. I was like, “Oh, going outside and hiking and camping — that’s just what a typical Caucasian American would do. Asian Americans usually just stay at home and study to become doctors or engineers or all that. We don’t have time for going out into the outdoors.”
As I was getting older and seeing figures like Steve Irwin and David Attenborough talking about nature I was like, “You know, maybe I, too, can be a piece of that.” So now what I try to do is inspire the next generation by showing them the outdoors is not just for the standard, stereotypical Caucasian American, but rather for everyone. Representation is important because it inspires people that are like you to see themselves in your shoes and go out as well. That’s why I’m always proud of my Korean American flag and I’m always taking Asian Americans outside.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Shinwoo Kim
OT: When it comes to outdoor adventures, what’s one of your favorite memories?
DSK: My favorite memory has to be my first time climbing Mount St. Helens. We started at one in the morning, and as we were climbing up it was entirely dark. So we’re halfway up the mountain, it was five o’clock or so, and all of a sudden everything started getting this beautiful orange color. And from the horizon I saw this most beautiful sunrise surrounding the whole landscape, after being surrounded by darkness and snow this whole climb. After that, I was hooked. Mountaineering became one of my passions.
OT: So I saw that at one point you carried a grill and an ice box up a mountain. What, in your opinion, are the best hiking snacks?
Photo courtesy of Daniel Shinwoo Kim
DSK: Spam musubi might be my personal favorite. They’re filled with carbohydrates, fats, oils, saltiness, and so that’s actually like a really perfect hiking food. It’s not too heavy either. But whenever I take a person out hiking, especially for their first time, I’m like, “Alright, you’re on trail-mix level. The more hikes you do, and the more difficult a hike is, that’s when I’ll start treating you to all this great food.” That definitely motivates people to go out with the energy for hiking.
OT: You appear to be cooking some full meals up there and I, with my pack of fruit snacks, am duly impressed.
DSK: Yeah, it seems the more ridiculous my food items go, the more attention it seems to get, which is an interesting thing, but if it inspires more people to go out into the outdoors, I’m good.
OT: After 2020, I know a lot of us are tentatively looking forward to future adventures. What’s your wildest outdoor dream?
DSK: I think one of my big bucket-list adventures would be going to Antarctica in the summer and doing research with the penguins down there, spreading conservation and science. The Emperor Penguins are popular, but I really like the small penguins. I’m a fan of the miniature.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
You can find Daniel Shinwoo Kim on Instagram @daniel_shinwoo.
