Wild, Wild Forces

Dear Reader,

My previous blogs may give you the impression that I think outdoor recreation is all sunshine and rainbows (although it often does have both of those things). Nevertheless, I acknowledge that outdoor recreation is full of challenges and setbacks. When crushing rocks last week a few feet from a yellowjackets’ nest, I had one sting me on the ear. The sting itself was quick, but it left my lobe throbbing and swollen for a few hours. I even went to a restaurant with one ear looking significantly more colorful and maybe a bit misshapen compared to the other. Still, I acknowledge that I was working close to the bee’s home, and it was simply deploying its own method of security. These past few weeks have been rife with such encounters for our crew. From my brother spotting a bear on his bike, a giant rat snake lying near the trail, and Sandy encountering a rattlesnake on Munsee Eagle, we have been consistently reminded that Sterling Forest State Park is, in fact, a forest. There is little to no cell reception in most of the park, including at our dig sites, and the landscape is rugged and rocky, which is characteristic of the local terrain. Surprisingly, a recreational mishap almost never escalates to the point where a park user needs to be removed from the area; only about once a year does someone need to be rescued. Having said that, though, I would hate to be that unlucky person.

Zoe on a trail volunteer day. Shortly thereafter, the group came upon a yellow jacket’s underground nest and our digging was halted by a bee attack.

Considering these risks, it is easy to become fearful of the wilderness, but it is important to remind yourself that the outdoors is not out to get you. That may seem obvious as the outdoors is an inanimate concept and therefore cannot have intentions. Rather, my point is that local parks are not some evil forests waiting to test you like trials for a mythological hero. They simply exist as spaces in which humans are visitors. In short, because our society draws this binary between humans and nature, the woods is effectively somebody else’s home, and respect is as indispensable as caution when you are a guest. Meet the woods where it is at, and enjoy it for what it is. In my opinion, this is the best way to break down the artificial walls that separate us from the ecosystems that birthed our species.

Best,

Dani G.

Sandy’s recent rattle snake encounter on Munsee Eagle.