Solitude and beauty in the New Zealand alpine
Here you are sitting inside another day, the tallies on the wall growing larger, slowly losing sanity since the quarantine began. The feeling of anxiety creeps in as you look outside and spring is in full stride, birds singing, flowers in bloom, and the activities - ripe for the picking. You batter yourself with the repetitive question “When will I be able to go outside?” gathering a fresh sense of frustration each day you ask yourself. You are not alone. Millions and millions of people have been looking forward to this season, breaking free from the layers of clothing as winter loosens its grasp. Weather is less of a factor in your outdoor escapades now than are the countless signs and policies stating “Stay Home, Save Lives”. We all want to know when, we all want to go on a hike, a bike ride, fishing, you name it. We all want outside.
So, when the day comes, who will be outside? Everyone! The flood of people into the natural world will be unlike anything ever witnessed before. You, your friends, family, their friends, and the entire neighborhood will be escaping from their COVID free sanctuaries to feel the fresh breeze and bask in the spring sun.
Here in the Pacific Northwest, particularly here in Washington, national and state forests, even many private lands are closed. Now that doesn’t sound very typical of the PNW, known for its myriad of outdoor adventures and outdoor enthusiasts. While it sounds like other places, such as the Intermountain West, may have a bit more luck with outdoor access and have lesser restrictions regarding outdoor recreation. Still, many activities in the backcountry are limited, if at all present, because it would allocate necessary resources (A.K.A. first responders) from the priority at hand. Another reason not to travel to a backcountry destination or recreational location is that the typical visitor doesn’t live there. Traveling from one’s COVID bunker to an outdoor gateway community is unacceptable in these conditions, as the risk of spreading the virus to small, unequipped communities would cause significant risks for the residents. I am in the same boat as you, wanting to get out there, but being respectful of others’ health and communities is currently of utmost importance. Nonetheless, time passes and the water of outdoor recreators is filling behind the dam of restrictions.
What will this mean when the time finally comes that we are free to be outdoors in a quasi-normal fashion? The outdoors are the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden and we ALL want a bite. The surge of recreators will crowd trails, forest roads, campsites, crags, rivers and all other facets of the outdoors. We will see folks from all backgrounds, creeds, religions, races, and house-hold species. There will be weekend warriors, battle-scarred vets, the first-timers, the outdoor Instagrammers, photographers, even the ones who carry the infuriating portable speaker. Everyone will be outside.
A scene where “Everyone” gaggles at the Wanaka Tree
This flood of people dances on the line of a nightmare for someone seeking solitude in the familiar outdoors, but we must be grateful. We cannot forget what we as a global community just experienced. We will have to relearn our common courtesies, double down on efforts to smile and say hello, and most of all carry respect for what we’ve all been longing for. The Outdoors.
Respect will be a priority for us returning to the land, not only for each other but for the land itself. Such a blunt and heavy load of users cascading upon the outdoors can cause lasting effects of damage, degradation, and spoils if not cared for. We must be mindful of our actions in order to preserve the lands we now crave. Being cognizant of our actions and making an effort to leave no trace will be more important now than ever. With more people comes more trash, bad parking, and less room for you to enjoy the outdoors in peace. We can mitigate this by having a wide distribution among recreational sites, avoiding the recreational hotspots that many others will be flocking to and instead try to find your own little slice of heaven.
A Slice of Heaven in Denali NP
Knowing your limitations will be a major factor in where you recreate. This is all the more important because you’ve been cooped up for so long. Your body may be stiff, a little tight, not quite the shape you’re usually in during the season. Your mind, on the other hand, may be whizzing with missions to summits, daunting trails, and remote regions. The body and mind may not mesh as well as last year when you had been out and about for some time before attempting these tasks. Now may be the moment to dial it back a notch and start a little slower out of the gate. Although COVID related restrictions may be lifted, the presence of the virus will surely not be eliminated. This means first responders will still have their hands full and hospitals will still carry the ill. It doesn’t sound to be an ideal place to show up after an injury in the outdoors, which is why it is important to know your limits. We are all gung-ho on getting outside and need some time to brush off residual cobwebs, it is important not to get injured during this time. Plus, you don’t want to start off your season with a debilitating injury and shorten an already short season.
When the tin cracks open on the sardine cans we call home, we may be lucky enough to go about our nearly forgotten daily lives. Giving hugs, hanging out at local breweries, laughing with friends, and heading outside. One day this epidemic may wash like a memory, the feelings you had, now lay dormant in your mind. The wants and desires of yesterday have incorporated themselves into normalcy, faded from a primitive urging. Deep down, in our conscience, we will remember the yearning we had to be outdoors, the need we all felt to be out on public lands. We will surely flock there many times more to reach our roots and quench the inherent thirst for freedom.