LOCALadk Magazine

56 Fall 2020 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk Walt Whitman, who himself sought to be in nature for spir- itual healing as he endured the long road to recover y after a debilitating stroke, wrote in his 1882 volume of published reflections titled Specimen Days, "After you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, love, and so on — have found that none of these finally satisf y, or perma- nently wear — what remains? Nature remains." We experienced these words first-hand. When we awoke to discover our lives were suddenly filled with unknowns, nature provided us grace. When the world collectively felt ever ything we ever knew suddenly stripped away in a matter of days, nature remained. Never before has the important presence of nature in our lives been so blatantly highlighted on such a collective scale. Although the circumstances are dire, it is the reminder we all needed in an era where technology has become king. The Adirondacks have always been a particularly spectac- ular region, magnetic to countless visitors from around the world. The pandemic has only increased visitations to the trails this summer, even as travel bans hit regions near and far from crossing into the New York border. Countless res- idents in suburban and urban regions throughout the state flocked here for reprieve from either the high populations of their hometown or simply to get away and be amongst the endless peaks, rivers, and trails this region has to offer. If ever there were a time to realize why we must take care of nature, now is it. Of course, our mental wellness is not and cannot be the primar y reason we must take care of nature. The well-being of our planet and our existence within it depends on our at- tention to caring about and for the environment in the great- est of ways. But, if nothing else, it is my greatest hope that this chapter of life will rekindle that intimate connection with what the environment needs from us and the soulful re- juvenation it offers in return. As more individuals utilize the Adirondacks as a means to escape, endless photos and videos have appeared of toilet paper shoved in between rocks off trail, glass beer and li- quor bottles left in piles, plastic food bags trampled upon by a continuous stream of hikers. There have been many who ventured onto trails on their own accord with loads of gar- bage bags, hoping to collect trash and help this escalating problem, only to find their bags are overflowing well before reaching the summit. Our beloved mountains are quickly be- coming dumpsters, and the problem seems to be growing by the day. The juxtaposition between the abundant love for nature in times of turmoil and the blatant disregard to take care of it is baffling. More and more, it seems we are willing to take without giving back in return. In human relationships, this dynamic would quickly be identified as a toxic relationship. It remains a toxic relationship in the context of the wilder- ness, as well. The beautiful trails of the Adirondacks, trails that have existed since Orson "Mountain" Phelps car ved the first up Mount Marcy in 1861, have been bringing hikers from around the world joy and tranquility with their uniquely rugged maj- esty for nearly one hundred forty years. These trails have always and should continue to offer the pristine dive into the natural world that ever yone seeks upon their arrival. In the back of my mind, I hear my mother's words of wisdom spoken throughout my childhood (and adolescence if I am being com- pletely honest): "How hard is it to pick up after yourself ? " It's not. Plain and simple. And yet, the reckless discarding of garbage on the trails continues at an alarming rate.

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