There’s no silver lining to recent events in our country. The dumpster fire in DC is spilling into the real world, most recently in the firing of thousands of people who keep public lands open. As AJ contributor and wildfire expert Amanda Monthei noted on Instagram:
“Trail crews in Montana, especially, have been absolutely decimated. Helena-Lewis and Clark NF lost 15/17 people on their trails crew, which managed 1,300 miles of trails in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Do you know what happens when trails aren’t managed? They erode, become overgrown, or get so fcked up with windstorm treefall so as to be completely unnavigable. This happens in the course of, like, six months. Gutting trails crews will reduce access to your favorite trails. Hope you like hiking with a Stihl 290 and a couple gallons of gas, because you’re going to need that to access your favorite wilderness areas from now on.”
There’s nothing good in losing these public servants. There’s nothing good in what’s happening in DC. If you’re like me, you’re feeling anger, sadness, grief, and frustration — all normal. But life goes on. I don’t mean that as an exhortation but as a simple fact. So we have a choice: stay in bed or get up and make the best of it. Adventurous people don’t stay in bed (well, maybe a little). We dig out the snow collapsing the tent, pick burrs from our socks, find comfort in uncomfortable situations, and keep moving.
However we move forward, we must do it together. The adventure world has long celebrated the lone wolf, the stoic climber who goes it alone. That’s not what we need now. The American ideal of rugged individualism and technologies that isolate us have created the illusion that we’re fine on our own. We’re not. We’ve always been interdependent. I don’t pretend to know exactly what pulling together looks like for you — those answers are personal — but we desperately need to build and strengthen our networks and friendships. Maybe that means taking in someone who lost their home to fire, bringing meals to someone who lost a job, or simply making a call. You’ll find the right actions when you look for them.
This, to me, is the most important thing we can do. It’s easy to become consumed by national headlines or to make personal lifestyle changes in the name of progress. But the most powerful work happens face to face, person to person. Don’t know how to help a struggling friend? Ask them.
Stephen Casimiro
Editor + Founder
