I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits, unless I
spend four hours a day at least--and it is commonly more than
that--sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields,
absolutely free from all worldly engagements. -- Henry David Thoreau, Walking
In a moment in time when it seems there are more issues dividing people than consensus to rally around, the act of taking a walk in a park seems to be held in favorable regard by almost everyone. Whether it is for naturalizing, forest bathing or just plain stretching one's legs, walking is a time-honored use of our parks sought by lots of people.
Lake Sylvia State Park offers a classic sauntering walk in the park in the circumnavigation of its namesake body of water, featuring old forests, wet meadows, the occasional plop of a rising trout, and some unique trail features--even a covered bridge.
Patty and I began our walk just a few steps from our tent set up by the lake shore. Immediately immersed into a grove of big trees, we followed the soft forest path as it wound around the lake and marsh. The lushness of spring growth surrounded us; birdsongs serenaded us--floating trills of the Swainson's thrush, wispy notes of the Pacific-slope flycatcher and the raspy call of a spotted towhee. A longer pause on a comfortable bench allowed the slow quiet ambiance of the place to soak into us.
As we walked, we enjoyed the happy banter of partners freed from the stresses of the daily routine, punctuated with expressions of delight at our reacquaintance with favorite denizens of the forest--a maidenhair fern here, a ripening salmonberry there. And with that release comes a clearer focus on what is truly important: enlivening relationships, connection to wildness, mindfulness, intellectual stimulation....
....every walk is a sort
of crusade, preached by some Peter the Hermit in us, to go forth
and reconquer this Holy Land from the hands of the Infidels. -- Henry David Thoreau, Walking
....Thoreau's Infidels here being the forces arrayed against the transcendentalist tendencies in all of us that are so easily overwhelmed by the exhortations of our world to work longer, buy more, look better....
When I first became obsessed with walking and hiking in my high school years, I voraciously consumed every hiking guide I could get my hands on. The authors seemed to subscribe to the view that encouraging more walkers to become familiar with a particular path on public lands would ensure its protection from extractive uses like logging and mining. At the time, the rate of loss of wildlands to industrial encroachment seemed to be spiraling out of control, and defenders were few. I eagerly joined the cause, writing letters to representatives and commenting on environmental impact statements; my senior thesis project was a research paper on Edward Abbey's defense of wilderness. More nuanced than the desire of early park proponents to save some nice scenery, Abbey, in Desert Solitaire, hammered out a more holistic manifesto broadening the call to preservation of raw landscapes for their own inherent worth and the mystical revelations that they inspire. At the same time, Abbey exhorted activists to get out and recreate in wild places as a means of saving themselves from a descent into cynicism and depression in his oft-quoted statement:
“Do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am — a reluctant enthusiast ... a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here.”
The quote is often cited as a mantra for a lifestyle heavy on adventure recreation. Climb higher, hike farther, paddle faster, overcome more dangerous obstacles! I wonder, though, if there isn't a downside to the concurrent fascination with instantaneous social media posts of wildland recreation experiences (I admit some guilt in this regard)---a tainting of the crusade, if you will.
What would Thoreau do? He certainly did share his nature experiences in the social media of the day, and detailed his opposition to policies such as the war against Mexico in Civil Disobedience. And..... it seems he was his most satisfied self on those ramblings through the forests and fields.
For today, I am steadfastly with Thoreau---there's just not much better than taking a nice long walk through the woods, clearing my mind to focus on the important stuff. We completed our walk around Lake Sylvia energized and refreshed to face our challenges.
-David
