Growing up a Granola Baby
Saturday mornings were for hiking. Rattlesnake Ledge, Mt. Si, Paradise Rainier, the ironically named Poo-Poo Point. We did them all. Multiple times. My mom would wake up my sister and I’s reluctant selves, and we would spend the morning silently filling camel-back water packs and stuffing sacks with granola bars, always half-asleep.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest with somewhat of a hippie mother, and a survivalist father, time in the outdoors was simply a part of life. While some kids spend weekends in hotels downtown and breaks from school in all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, we were hightailing it to the Redwoods or Yellowstone, or Rainier in our own backyard. “The fresh air is good for you”, was always my parents’ favorite line. Camping, backpacking, hiking, it was all woven so naturally into my life that REI was our Forever 21 and John Denver was the soundtrack to which I spent most weekends and holidays.
While in my childhood, I may have spent many of days dreaming about Disneyland vacations and sleeping in on the weekends, age has taught me the value of being raised in this way. Now, it doesn’t take much to get me outside. The Washington State mountains are quite literally my favorite thing in the whole world. Further, as I write this, in Utah, where I have moved for college, I am reflecting on the fact that the reason I chose this school in the first place is because I can see Wasatch peaks from every window on campus.
Being outdoors, and having natural space preserved for us to enjoy, is not something to take for granted. Growing up with the influence of my mother, especially, I have learned how essential it is for us to be connected to the natural world. Watching the way that she is able to be herself, and feel the most relaxed, with her feet in the dirt and mountains in the background, makes me want to protect that feeling, as I want everyone to be able to experience it.
There is so much to save, and so much that deserves our protection. The outdoors gives us an escape, an outlet to the most raw image of nature, and the world as it is untouched, that we have left. Everyone has something to gain from a walk in the woods, a visit to a National park, and simple time connecting to a world away from modernity.
A part of me aches, though, for the future of the untouched outdoors that we have left. Our National Parks in the United States provide us with sacred spaces that cannot be built on or interrupted by human infrastructure, but nonetheless, our natural world is undoubtedly in danger. Our National Parks are always at-risk. At-risk from pollution, at-risk from surrounding developments, at-risk from uneducated individuals who inadvertently are harming our environment. The fragility of these spaces increases as time goes on, and preserving then continually becomes more and more of a laborious effort.
The simplest way to help preserve our natural world in the US is to visit National Parks. Both the funding that comes from visitation, as well as the connection that travelers are able to make when they explore, are the largest part of what keeps these beautiful places alive. You can also donate your time as a volunteer, or your money as a donor. As the world progresses into a more and more developed community, savoring the outdoors, and preserving them for generations to come, should be a priority for us all.
