It was late fall, and my
8-year-old daughter and I stood at the bottom of a brushy, 300-foot
cliff and talus slope overlooking Blue Lake in southern
Oregon’s Sky Lakes Wilderness.
For me, it was a
short climb. For a little girl much smaller than me, the hill
looked downright colossal.
But I knew something about my
daughter that she is only beginning to learn: her potential.
As a high school teacher and coach over the last 15
years, I’ve made some disheartening observations regarding
the health and welfare of our society’s children.
Kids are perhaps the best reflection of America’s culture.
I’ve seen too many kids influenced by too much television.
I’ve seen too many kids hooked by commercials advertising
“extra value” meals and flashy technological advancements to make
our lives “easier.” I’ve seen too many kids too eager for
motorized all-terrain equipment that can “get us there faster.”
You’ve probably seen the statistics. Obesity is
rampant among American youngsters. Once they’ve learned bad
eating and exercise habits as children, they will likely carry
those habits into adulthood.
I don’t need the
statistics. I’ve seen it on the faces and bodies of too many
kids.
“C’mon,” I told my little girl. “You can do
it!”
She looked dubious. We both remembered all too well
a similar day when she was 4 years old, spent bushwhacking around a
nearby wilderness lake.
“This is the worst day of my
life!” she protested that day. I remember holding my laughter and
thinking to myself, if only you could be so fortunate.
So
we began scrambling up the hill, pulling ourselves hand-over-hand,
using the thick brush as handholds. I kept her safely right in
front of me.
“Step here,” I guided her. “Grab that branch
there. There you go!”
It is no coincidence that the “more
is better” message that saturates kids’ lives, correlates
with their poor health. The easy way has caused a disconnection
with the natural world, while shortening the potential of their
lives.
I don’t think it’s any coincidence
that while our kids become less in control of their own health,
they are becoming less in touch with nature.
For my
family, getting away from the bustle of life and commercialism has
meant traveling to land that has changed little over the last few
centuries; wilderness. Whether backpacking into the Sky Lakes
Wilderness nearby, tossing a fly into a stream or lake in the
Rockies, or pursuing blue grouse with a shotgun, getting back to
the natural world has been a challenge for my two young children
but a confidence booster as well. Though at times it comes under
protest, they know that their comfort zones can always be extended.
American families deserve — no, American families
need — places where they can get away and
work hard in healthy exercise. We need wilderness. We need rivers
and lakes, clean and free. It pains me when desk-bound politicians
label people who advocate for wild country and a clean and healthy
environment as “extremists.” To me, there’s nothing more
traditional, wholesome and American than a vigorous backcountry
adventure, no matter how small.
I am grateful my father
instilled in me at a very young age an appreciation of natural
settings, overcoming obstacles and spirited adventure. Former
President Theodore Roosevelt termed that lifestyle “the strenuous
life.”
My daughter and I were getting a good taste of the
strenuous life as we clawed our way up the hillside. She paused to
catch her breath, and I thought she might balk at climbing further.
But when she got her wind back, she pressed on.
As we
reached the top of the cliff to peer down at Blue Lake, my
daughter’s expression said it all. She radiated confidence,
vigor and pure joy. It was an experience that matured her beyond
her years.
“Daddy, that was a lot easier than it looked,”
she said. “Can we do it again?”
What a difference four
years can make. Now, it looks like I’ll be sweating in my
future, following her lead. We should all be so lucky.
Mike Beagle is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a
service of High Country News (hcn.org). A former
U.S. Army artillery officer, he is a teacher in Oregon’s
Rogue River Basin and serves as chairman of the nonprofit
Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.
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