Wilderness Walking-20240906-18lufs.mp3

Jamie Hinrichs [00:00:14] Welcome to episode 49 of Forest Focus, brought to you by USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest region. In this episode, we're going to take a wilderness walk in recognition of this anniversary year of the 1964 Wilderness Act. The act created the National Wilderness Preservation System to assure that expanding settlement and growing mechanization did not lead to the modification of all areas in our nation. Today, the wilderness system includes over 800 areas across the country, and the Forest Service administers more than half. But long before the Wilderness Act, and long before we were even using the word "wilderness", these lands were used and stewarded by Indigenous communities. So, designated wilderness areas are both Tribal homelands and places for recreation. Taking a walk in these lands is an opportunity to think about what wilderness means to us, which can help us connect to nature and to each other. We'll do so now through a trail that takes us from the Stanislaus National Forest into the Emigrant Wilderness. 

Jamie Hinrichs 
[00:01:28] 
What is wilderness? 
It is not one thing, 
but many things at once, 
and is thus a wellspring 
for how nature connects us 
through the numerous meanings we discuss. 

[00:01:41] 
Walking in wilderness is an entry 
into all that wilderness means, 
in part because it creates separation 
from the distractions of our screens, 
inviting us to give in to the gentle draw 
of enchantment, wonder, and awe. 

[00:01:58] 
But the start is a struggle 
as our minds remain blurry 
and tied to our binds to time, 
as we struggle not to hurry. 
The efficiency fixation is hard to shake, 
but walking can help us take this needed break. 

[00:02:12] 
Because we do need periodic pause 
from life's relentless pace, 
to rediscover restfulness, 
and we can find it within this space. 
Here we can refill the inner 
well through nature's calming spell. 

[00:02:30] 
But there is a weight on our back 
and weight on our mind. 
And because of that, 
we find it hard to be kind
to ourselves because of how slow 
all of this causes us to go. 

[00:02:41] 
But this begs the question 
what good comes from speed? 
Does achieving such 
truly satisfy any need? 
Perhaps wilderness provides invitations 
to the peace and goodness of such limitations. 

[00:02:57] 
At the slower pace of perambulation, 
we can see each plant's design, 
the shifting hue of soil underfoot 
and leaves backlit by sunshine. 
Their quaking creates a chiming 
to accompany our continued climbing. 

[soundbite: aspen leaves shaking in the breeze]

[00:03:22] 
As our steps proceed, 
time and distance lose definition. 
Our thoughts now link to wilderness 
with its ecology of tranquil cognition 
that's tuned to the rhythm of stream flow 
and the unrushed shift of the alpenglow. 

[soundbite: flowing stream]

[00:03:39] 
At our camping spot by the lake, 
shadows are on parade in shifting shades 
displayed on the granite walls surrounding, 
as the sun slowly fades. 
The wind murmurs through pine, 
and the contours are ready for moonshine. 

[00:03:55] 
We may have thought we've seen stars before, 
but those views have been a deprivation. 
Here the stars are numerous and radiant. 
Nothing short of a revelation, 
which pairs with the moon's milky bright 
that softly outlines the darkening night. 

[00:04:12] 
We wake with a sun rather than the clock. 
Pack up and walk back to our day-to-day. 
But the trail has a few more lessons to share 
as we make our rambling way,
in these lands where there is quiet – 
something nearly lost in our cognitive diet. 

[00:04:30] 
The lessons include these: 
False horizons build within us grit 
to push past disappointed hope, 
thereby expanding our tenacity toolkit 
as we continue with the dance 
of downward and upward glance. 

[00:04:44] 
Switchbacks are to be trusted. 
The best paths are rarely straight. 
Cutting trail may be tempting, 
but that may lead to danger 
and miss opportunities to contemplate 
the gifts that come with the meander 
and views that may be grander. 

[00:05:00] 
Walking in wilderness lastly, teaches us this: 
feeling lost sometimes as part of living. 
Trails can suddenly fade, 
creating a chilling misgiving, 
but if we pause and look around, 
a cairn or land signature will soon have us found. 

[00:05:17] 
What is wilderness? 
They are certainly places for walking, 
for restoration from screens and speed, 
for reconnections, for thinking and talking 
about how all of our stories are an essential part 
of wilderness value, it's very heart. 

Jamie Hinrichs [00:05:40] Thank you for listening. To learn more about wilderness areas near you, activities you can do in wilderness, and how nature connects us, go over to the show description page and click on the links. To find more episodes search for "Forest Focus podcast" wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, enjoy your public lands. Please remember to recreate responsibly, know before you go and learn what you can do to prevent wildfires. Take care. This podcast is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and the USDA is as an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.