Foster a Love of Nature on National Trails Day

Most of my blog posts so far have been about recycling and trying to live more sustainably, which is good, but I haven’t gotten to the heart of why I started this blog. I love nature with a passion I don’t have for much else and I really want to share that passion with others. If I can encourage someone to stop and look at a flower they might have otherwise walked past, or check out a local green space in their area, that’s what is most meaningful to me. Saturday, June 5th, is National Trails Day, and I really hope this post inspires you to get out and appreciate our natural spaces and share your appreciation with others.

“We cannot protect something we do not love, we cannot love what we do not know, and we cannot know what we do not see. And touch. And hear.” – Richard Louv

I’m not a botanist, biologist, or ecologist. I can identify a handful of plants, a fair amount of animals, and some trees, but arguably I don’t know most of the things there are to know about the natural world. But what I do know is that I feel peace deep into the core of my being when I step into the forest. I know without a doubt that this is where I go from existing day-to-day to becoming alive. Research is starting to show what I and other outdoor enthusiasts have discovered: spending time in nature is simultaneously life giving and life altering. For me, it’s essential component of who I am and how I identify myself to others. I’m a backpacker, a hiker, a kayaker, etc. I’m a person who does fun stuff outside.

But my passion is deeper than a sum of my outdoor hobbies. A few years ago I was given a word of the day calendar. On my birthday the word happened to be “sylvan,” which means “One who is of the forest.” That’s me, in a nutshell, and receiving that word of the day felt life-affirming. I believe that this sylvan-ness, this connection to nature, is in all of us. In some of us it’s already awake and in some of us long dormant. But there’s something special, meant to be, about humanity in nature. Science has shown that being in natural spaces decrease stress and increase feelings of wellbeing. Whether this has an evolutionary basis or some other reason, being in nature changes our brains for the better.

Sylvan – one who is of the forest

Teaching children (and adults) about neat plants and animals helps bridge that gap between knowing and not knowing. But the next step, going from knowing to loving – becoming a sylvan – I don’t think is something that can be taught. I think it has to be organically experienced and lived by spending time in natural spaces. There is learning and memorization (knowledge): “this is a trillium, named for it’s three petals and three leaves, and this is a pick lady slipper, a native orchid.” And then there is the feeling of joy and excitement when you stumble upon them in the wild and then the love is born. (Both of these beauties are out and blooming now in PA!)

Childhood experiences like family camping trips, growing up playing at the lake or running through the woods helps form this positive association with nature that continues into adulthood. But it doesn’t have to start in childhood – you can connect with the world outdoors no matter how old you are. It can start as simply by taking a walk in a green space near you and paying attention to the little details: the birds calling from the trees, interesting looking plants you can’t identify, or finding a waterway running through the trees.

Some people may not ever feel like nature, with all the bugs and ticks and mud and gross things, could ever be enjoyable or enthralling. I could do without the ticks, that’s for sure. Maybe nature isn’t for everyone, but I suspect that deep down, it really is for all of us once we get past our fear or aversion of things that are unknown or different than us (except ticks).

I hope to capture the magic that I feel when spending a night out in the woods or hiking through a corridor of blooming mountain laurel, seeing a wild animal or interesting flower, and share it with you in this and future blog posts. I hope that that spark of magic moves something in you and spurs you to connect with nature, maybe for the first time, or to deepen your relationship. If you’re already a nature nut like me, sharing your taste of magic with someone else might inspire them to commune with nature, too.

My hope is that someday we’ll all be able to come together and agree on just one thing: nature is freaking awesome and we want to do what we can to keep her that way. I hope to see you out on the trails on National Trails Day, Saturday, June 5th, and for many other days thereafter. If you want to participate in an in-person or virtual event to celebrate and maintain our trails and wild spaces, you can search for one in your area on the American Hiking Society’s website, here.

I’d love to know how you connect to nature and how it affects your life, so please let me know in the comments. Happy hiking (biking/climbing/being outside)!