This
year, get out there and enjoy what nature has to offer.
Minutes to midnight on New Year’s Eve, I sat around a
fire with friends, discussing plans for 2015. I told them mine: to hike over
200 miles on the John Muir Trail through the High Sierras, by myself.
They told me that I’m nuts.
“I might do it if I brought my gun,” one of them retorted
while laughing, leaving absolutely no doubt that he would never hike 200 miles
alone — with or without a firearm.
Among avid hikers and backpackers, trekking 200 miles is
seen as a perfectly plausible idea. Outside that community, it’s viewed as
dangerous and more than a little bit crazy.
Since I began backpacking, I’ve wondered why so many
Americans believe nature is so foreboding and scary.
Then I noticed the signs posted at many trailheads,
warning about poison oak, bears, rattlesnakes, and mountain lions. No wonder
people are scared.
Yes, deadly animals and poisonous plants exist, but
you’re far more likely to encounter beautiful wildflowers, songbirds, and
bunnies than a snarling mountain lion.
This is a trail where hikers have died of
heatstroke. Recently.
The day I went, the entire local search and rescue team
was there for training, since they’re called to the area so frequently.
Sadly, underestimating nature is common.
I’ve run into people in shorts who had no idea it might
be cold and snowing at 14,000 feet, a man who insisted on continuing despite
obviously suffering altitude sickness and carrying nowhere near enough water,
and even women in high heels and skirts.
This past summer, I hiked part of the way up Longs Peak
in Colorado. I never planned to reach the summit, knowing that the last bit
required skills and equipment I don’t have. This mountain has claimed far too
many lives, and even the experienced and well-prepared have fallen
victim.
The day I went, storm clouds were gathering, and rangers
warned of icy, dangerous conditions at the top. I hiked up with a group that
planned to reach the summit.
“You brought crampons?” I asked a fellow hiker, referring
to equipment that helps prevent slipping off the ice.
“What are those?” came the reply. Uh-oh.
Nature is big and beautiful and wild and wonderful. It
feeds the soul. Most of us don’t get enough nature in our lives. And maybe
that’s why too many people either overestimate or underestimate nature’s power
to kill you.
In many cases, even a cursory Internet search can provide
everything you need to know.
Be mindful of snow at 14,000 feet, even in the
summer. Bring three liters of water to attempt the summit of Mount Whitney.
Don’t hike alone in grizzly country. And if you see a rattlesnake, just step
around it, because it’s not a big deal.
This year, get out there and experience life at its
fullest. But do so safely. An extra 15 minutes of reading can reassure you
about everything that isn’t dangerous — and help you avoid or prepare for what
is.
OtherWords
columnist Jill Richardson is the author of Recipe for America: Why Our
Food System Is Broken and What We Can Do to Fix It. OtherWords.org.