“Some folks think the best way to travel is by private jet. Or yacht. My choice: by foot.
Some think that the best thing about America is its wealth, technology and modernity. Others point to its Democratic institutions. But I’m with the writer Wallace Stegner [a Pulitzer Prize-winning author] that America’s “best idea” is our spectacular inheritance of public lands – purple mountain majesties – amounting to about 40 percent of our nation. As Stegner said of our national parks: “Absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best.”
Some people worship in a church, others in a temple or masque. I attend the cathedral of the wilderness, for among wildflowers in an alpine meadow we can all connect to something grander than ourselves.
I don’t want to over romanticize so it’s always too cold or too hot, and it can be filled with mosquitoes. But wilderness still fills me with semireligious awe. . . . My daughter and I hiked the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada over six years (best parenting I ever did), and the trail was the most egalitarian space I’ve seen. We met C.E.O.s, nurses, construction laborers and students, with none of the usual cues to judge status. We all stank. . . . It works. I see wild spaces as a place to think, to escape cellphones and editors (sorry, boss), to connect with loved ones, to be dazzled and humbled by the vastness of space and the slowness of geologic time, to escape class divides, to purge ourselves of frustrations and political toxicity, to bare our souls, to be recharged.
Thank God for American’s best idea.”
– Nicholas Kristof, “The Best Travel Is on Foot, Through Wilderness”, New York Times, 9-8-24.
Amazing to me is the idea that “about 40 percent of land in America is owned by the public: us! “Alaska is an extreme example: About 85 percent of Alaska is set aside for the common good.” I had no idea. Do yourself a favor and learn more. What are Public Lands? Public Lands in Florida?
A good beginning is <a href="https://www.blm.gov" rel="noopener" target="_blank">https://www.blm.gov</a>. And here’s another easy way to gain quick access to your state. Put Public Land in your browser followed by your state: example: Public Land Florida. Or, you can of course put Public Land followed by any state of particular interest to you. Look around. I had no idea. Have fun!
Thank You for reading, JoAnnLordahl.com
[My apologies: Reading, Writing currently consumes most of my dwindling energy.]
