Well said; let's hear it for the common good.
18
We visited Rocky Mountain and Arches National Parks this summer with our children.
These, and the other park, are national treasures. They are inexpensive, educational, and spectacular.
As our urban areas get more crowded, and as the world, in some ways, gets more unhinged, these parks are more valuable than ever.
These, and the other park, are national treasures. They are inexpensive, educational, and spectacular.
As our urban areas get more crowded, and as the world, in some ways, gets more unhinged, these parks are more valuable than ever.
16
My Dad took me camping in the Sierras from before I could walk until our family imploded when I was about 10. As an adult now, when I backpack in the Sierras and become enveloped by the piney scent of the woods, I have a surreal peace, an indescribable feeling that I am as close to heaven on Earth as I will ever get.
16
Response from environmental professional Lynn Stafford
Interesting concept, and very well written, however with one serious flaw.
The writer did not mention that these public properties are continually threatened by private interests.
We cannot rest on our laurels. Environmental activists are constantly fighting invasions and degradations, winning some battles and losing others These activists need support. Center for Biodiversity is one the finer groups. Sierra has kind of folded its tent, in my opinion.
Some agencies are more prone to corruption than others. In my work representing public agencies in enforcing environmental mitigation measures during infrastructure projects on public lands, I found that BLM (Bureau of Land Management) is one of the poorest at protection. National Forest Service is not much better.
I wish the author would have indicated that these resources need continual vigorous oversight. He implied that our wilderness is one area where we don't have to worry about the billionaires. This complacency is very far from the truth, and does a disservice to the activists that are vigorously defending these public entities.
The very trail he is talking about and the region he especially likes (South of Sonora Pass) was seriously threatened by a TransSierra Highway project between Yosemite and Kings Canyon Park that would be in place today except for vigorous opposition.
Interesting concept, and very well written, however with one serious flaw.
The writer did not mention that these public properties are continually threatened by private interests.
We cannot rest on our laurels. Environmental activists are constantly fighting invasions and degradations, winning some battles and losing others These activists need support. Center for Biodiversity is one the finer groups. Sierra has kind of folded its tent, in my opinion.
Some agencies are more prone to corruption than others. In my work representing public agencies in enforcing environmental mitigation measures during infrastructure projects on public lands, I found that BLM (Bureau of Land Management) is one of the poorest at protection. National Forest Service is not much better.
I wish the author would have indicated that these resources need continual vigorous oversight. He implied that our wilderness is one area where we don't have to worry about the billionaires. This complacency is very far from the truth, and does a disservice to the activists that are vigorously defending these public entities.
The very trail he is talking about and the region he especially likes (South of Sonora Pass) was seriously threatened by a TransSierra Highway project between Yosemite and Kings Canyon Park that would be in place today except for vigorous opposition.
47
Most Americans in the future will never be able to make this type of trip. They are to their jobs at Target, call stations at 12 dollars an hour, they are on the 'Team America' that keeps it running so a well paid columnist at the Times can tell them how wonderfull it all is.
At 57 year old, I can remember a time when the expectation was that most people could if they wanted to.
It is not our land any more. The entrance fees to Yosemite here in California alone saw to that a long time ago. I cannot traverse the national forest near where I am in Southern California on the edge of the megalopolis without a paid permit. Most Angelenos now will probably never get as far as Big Bear. None of the bottom half of greater New York could afford the transportation to even get to the Sierra. Have fun, vote Democrat. although it's kinda late....
At 57 year old, I can remember a time when the expectation was that most people could if they wanted to.
It is not our land any more. The entrance fees to Yosemite here in California alone saw to that a long time ago. I cannot traverse the national forest near where I am in Southern California on the edge of the megalopolis without a paid permit. Most Angelenos now will probably never get as far as Big Bear. None of the bottom half of greater New York could afford the transportation to even get to the Sierra. Have fun, vote Democrat. although it's kinda late....
9
What an uninformed comment. These wonderful treasures do not pay for themselves.
They must rely on the nominal park entrance fees and politicians who are more interested in funding foreign governments and other misplaced priorities in order to receive their meager budgets.
But fret not my friend, in three years you can purchase a senior park pass and enter every US park for the rest of your life. For $10.
They must rely on the nominal park entrance fees and politicians who are more interested in funding foreign governments and other misplaced priorities in order to receive their meager budgets.
But fret not my friend, in three years you can purchase a senior park pass and enter every US park for the rest of your life. For $10.
18
"Wilderness offers therapy for the soul [?]"
I did a lot of hitchhiking in college, thanks to Jack Kerouac convincing me that being "On the Road" was a romantic spiritual adventure. Kerouac ended up a drunk and hanging out in Gunther's Tap Room, Northport, Long Island, not far from where I grew up. I never got around to buying him a beer. That took me to an Oregon ranch, which was 50 miles from nowhere and when you got to nowhere all the girls had gone to the beach for the summer. Finally, I made it to the real wilderness, the commercial fishing grounds of Prince William, AK, a 1000 miles from nowhere where there were no girls period, where a work mistake could kill you quicker than you can say Jack Robinson. After that was when I decided to get a nice sit on your butt-job like Nick's, where your coworkers smell good and are pleasant to look at, with occasional paid "vacations" to exotic faraway lands.
http://holycross-and-clarencethomas.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-sit-on-your-b...
http://holycross-and-clarencethomas.blogspot.com/2015/08/no-country-for-...
http://holycross-and-clarencethomas.blogspot.com/2015/08/no-country-for-...
I did a lot of hitchhiking in college, thanks to Jack Kerouac convincing me that being "On the Road" was a romantic spiritual adventure. Kerouac ended up a drunk and hanging out in Gunther's Tap Room, Northport, Long Island, not far from where I grew up. I never got around to buying him a beer. That took me to an Oregon ranch, which was 50 miles from nowhere and when you got to nowhere all the girls had gone to the beach for the summer. Finally, I made it to the real wilderness, the commercial fishing grounds of Prince William, AK, a 1000 miles from nowhere where there were no girls period, where a work mistake could kill you quicker than you can say Jack Robinson. After that was when I decided to get a nice sit on your butt-job like Nick's, where your coworkers smell good and are pleasant to look at, with occasional paid "vacations" to exotic faraway lands.
http://holycross-and-clarencethomas.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-sit-on-your-b...
http://holycross-and-clarencethomas.blogspot.com/2015/08/no-country-for-...
http://holycross-and-clarencethomas.blogspot.com/2015/08/no-country-for-...
PBS had a fabulous series on the National Parks and you are exactly on target when you say that these areas would be bought up by the richest if available in today's world. In the last hundred years or more we have morphed into a society that knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Think not?
Look at the Republican hopefuls. From top to bottom not a single one values anything but promotion of the self against the rest. If you scratch one of them, don't be surprised if they support the idea of privatizing the national parks and getting the government off our back(packs) there.
Look at the Republican hopefuls. From top to bottom not a single one values anything but promotion of the self against the rest. If you scratch one of them, don't be surprised if they support the idea of privatizing the national parks and getting the government off our back(packs) there.
18
In my younger days I'd put full day or two on the Pacific Crest Trail. Hoping to finish in my lifetime. However, age catches up to all of us. Our Pacific Crest Trail hikes have reduced to couple hours every duple of months. But, its beauty and grace gets better with age.
6
Hey Nick. Your thoughts on both Thursday (and today) are well taken. I'm 62, so I'm past the wilderness stage. My advice: get that Pacific Trail done Sir before decrepitness sets in! I DO agree that these ARE our lands, and we replenish our 'souls' and let the wilderness do its magic. About the guns? I'm really NOT surprised you got push back. Its a volatile area. You'd think we'd have reached the point by now, but we haven't. In fact it's gotten worse. I have a grandson, so I'm really NOT happy about it. At the very least, we need to deal with the mental health aspect of it!
2
Good for you Nicholas! The two of you are building a wonderful memory based on such a rare experience. To be able to hike the Pacific Crest Trail with your daughter is to build an incredible bond. Thank you for sharing, and I hope to read more of your back country adventures soon.
6
Very interesting choices for the editorial page this morning. This piece touts the egalitarianism of our national parks, but another states as if it is a fact that we have different classes in our country.
The NYT writes a great many editorials in support of allowing undocumented workers to remain here. It fails to understand that one reason many of them have spilled out of their own countries is their large populations. The undocumented continue to have many children when they come to our country.
Most of the people who respond to the NYT’ editorials are against illegal immigration. But some people write in to say the U.S. has an enormous amount of “unused space” that could be used for housing and farming. These people don’t understand that we need these spaces to remain undeveloped.
Most of the people who respond to the NYT’ editorials are against illegal immigration. But some people write in to say the U.S. has an enormous amount of “unused space” that could be used for housing and farming. These people don’t understand that we need these spaces to remain undeveloped.
1
A few years ago I went hiking and camping along a northerly portion of the Pacific Coast Trail with a few of my siblings, nephews, nieces and their friends. They were all born and raised in the area and are life-long hikers. I was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago where the pitchers mound at the home of the White Sox is a "mountain."
I love the outdoors from watching birds to gazing at stars. I was an avid power walking outdoorsmen. You have described my sense of discovery and wonder beyond anything that I could have imagined. The silence. The darkness. The light. The sounds. But alas my knees were really challenged by the incline and the tight rocky slippery climbing turns. That was my first and last exploration.
I love the outdoors from watching birds to gazing at stars. I was an avid power walking outdoorsmen. You have described my sense of discovery and wonder beyond anything that I could have imagined. The silence. The darkness. The light. The sounds. But alas my knees were really challenged by the incline and the tight rocky slippery climbing turns. That was my first and last exploration.
3
Kudos to Mr. Kristof and his teenage daughter, who should be referred to as Miss Kristof (if she is the eldest), for hiking 210 miles! The humans' primeval instincts, the Thoreauvian drive to nature, and the great expanse of uninhabited land make the enjoyment of the great outdoors a truly psychologically reviving experience. Hiking, backpacking, horse riding, canoeing are all there. My preference? -- Horse riding, I am lazy.
2
The height of arrogance. "If the American West were discovered today...." The American West was discovered long before the European settlers came.
1
Yes, although I don't see how that issue of "discovery" really reflects on Nicholas's central point about the levelling effects of being out in nature in the ways he describes.
6
"I can’t help thinking that if the American West were discovered today, the most glorious bits would be sold off to the highest bidder." You are so right about that. In fact, when the parks were being created, there were already business men grabbing parts of the Grand Canyon among other things. It was a guy grinding up the Petrified Forest (now a National Park) that gave the whole park movement a real push. The National parks, the urban parks, the libraries/colleges created, the whole Beautiful City movement all occurred in the last half of the 19th century. Say what you will about the old robber barons and city hall; at least they had a sense of civic pride and would spend their money for the greater good.
9
>
You must have not read the Memo. Our new Godhead is the dollar and the bottomline.
You must have not read the Memo. Our new Godhead is the dollar and the bottomline.
1
Beautiful thoughts on our shared heritage. I have hiked on some of these and would love to be in the place described here. For any who have yet to savor the sweetness and blisters of such freedom, don't wait too long to begin! Every day of waiting is a day lost to the realization of what paradise on earth can be. And it is there for all who can reach it.
3
The Weminuche area of Colorado, especially Elk Creek, can only be described with that wonderful word "sublime". Backpacking there with my son has given me a lifetime of memories. The Zen of isolation is confronting yourself. The ephemeral beauty of every moment and the effort required to absorb it is an epiphany of existence.
3
Mr. Kristof,
I applaud your egalitarian wilderness thesis and share your great passion for backpacking in the High Sierra. However, your reference to Gifford Pinchot as one "who helped preserve our wild places" I find ironic and inappropriate at best while referencing Yosemite. Mr. Gifford's infamous "progressive" political position that the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite must be sacrificed to build the O'Shaughnessey Dam so that Tuolumne River water might be piped via the Hetch Hetchy aquaduct to San Francisco remains the single most egregious violation within our nation's National Park system.
By his staunch support of the Raker Act of 1913, Gifford Pinchot helped to fabricate an enormous man-made scar - the dam - within the heart of Yosemite National Park. The great conservationist John Muir wrote "Hetch Hetchy is a grand landscape garden, one of nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples." Muir understood well what was sacrificed by the Raker Act in the name of progress.
I submit to you that it is primarily Muir, and not Pinchot, that deserves the (mountain) lion's share of credit for creating that marvelous wilderness path, the Pacific Crest Trail, that you are enjoying sauntering along with your daughter. What a wonderful thing for both of you to experience together! Walking the PCT is indeed a great spiritual saunter: taking the saint's path through the holy land.
I applaud your egalitarian wilderness thesis and share your great passion for backpacking in the High Sierra. However, your reference to Gifford Pinchot as one "who helped preserve our wild places" I find ironic and inappropriate at best while referencing Yosemite. Mr. Gifford's infamous "progressive" political position that the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite must be sacrificed to build the O'Shaughnessey Dam so that Tuolumne River water might be piped via the Hetch Hetchy aquaduct to San Francisco remains the single most egregious violation within our nation's National Park system.
By his staunch support of the Raker Act of 1913, Gifford Pinchot helped to fabricate an enormous man-made scar - the dam - within the heart of Yosemite National Park. The great conservationist John Muir wrote "Hetch Hetchy is a grand landscape garden, one of nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples." Muir understood well what was sacrificed by the Raker Act in the name of progress.
I submit to you that it is primarily Muir, and not Pinchot, that deserves the (mountain) lion's share of credit for creating that marvelous wilderness path, the Pacific Crest Trail, that you are enjoying sauntering along with your daughter. What a wonderful thing for both of you to experience together! Walking the PCT is indeed a great spiritual saunter: taking the saint's path through the holy land.
7
Talk in these comments of state and private incursions onto federal lands is not particularly relevant to the administration of the PCT. While the Trail, itself, has federal protection, much of the land it runs through is either privately-owned or state-owned. The trail in these places is generally protected by easement, but there is no assurance that development will not encroach upon the trail. The PCT Association works, in cooperation, with the landowners, to protect the trail. By necessity, this is a process of compromise. Those who speak of war between the feds, the states, and private owners are talking about somewhere else. Demonizing those who have granted easements and have the right to build close by the trail is hardly productive.
The great irony of the national park system is that the lodging is so expensive that only the upper classes can actually enjoy the experience -- and not only the American upper classes. I was in the Olympic National Park in Washington St. a few years ago and a fair number of my fellow lodgers were speaking Russian no less. Plus there were a fair number of Germans and Japanese present as well. So what has happened inadvertently is that air travel has made it possible for the wealthy class from around the world to use and access our national park system. I will bet that over 95 percent of the U.S, population has never been to a national park -- except maybe a day trip to a nearby location. They are basically retreats for the rich and famous.
3
This assumes that you stay in the high end lodging in the crown jewel parks. Sure, if you stay at the Ahwanee Lodge in Yosemite, you're going to pay through the nose. But if you camp or stay in a gateway town, you can have a pretty cheap and amazing vacation. Even in Yosemite, the highest camping fee is $26 a night -- the lowest is $6.
The National Park Service has more than 400 parks, national recreation areas, national monuments, historical sites, etc., spread throughout the country. They include urban sites like the Statue of Liberty and the Liberty Bell. Have 95% of Americans never stayed overnight in a National Park Service unit? Maybe. But many of them don't even have overnight lodging or, like many historic sites, can be fully enjoyed in a day.
The National Park Service has more than 400 parks, national recreation areas, national monuments, historical sites, etc., spread throughout the country. They include urban sites like the Statue of Liberty and the Liberty Bell. Have 95% of Americans never stayed overnight in a National Park Service unit? Maybe. But many of them don't even have overnight lodging or, like many historic sites, can be fully enjoyed in a day.
11
Lodging and dining are not the only ways to stay at or enjoy a national park. If you dislike camping or cooking meals over a fire, then yes, that might lead to the more costly options.
9
Be careful here, Mr. K. The right wing wants to sell off the parks and trails to private persons and interests. Look at the travesty that just may happen to the Grand Canyon. Maybe it would be better to tone down your enthusiasm, or you will see a MacDonalds at the creek crossing on the Pacific Crest Trail.
7
"Utah lawmakers approved more than $12 million in funding at this year’s session for their fight to wrest control of public lands from the federal government and extract natural resources from them, the Associated Press reports. . ." R. Landers Spokesman-Review 8/30/15
If it is up to some conservatives, Mr. Kristof, it will not always be your land.
If it is up to some conservatives, Mr. Kristof, it will not always be your land.
14
Having just returned from Alaska, thanking Calvin Coolidge, Jimmy Carter, and John Muir, along with Teddy Roosevelt, for their conservation work every step of the way (OK, mostly steps on the cruise ship and excursion boat decks now that my hiking days are over), I was thrilled to see this piece.
If you have ever spent time in the wilderness you understand how the sight of snow capped mountains, icy fjords, impenetrable stands of incredibly tall spruce, and whales, bears, and eagles living free could, and did, reduce me to tears.
If you have ever spent time in the wilderness you understand how the sight of snow capped mountains, icy fjords, impenetrable stands of incredibly tall spruce, and whales, bears, and eagles living free could, and did, reduce me to tears.
10
An "outdoors man" who's not very good at reading maps. More than half the US west is publicly owned. Large portions of the land not publicly owned, including the prime real estate literally surrounding Phoenix, Arizona, is owned by Native Americans. The glass is always half full at Nick's table.
1
And right smack in the middle of our "oppressing inequality" some to the best public land, owned by the State of Arizona, has been acquired by Phoenix, Maricopa County and Scottsdale and turned permanently into public park preserves, eg, Spur Cross Ranch, Phoenix Sonoran Preserve, and McDowell-Sonoran Preserve in the astonishingly beautiful bajada. In the meantime Phoenix's Native American tribes have turned their vast, abundantly watered holdings into gambling casinos and commercial farming ventures that egregiously aggravate the city's dust storm problem.
Federal lands are controlled by the Federal Government which can rescind the right of folk to use them on a whim. Obama did exactly that in 2013.
2
On a whim? What possible evidence supports this, beyond your implied contempt for the president?
All anyone has to do is travel to West Virginia and see what is happening to this great country. "Greed is Good"
2
Wilderness is a social construct, there has never been a 'wilderness' that has been free of human interaction. There are landscapes that humans have not been able to *dominate*, and these days there are pretty much none of those except ones we put covenants on (like national park or wilderness designations). But wilderness is not an objectively real thing, there is no aboriginal word for it in any language on any continent.
So wilderness is a particular, non-universal construct. How does that constructedness reflect on or challenge what Nicholas wrote? Whatever the metadiscourse, the place he talks about is one where hail stones sting us all alike, where bears command respect from all, where mosquitoes feed indiscriminately, where trees and rivers remain transparent to class, where the facts of weather apply to every being who encounters them, and where the immediate challenges of roughing it on the backpack trail have nothing to do with your pedigree, property holdings or sense of entitlement.
suggest that you consider the Seven Brothers Trail in the Cloud Peak Wilderness area in Wyoming for a future trip. There are many National Parks, forests and wilderness areas that are very lightly used. Very inexpensive for those who have a car and can get to the starting points for these areas. In response to one of the commenters, it would be great if there were an accessible public transport. I have used them in Alaska and Yellowstone but have not seen them in other areas.
2
I always wondered how a private company got control of part of the Redwood Forests some years ago and held up the California and Federal Governments for a "ransom" or they would log it. The company is Plum Creek Timber and, as I just learned today from Wikipedia, was a company formed by Burlington Northern Railroad during the harmonic convergence of greed and "destroy government" orgy by capitalists in the late 1980s. Plum Creek is one of the largest landowners in the United States and their only environment concern is being paid ransom not to destroy OUR country and public lands.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Creek_Timber
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Creek_Timber
1
The concept of merely using land has been passed-on, from generation to generation, by Native Americans. No doubt, it is the same for other indigenous peoples in many other lands.
Native Americans cherish the land with which they are entrusted, not for what they can take from it, but from what it gives them. Land provides those who treat it well by feeding, clothing and housing them. And that way, the land--and all of it's surrounding bounty--will benefit us all, for generations to come.
Neat idea, huh?
Native Americans cherish the land with which they are entrusted, not for what they can take from it, but from what it gives them. Land provides those who treat it well by feeding, clothing and housing them. And that way, the land--and all of it's surrounding bounty--will benefit us all, for generations to come.
Neat idea, huh?
1
Another aspect of hiking these trails is the tribe to be discoverd of like-spirited souls who reflect at the alter of nature, our source and inspiration.
It is delightful that the NYT has a columnist with his appreciation for our land.
It is delightful that the NYT has a columnist with his appreciation for our land.
1
Sure would be nice if Congress recognized what a treasure and resource our national parks are and funded the Park Service properly.
4
Well said! Maine has a lot of public land, and when I go to state parks here I'm so grateful for government efforts to keep such land public and maintain it.
2
Better than any movie.
Two weeks and a couple of days ago I was camping and peak bagging with my outdoor advocacy club the Desert Survivors. We were camped 8000 feet high in Mahogany Flats Campground in Death Valley National Park. That night there was no moon and it was the peak of the Perseid Meteor shower. The Milky Way was so brilliant it lit up the landscape and there was a lightning storm in the east over Nevada. Then every once and a while a meteor fireball would streak across the sky above us. Why go to the movies to see the Lord of the Rings when I can go outside and wonder at the universe.
Peter
Two weeks and a couple of days ago I was camping and peak bagging with my outdoor advocacy club the Desert Survivors. We were camped 8000 feet high in Mahogany Flats Campground in Death Valley National Park. That night there was no moon and it was the peak of the Perseid Meteor shower. The Milky Way was so brilliant it lit up the landscape and there was a lightning storm in the east over Nevada. Then every once and a while a meteor fireball would streak across the sky above us. Why go to the movies to see the Lord of the Rings when I can go outside and wonder at the universe.
Peter
6
Richard,
"force our daughters to pretend to enjoy the outdoors" Really? You make it sound like you are certain that all daughters would hate that experience. Mine loved it and went gladly and without force.
Because of those experiences, she is now a large animal veterinarian and enjoys the wildness you speak of, those lands that you think should be sold to the highest bidder, constantly and with great love and respect for what’s left of mother nature's gifts to us.
"force our daughters to pretend to enjoy the outdoors" Really? You make it sound like you are certain that all daughters would hate that experience. Mine loved it and went gladly and without force.
Because of those experiences, she is now a large animal veterinarian and enjoys the wildness you speak of, those lands that you think should be sold to the highest bidder, constantly and with great love and respect for what’s left of mother nature's gifts to us.
4
Woody Guthrie got it right. This land is our land. And, John Muir and the Sierra Club did the lobbying to save Yosemite and many other wild lands we can all call our own. Don't forget to support your local wilderness lobbying groups.
As for the land itself, the best wild lands are off the trail. It amazes me that people get on that freeway of a trail (John Muir and Pacific Crest Trail) and hike 20 or 30 miles a day to do the whole thing and don't take time to stop and see the little froglets crawling out of tadpole-dom, the minute pond creatures in the fishless tarns, the 360 degree views from the high peaks, and the small bees visiting the wildflowers. When you're out there, slow down and take the time to really SEE what you're hiking through.
As for the land itself, the best wild lands are off the trail. It amazes me that people get on that freeway of a trail (John Muir and Pacific Crest Trail) and hike 20 or 30 miles a day to do the whole thing and don't take time to stop and see the little froglets crawling out of tadpole-dom, the minute pond creatures in the fishless tarns, the 360 degree views from the high peaks, and the small bees visiting the wildflowers. When you're out there, slow down and take the time to really SEE what you're hiking through.
4
Dr. Kristoff extols the wonders the "free" unspoiled backcountry of public lands being held untouched so that generations to come can experience a few places managed only by Mother Earth and Father Sky.
But is it "free"?
Nicholas won't mind if I expand just a bit on "free".
Many people have invested massive capital and time to preserve public land from those who view places like he describes purely as objects of profit, to be toyed with like their hoarded portfolio of wealth and politicians in order to validate their power.
"Free" public land has required a vicious fight and will require constant vigilance since no freedom is ever won permanently.
But is it "free"?
Nicholas won't mind if I expand just a bit on "free".
Many people have invested massive capital and time to preserve public land from those who view places like he describes purely as objects of profit, to be toyed with like their hoarded portfolio of wealth and politicians in order to validate their power.
"Free" public land has required a vicious fight and will require constant vigilance since no freedom is ever won permanently.
6
"oppressive inequality"
How is it that if one has substantially more than another it is oppressive? How does it inflict any hardship at all? Just pure envy? Most Americans could not care less that some have more than they do. What they do care about is opportunity to achieve more for themselves based on their own - not collective - achievement, exactly what the opposite of what "progressives" offer.
How is it that if one has substantially more than another it is oppressive? How does it inflict any hardship at all? Just pure envy? Most Americans could not care less that some have more than they do. What they do care about is opportunity to achieve more for themselves based on their own - not collective - achievement, exactly what the opposite of what "progressives" offer.
1
must get lonely
1
Oppressive inequality is when some people have so much money, resources, and power, that they can buy anything they want, including politicians and legislators to enact laws to protect and increase that money and power. They rig the game. They tip the scale. Opportunities are becoming few and far between in "The Land of Opportunity" these days. Progressives are not anti-achievement. We are pro fairness and pro opportunities for everyone, not just a few.
Conservatives worship at the altar of "capitalism" like it's some benevolent god. But that god is failing. The bullies now control the board and the rest of us have little value anymore in this soon to be robotic age. Workers will be a fiscal liability. Not worth the upkeep. "Conservatives" offer nothing to solve this problem.They refuse to acknowledge it even exists. Global Warming - Diminishing resources - overpopulation - and into that mix add fewer jobs and lower incomes - what do you get? I say "trouble, right here in River City..."
Conservatives worship at the altar of "capitalism" like it's some benevolent god. But that god is failing. The bullies now control the board and the rest of us have little value anymore in this soon to be robotic age. Workers will be a fiscal liability. Not worth the upkeep. "Conservatives" offer nothing to solve this problem.They refuse to acknowledge it even exists. Global Warming - Diminishing resources - overpopulation - and into that mix add fewer jobs and lower incomes - what do you get? I say "trouble, right here in River City..."
2
For reasons the author mentions, and more, it is vital that we not only preserve the wild lands we currently have, but preserve more, in a future of ever greater global overpopulation. In spite of all the wilderness we've preserved, many species have been reduced to small areas. In spite of the vast size of Russia, only 40 Baika or AMur Leopards are still alive in that country. In spite of the enormous area covered by the oceans, we have depleted fish populations to less than 10% of their historic size due to overfishing. Clearly MUCH more protection of wild lands is needed.
What we now see with the migrants/refugees desperate to get into Europe, and the longer history of immigrants from Mexico, Central and South America into North AMerica, will be a minor chapter in a more desperate and widespread human press upon land and resources, as our population continues to rise while available land and natural resources stay the same.
I hope I'm not alive for the day when politicians decide that the Paradaisical, magnificent Sierra mountain meadows where the author hiked the Pacific Crest trail, need to be mowed down for highways and housing developments, because the population of California is growing too rapidly. We've grown into a world that can't say no to more and more people shoving themselves in. I fear that lacking anyone with spine to say NO, people will destroy the world's natural treasures to carve out ever more space for ever too many more people.
What we now see with the migrants/refugees desperate to get into Europe, and the longer history of immigrants from Mexico, Central and South America into North AMerica, will be a minor chapter in a more desperate and widespread human press upon land and resources, as our population continues to rise while available land and natural resources stay the same.
I hope I'm not alive for the day when politicians decide that the Paradaisical, magnificent Sierra mountain meadows where the author hiked the Pacific Crest trail, need to be mowed down for highways and housing developments, because the population of California is growing too rapidly. We've grown into a world that can't say no to more and more people shoving themselves in. I fear that lacking anyone with spine to say NO, people will destroy the world's natural treasures to carve out ever more space for ever too many more people.
2
it's great that there is still so much open space in CA. You don't have to head for the hills to enjoy a semi-wilderness experience. I live in Oakland and not 15 minutes from my home are open space parks where I hike on a regular basis - from many viewpoints you can see only wilderness for miles and miles. In New England where I moved from to get here, I lived in a very rural area but much of the land was privately owned - with homes on five-ten-fifty acre building lots. I could hike there but knew I was often treading through someone else's back acreage. The situation here is different with a lot of development, yes, and homes clustered together with smaller more manageable "yards" but miles of open space to view. Very refreshing in comparison.
I seriously fear near future for the future of our beautiful public lands if we unfortunately end up with a Republican House, Senate, President, and Supreme Court.
One of the big items on the affable President Reagan's "Morning in America" agenda was renting out the public lands for as little as a dollar an acre.
Buy or rent the public lands for the private capitalists' mining, logging, amusement parks, garbage dumps, or simply to seal off these magnificent land for the wealthy ones' personal estates and compounds.
Until recently, I never thought such a terrible thing could happen, but now I seriously worry--not about the crazy politicians who will say and do anything for campaign contributions, but about half this citizenry who are all Fox News uped and support the Republicans' wrecking-ball misadventures like it was the home-town mud wrestling team.
One of the big items on the affable President Reagan's "Morning in America" agenda was renting out the public lands for as little as a dollar an acre.
Buy or rent the public lands for the private capitalists' mining, logging, amusement parks, garbage dumps, or simply to seal off these magnificent land for the wealthy ones' personal estates and compounds.
Until recently, I never thought such a terrible thing could happen, but now I seriously worry--not about the crazy politicians who will say and do anything for campaign contributions, but about half this citizenry who are all Fox News uped and support the Republicans' wrecking-ball misadventures like it was the home-town mud wrestling team.
8
As a hard core libertarian, it gives me pause and a little pain that wild places would not exist in America were it not for National Parks and National Forests. Ted Turner owns millions of acres of land. Does he invite the public to camp, hike or hunt on his land? Uh, no.
One complaint, however. The Federales have put Grizzly bears at the top of the food chain. This needs to change because a lot more people are going to be hurt or killed. Shoot some grizzlies every year such that they learn to be scared to death of humans.
One complaint, however. The Federales have put Grizzly bears at the top of the food chain. This needs to change because a lot more people are going to be hurt or killed. Shoot some grizzlies every year such that they learn to be scared to death of humans.
1
Thank You, Mr. Kristof, for sharing your wilderness experiences with your daughter. Yes, sadly camping at state and national forests has gotten very expensive, and the forests are deteriorating, because services have been privatized. However, I disagree with this, "Sadly, that belief in public goods today seems old-fashioned!" The bought-and-paid-for message carried by fox so-called news and now much of the mainstream press makes it seem old-fashioned. The vast majority of Americans do not agree and it will be proven in the next elections when we send the operatives of the wealthy class you mention home from every elected office in the land.
2
It is Chief Seattle who once said : "Like a man who has been dying for many days, a man in your city is numb to the stench." And he also wrote the following to the President of the United States of his time : " When the green hills are covered with talking wires and the wolves no longer sing, what good will the money you paid for our land be then."
Our invading cities have become monstruous sources of pride for many as they keep on grabbing land day after day. City life is miserable when compared with life in the country side. Humanity has built cities that have become a source of madness and corruption for the people living within. No wonder it feels so good when one can escape the city and run to the wilderness where our mother nature will heal us with its natural curative powers.
I was born on a small farm and became a teacher in inner city high schools and I discovered that kids were affraid of the wilderness or found it totally boring. How can that be ? I asked myself. "There's nothing to do..." most of them said to me. Fortunately, there are some programs to bus inner city kids to country camps where they can discover how beautiful nature is. Without these camps for low income families, many children could never afford the cost of backpacking in the woods and walking along the quiet creek.
Thank you Mr. Kristof for reminding us how powerful wilderness can be in its healing power to helps us keep our sanity among the madness of the city.
Our invading cities have become monstruous sources of pride for many as they keep on grabbing land day after day. City life is miserable when compared with life in the country side. Humanity has built cities that have become a source of madness and corruption for the people living within. No wonder it feels so good when one can escape the city and run to the wilderness where our mother nature will heal us with its natural curative powers.
I was born on a small farm and became a teacher in inner city high schools and I discovered that kids were affraid of the wilderness or found it totally boring. How can that be ? I asked myself. "There's nothing to do..." most of them said to me. Fortunately, there are some programs to bus inner city kids to country camps where they can discover how beautiful nature is. Without these camps for low income families, many children could never afford the cost of backpacking in the woods and walking along the quiet creek.
Thank you Mr. Kristof for reminding us how powerful wilderness can be in its healing power to helps us keep our sanity among the madness of the city.
9
Assuredly the GOP has had much discussion in their inner circle about going about privatizing Social Security and issuing vouchers to purchase for profit health insurance in lieu of Medicare. It would not be beyond them to concoct a scheme to privatize our public lands. Enjoy them while you still can Nick, they will be fracking in Sonora Pass.
2
Some public lands have, indeed, been sold off, and not to the highest bidder. We, the people, need to pay closer attention to the ever present danger of losing our most precious resource, while our attention is being diverted by the political circus. It's done very quietly, and will certainly accelerate under a money-first Republican administration.
7
For an armchair version of this hike, check out the Kickstarter financed movie "Mile, Mile and a Half" on streaming Netflix. Excellent 90 minute recap of life on the trail, where the original six grew to about a dozen on the John Muir Trail section.
The planet is a single ecosystem; This is an issue where NIMBY is not enough.
3
I sure wish I could afford to take this kind of trip.
1
Save your pennies and do it - there are many parks not too far away from you in Illinois which would serve the purpose of hiking in the wilderness.
Oddly, the best vacations I've ever had have been in Great Basin National Park, and yes, I have been out of the country many times. This Park is lightly visited, and often I have the Bristle Cones, the trails, and the top of the 13000' mountain to myself and my friends. On my last trip Ranger Joseph sang to us about bats (he loved them), and by the end of the song he all had us making bat noises - well, sort of. How can one forget that?
When friends from other countries ask me what I feel the best thing about America is, I immediately think of our National Parks, Monuments, and Forests. Thank you Teddy Roosevelt.
When friends from other countries ask me what I feel the best thing about America is, I immediately think of our National Parks, Monuments, and Forests. Thank you Teddy Roosevelt.
5
Let there not come a time when the whole of nature---of our being--- is defined only by photographers and poets. Let the mystery of our search be articulated in the veiny cells of backlit leaf, as much as from the brilliance of the sun itself.
Hope cannot afford a rejection of the aforementioned. To do so is an invitation of our doom.
Hope cannot afford a rejection of the aforementioned. To do so is an invitation of our doom.
There is a certain breed of people that love the wild unspoiled places. The rest either want to put up a parking lot as the old song goes or avoid it like the plague as it is humbling and DOES remind us of our place in the universe. Its glory is lost on them as we become increasingly urbanized.
Yes, the vision of our ancestors was wise, the preservation of vast tracks of land for the nation, but we must remember though some would desperately try to forget that these lands were wrested violently away from the original native American inhabitants who we honor with poverty and the loss of their culture.
Yes, the vision of our ancestors was wise, the preservation of vast tracks of land for the nation, but we must remember though some would desperately try to forget that these lands were wrested violently away from the original native American inhabitants who we honor with poverty and the loss of their culture.
2
Mr. Kristof:
Thank you for a wonderful essay on our public lands! In a time when many would privatize these precious public assets, and in a time when our U.S. Congress is purposely withholding the funding our public land management agencies need to maintain these lands, we need more voices like this promoting the immeasurable value of these lands.
Personally, I have arraigned my life to live close to public land—the Santa Fe National Forest’s Pecos Wilderness in my case. I can’t imagine living in an area without access to public lands. Those that cherish their public lands need to understand that the conservative Libertarian would take this option away, would privatize these assets for private gain—at my cost and at your cost. If the Libertarian had their way I would lose my personal Liberty to access an asset that I gladly pay taxes on, that I gladly volunteer on, and that I respectfully use for recreation. In effect these individuals would supplant an established public Liberty for a taxpayer subsidized (by a transfer at less that market value) private Liberty.
So if you value your public lands, speak up more frequently, get out and volunteer for trail clearing, write your congressional representatives in support, thank the employees of public land management agencies for their work, and always be aware that there are those that would take this precious resource away from you and privatize it for their personal gain.
Michael Bain
Glorieta, New Mexico
Thank you for a wonderful essay on our public lands! In a time when many would privatize these precious public assets, and in a time when our U.S. Congress is purposely withholding the funding our public land management agencies need to maintain these lands, we need more voices like this promoting the immeasurable value of these lands.
Personally, I have arraigned my life to live close to public land—the Santa Fe National Forest’s Pecos Wilderness in my case. I can’t imagine living in an area without access to public lands. Those that cherish their public lands need to understand that the conservative Libertarian would take this option away, would privatize these assets for private gain—at my cost and at your cost. If the Libertarian had their way I would lose my personal Liberty to access an asset that I gladly pay taxes on, that I gladly volunteer on, and that I respectfully use for recreation. In effect these individuals would supplant an established public Liberty for a taxpayer subsidized (by a transfer at less that market value) private Liberty.
So if you value your public lands, speak up more frequently, get out and volunteer for trail clearing, write your congressional representatives in support, thank the employees of public land management agencies for their work, and always be aware that there are those that would take this precious resource away from you and privatize it for their personal gain.
Michael Bain
Glorieta, New Mexico
2
As a park ranger I once patrolled that trail. It's not free in that we all pay through our taxes. That section is also California's "water tower' (snowpack), the forest helps with carbon sequestration, and biodiversity protection. The grand egalitarian experiment envisioned by Muir, Roosevelt, and Pinchot worked! Now we face a new threat: people target shooting assault weapons. NRA: please help on this one!
4
A welcome commentary - and reminder that we no longer have a consensus between political groups on the importance of these protected lands, or a sense of collective ownership. There is a constant threat.
2
Yes, it's true as Kristoff says, " property, so valuable that no hedge fund manager could ever afford to buy or rent it." But the truth is that throughout the West, the moneyed oil, gas, and timber interests are trying to steal this heritage for profit, and have succeeded in some ways in doing so. As one example, the recent attempt to build an overlook/hotel/restaurant complex overlooking a river valley that took millions of years, the Grand Canyon. We have to remember, those not so "special" interests have more clout in Washington and in statehouses than we the American people have, but only if we do not create a sustained and rabble-rousing ruckus.
6
In a sense, The American West HAS been sold to the highest bidder: the fossil fuels industry. We sold it, to bankroll our unsustainable lifestyles. Now the West is on fire, due to climate-change-induced drought, and those ecosystems won't come back. Hike them while you still can.
6
That egalitarian quality of wilderness is for real.
Many decades ago, my wife (of a swarthy persuasion) and I were backpacking in the Smokies with our kids. We camped one night in a huge area with one other party, a Southern family. The Southern family's mother was a tad iffy-huffy about having to share the space with us. But her kids were playing with ours in short order, and it was not long before she was talking with the other mother there, my wife. Shortly they were laughing about how all the kids were wolfing down food that, at home, they would turn their noses up at.
Her husband, like me, was busy "making camp" and "bear-bagging" for the night. Once we were done bear-bagging, he and I sat down for a smoke, he with his cigar, I with my pipe. We learned from each other on bear-bagging techniques, and agreed on what a good experience this-all was for kids.
Under other circumstances (shopping mall, school, whatever), they would have avoided us, for Southern White reasons. And we would have avoided them. We didn't, and went our ways the following morning the better for the previous evening. Where else could this have happened?
Many decades ago, my wife (of a swarthy persuasion) and I were backpacking in the Smokies with our kids. We camped one night in a huge area with one other party, a Southern family. The Southern family's mother was a tad iffy-huffy about having to share the space with us. But her kids were playing with ours in short order, and it was not long before she was talking with the other mother there, my wife. Shortly they were laughing about how all the kids were wolfing down food that, at home, they would turn their noses up at.
Her husband, like me, was busy "making camp" and "bear-bagging" for the night. Once we were done bear-bagging, he and I sat down for a smoke, he with his cigar, I with my pipe. We learned from each other on bear-bagging techniques, and agreed on what a good experience this-all was for kids.
Under other circumstances (shopping mall, school, whatever), they would have avoided us, for Southern White reasons. And we would have avoided them. We didn't, and went our ways the following morning the better for the previous evening. Where else could this have happened?
2
One of my favorite memories of childhood comes from Southern Ohio. Just a couple hours south of my home were Old Man's Cave and Ash Cave and that whole amazing, beautiful area. What was most amazing was that very few people would be there and we kids were free to roam and climb, discover and explore, play cowboys and indians, swim, catch fireflies, just 'be' in Nature. A few years ago (I am 63 now) I drove there to find that magic again. There were so many people and so many signs, do this/don't do that and the gift shop and the fancy hotel, etc. I don't think a child would get the same experience today - that total immersion in beautiful Nature. I'm so grateful that I did.
3
The belief in public services that transcends class isn’t old fashioned. As a matter of fact, it’s doing quite well, thank you, when our entitlements consume over 50% of our national budget and when such immense tracts of our western states belong to the U.S. government. And it’s not just the scenic extents such as that from Donner Pass (of unsettling memories) to Mexico, but also the 66.5% of the State of Nevada, mostly barren land, which is owned by the feds – all of New England could fit within U.S. Bureau of Land Management owned land in Nevada alone.
Somewhere between our great wilderness areas that are open to any of us to enjoy and perhaps to force our daughters to pretend to enjoy on one side, and the approx. 28% of the total land area of the U.S. that is owned by the federal government, overwhelmingly in our western states, we might find a happy medium.
This land isn’t any less “our land” when some of it is opened to development and private ownership. We must never surrender our great wilderness areas that we make accessible to ALL our people, but that’s no more than a fraction of what we actually wall off from state and private use.
Somewhere between our great wilderness areas that are open to any of us to enjoy and perhaps to force our daughters to pretend to enjoy on one side, and the approx. 28% of the total land area of the U.S. that is owned by the federal government, overwhelmingly in our western states, we might find a happy medium.
This land isn’t any less “our land” when some of it is opened to development and private ownership. We must never surrender our great wilderness areas that we make accessible to ALL our people, but that’s no more than a fraction of what we actually wall off from state and private use.
1
Richard, it is well known that you hate everything that starts with the three letters 'f e d'.
But, pray tell, how can any land that is opened to development and private ownership still be 'our' land?
But, pray tell, how can any land that is opened to development and private ownership still be 'our' land?
3
Sarah:
Clearly, you don't know me, as I hardly hate all things "fed" -- I merely distrust all things EXCESSIVELY fed.
Public lands open to development and private ownership still are "our" land because they permit development of jobs that benefit all of us, and developments still allow access to the land by people. Moreover, I made it clear in my comment that I favored protecting our wilderness areas that are open to all Americans to enjoy.
Clearly, you don't know me, as I hardly hate all things "fed" -- I merely distrust all things EXCESSIVELY fed.
Public lands open to development and private ownership still are "our" land because they permit development of jobs that benefit all of us, and developments still allow access to the land by people. Moreover, I made it clear in my comment that I favored protecting our wilderness areas that are open to all Americans to enjoy.
As someone who has lived in the states of Washington, California, and Colorado throughout my septuagenarian life, I have hiked and climbed many of the mountains and national parks in the West - not just a couple of times, more like a couple of times a month for years. I wouldn't give u[ those experiences for anything. The pain of a long hike of climb with magnificent vistas as a reward is a feeling like none other.
Other members of my family are horse lovers and thoroughly enjoy the BLM lands and their vast spaces. They go to places we bipeds would be hard pressed to visit. The tranquility, peace and sightings of elk, mountain goats, wild horses they see can never be replaced by a condo with acreage.
It would be a travesty to take that away....
Unfortunately there are also those who don't understand the need for that vastness or respect. see http://io9.com/how-tourist-garbage-causes-yellowstones-morning-glory-t-1... as an example.
Other members of my family are horse lovers and thoroughly enjoy the BLM lands and their vast spaces. They go to places we bipeds would be hard pressed to visit. The tranquility, peace and sightings of elk, mountain goats, wild horses they see can never be replaced by a condo with acreage.
It would be a travesty to take that away....
Unfortunately there are also those who don't understand the need for that vastness or respect. see http://io9.com/how-tourist-garbage-causes-yellowstones-morning-glory-t-1... as an example.
1
The existence of a national park system in a country as imbued with the capitalist ethos as the U.S. is a tribute to the leadership of Muir, Roosevelt and many others. But it also reflects a sense of community and national purpose among a people who valued capitalism, but only within limits. The wonderful tv series on the national parks by Ken Burns documents the efforts of businesses to thwart the creation and expansion of the system. Without popular support no president could have overcome their opposition.
This gift from our forebears should remind us of what this nation can achieve when empowered by a coherent vision of our future. We don't have to idealize the past to acknowledge that we have lost that sense of unity, replacing it with a blinkered, mean-spirited outlook that regards government as a threat to freedom rather than as a bulwark against tyranny and a tool for achieving community goals. The Kochs, Grover Norquist and the NRA are merely symptoms of a national malaise. But a country that could conceive of the marvel that is the national park system can reinvent itself if we choose. We have already done it many times.
This gift from our forebears should remind us of what this nation can achieve when empowered by a coherent vision of our future. We don't have to idealize the past to acknowledge that we have lost that sense of unity, replacing it with a blinkered, mean-spirited outlook that regards government as a threat to freedom rather than as a bulwark against tyranny and a tool for achieving community goals. The Kochs, Grover Norquist and the NRA are merely symptoms of a national malaise. But a country that could conceive of the marvel that is the national park system can reinvent itself if we choose. We have already done it many times.
12
Love this, thanks for writing. What a gift for you daughter to spend this time with you, and vice versa.
2
Thank you for honoring America's natural beauty. May we be worthy of this legacy by passing it on as we have inherited it.
1
To my mind, this column gives Nicholas Kristof much greater credibility, when he discusses the ethical perspectives and realities of everyday human interactions and struggles.
Long after memories of Monica Lewinsky, Glass-Steagall, and Black Hawk Down are forgotten, Bill Clinton will be fondly remembered by generations of Americans for his resolute creation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
The true National Anthem of America and the American people was written in 1940 by Woody Guthrie. Unlike "The Star Spangled Banner", it is a song about visceral America, not about a war not one out of a hundred Americans could tell you anything about.
"This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.
As I was walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me.
I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me.
When the sun came shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting
This land was made for you and me.
As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing"
But on the other side it didn't say nothing
That side was made for you and me."
Long after memories of Monica Lewinsky, Glass-Steagall, and Black Hawk Down are forgotten, Bill Clinton will be fondly remembered by generations of Americans for his resolute creation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
The true National Anthem of America and the American people was written in 1940 by Woody Guthrie. Unlike "The Star Spangled Banner", it is a song about visceral America, not about a war not one out of a hundred Americans could tell you anything about.
"This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.
As I was walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me.
I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me.
When the sun came shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting
This land was made for you and me.
As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing"
But on the other side it didn't say nothing
That side was made for you and me."
7
I spent 3 weeks doing a solo manvan trip through the Pacific NW this summer visiting 8 National Parks. I didn't backpack in the wilderness, but I did plenty of hiking in this shared land of ours, including a short span on the Pacific Crest Trail in North Cascades National Park. During the 5000 miles of driving, I listened to Dayton Duncan's and Ken Burns' National Parks book on CD. What an education I received! Pinchot and Roosevelt were critical in the development of the National Parks and Forest Conservation, but John Muir carried the load in advocating to keep the future parks, particularly Yosemite, devoid of privatization and commercialization. You might say, because of the relationship he developed with Roosevelt, Muir was a true lobbyist, without the under the table deals and paid positioning. Glad you enjoyed your trip.
58
nick
I hate to throw negatives at your very positive column. I discovered the Pacific Northwest section of the trail nearly forty years ago. Now the area close to that section is burning. The Okaogan Complex fire has burned out about 400 square miles of Our land.
I don't know how much sanity you would retain hiking through the smoldering burnt out scar that used to be beautiful forest land.
My point being how little national attention these fires are gettiing compared to someone like Donald Trump.
When you finish your hike maybe you could do a column on these fires and what caused them.
I hate to throw negatives at your very positive column. I discovered the Pacific Northwest section of the trail nearly forty years ago. Now the area close to that section is burning. The Okaogan Complex fire has burned out about 400 square miles of Our land.
I don't know how much sanity you would retain hiking through the smoldering burnt out scar that used to be beautiful forest land.
My point being how little national attention these fires are gettiing compared to someone like Donald Trump.
When you finish your hike maybe you could do a column on these fires and what caused them.
2
Let me first thank you for a Trumpless Op-Ed. You and your daughter seems to have spend some real quality time together in fairyland - my land is your land - FREE! I felt extremely connected to this op-ed because my son and two friends are just back from a hiking trip along the Pacific Coast from LA to Vancouver and from there east stopping at National Parks little known but magnificent. And the three of them did it for a few hundred dollars. They hiked, surfed, slept in their battered car or camp-grounds which every national park seems to have in the midst of pristine Nature. I was full of envy when I saw them lying in their sleeping bags gazing up at the twinkling night-sky, a tinkling stream near-by and shots of blue snow-capped mountains as day breaks. The unbelievable crater lake, the Redwood forests, the brooks and rivulets! But the best was them jumping off a ledge into a pool below a waterfall. Three young bodies having real fun, communing with Nature. Yes, you don't need millions when you can get priceless real estate - for FREE!
3
"I can’t help thinking that if the American West were discovered today, the most glorious bits would be sold off to the highest bidder".
It almost appears those lands have been discovered today given the initiatives in some of the western states to "take back our lands", regardless of the fact those lands were not state lands, and, many states in the west relinquished any claim upon admission to the Union.
Myself and others believe the reasons to gain control of federal lands is exactly what Mr. Kristoff stated: sell to the highest bidder.
I fear the continued ownership of these lands by the public and managed by the Federal Government will soon be something in the past should these initiatives bear fruit.
It almost appears those lands have been discovered today given the initiatives in some of the western states to "take back our lands", regardless of the fact those lands were not state lands, and, many states in the west relinquished any claim upon admission to the Union.
Myself and others believe the reasons to gain control of federal lands is exactly what Mr. Kristoff stated: sell to the highest bidder.
I fear the continued ownership of these lands by the public and managed by the Federal Government will soon be something in the past should these initiatives bear fruit.
4
Agree with your assessment of the need for public lands and wilderness. Thankfully, we had far sighted leaders back then, e.g. T. Roosevelt and others.
In addition, I AGREE with your gun column. I have been a hunter and gun owner all my adult life, but agree things are out of hand in the US.
Just yesterday afternoon a TX Harris County (Houston) deputy in uniform, was savagely shot to death while refueling is squad car. Look at the difference in NYC after tight gun limitations by the state.
What happened to common sense??
In addition, I AGREE with your gun column. I have been a hunter and gun owner all my adult life, but agree things are out of hand in the US.
Just yesterday afternoon a TX Harris County (Houston) deputy in uniform, was savagely shot to death while refueling is squad car. Look at the difference in NYC after tight gun limitations by the state.
What happened to common sense??
2
Congratulations, one of the best articles I've ever read period. I have difficulty understanding let alone knowing whether to like or not much about America these days, but one thing I do love is the land. It has to be one of the saddest and strangest things about America that so many people are estranged from the land but the wealthiest and most fortunate people in society--those who can make the most worthwhile effort to somehow bring Americans into better harmony with the natural environment--seem to value the natural environment for themselves (retreats, expensive homes) but have little effect in solving the collective problem of estrangement from environment. What does this mean? Is the problem too difficult to solve? Are the more fortunate members of society somehow both greedy but appreciative of beauty--beauty for themselves? I leave it to better minds to analyze the problem. I like being alone outdoors or if a person must go with others be careful to choose people you really care about and get along with because you don't want to be in some wonderful National Park and find yourself in a stupid and petty argument or walking silently resentful. For some reason I associate walking outdoors in nice environment with playing guitar or reading a good book. You just seem to become a better person and have better conversation with self and others.
1
"Most of the time in America we're surrounded by oppressive inequality....[The only] escape from that..." is to raze the vertical economy. If we don't we're done. http://thelastwhy.ca/poems/2012/12/13/economy.html
Nice. I have the White Miuntain National Forest and the miles of trails, stream, peaks and ski trails. I've almost hit all 48 4000 foot peaks in NH and once those are "in the bag" there are a host of 'lesser" peaks calling my name. It saddens me to see the GOP, a political party I've been a part of for nearly 4 decades, become part of trying to sell off, or transfer to the states who will likely sell off, our public lands, mostly in the west. The GOP has drifted far from the Grand Old Party it once was. I'm not going to become a democrat, they have their own problems I want no part of, but they are leading on the issues of the environment and preserving public lands for the use of the public.
2
"I'm not going to become a democrat..." Unless you make a choice you are perpetuating the gridlock. Which party best represents the future for Americans? The party of voodoo economics, hateful rhetoric, science denial, bigotry or the party that as you say leads on the issues of the environment and preserving public lands and a host of others, like preserving the middle class? The ball is in your court.
There are no grizzly bears in California except at the Zoo.
2
There are still millions of US kids in poverty whose world is a small radius of pawn shops, check cashers and fast food; with no adults to show them the ocean or provide a trip to a national park.
2
I am glad that there are people like you in my world.
2
Wonderful writing. As a California mom I was a bit jealous and inspired to take my grown boys along the same trail. I do hope this land remains our land, there are many calls on the right to sell off public lands, to frack them and/or mine in environmentally ruinous ways. Any politician who supports such use should be required to walk where you and your daughter did first. Our national nautural treasures are priceless, as is the time we spend with loved ones enjoying them.
3
One of the great things about Orygun, besides the Columbia River and the best inland sailboarding in the nation, free electric car charges in Interstate 5, powered by hydro and wind, the Oregon Country Faire, a major hippie rock out in it's 45th year just outside Eugene, legal pot, good local wine, brew pubs on every corner, no sales tax, is that no one can own oceanfront.
You can walk from Brookings to Astoria, the oldest gringo settlement west of the Mississippi, unobstructed, never once crossing private property.
You can walk from Brookings to Astoria, the oldest gringo settlement west of the Mississippi, unobstructed, never once crossing private property.
5
Well done.
One of the prime delights of my life was backpacking in the Sierra Nevada with my two daughters. I wish I could do the John Muir Trail with their children, but like your anticipation, the gap is already closing between their reaching maturity and me decrepitude.
Very timely, as I've started hearing rumblings from the political fringe that it is somehow illegal for the government to own land! Mentioning that nothing of the sort is in the Constitution and that the Founding Fathers authorized land purchases on behalf of the country does not sway them.
My best to you and your daughter in your hike. It's something I've wanted to do for many years.
My best to you and your daughter in your hike. It's something I've wanted to do for many years.
Is the author First Nations, yo?
1
Nicholas, get with the 21st century reality about our national land.
1. Lumber companies are allowed to denude forests for profit.
2. Ranchers like the moron in Wyoming refuse to pay the fees for their grazing rights on federal land, initiate an armed standoff with federal officials and then go on their merry way without paying a dime of the $1,000,000 they owe.
3. The federal government sells mining rights to a FOREIGN mining company even though the pit mine to come will destroy land sacred to our native Americans.
4. All tree of the above, lumber, mining and ranching interests expect our underpaid fire fighters to risk their lives to save their leeching commercial interests.
This is whats happening while you meander the Pacific Coast Trail in your euphoria.
1. Lumber companies are allowed to denude forests for profit.
2. Ranchers like the moron in Wyoming refuse to pay the fees for their grazing rights on federal land, initiate an armed standoff with federal officials and then go on their merry way without paying a dime of the $1,000,000 they owe.
3. The federal government sells mining rights to a FOREIGN mining company even though the pit mine to come will destroy land sacred to our native Americans.
4. All tree of the above, lumber, mining and ranching interests expect our underpaid fire fighters to risk their lives to save their leeching commercial interests.
This is whats happening while you meander the Pacific Coast Trail in your euphoria.
1
Beautiful! Some of my happiest days have been spent hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. I often thought the park is a great gift to us from past generations of political movers and shakers who had people's intents at heart. Would such men and women be with us today.
1
Although it is far from the Pacific Crest, you should come hike around in Utah's fascinating outdoors before our governor and legislator turn it all in to strip malls and drilling sites. Despite federal ownership of most of the land, the power people in Utah never see a landscape that cannot be exploited rather than enjoyed.
1
The families/children who could benefit the most from hiking these wonderful public lands will never have the opportunity - little or no vacation time, no cars to take them to a park, no extra money to buy a decent pair of hiking books. Let's face it - the parks are an equalizer if you are middle class. Lower middle class - not so sure. Working poor - definitely not. How do we fix this problem?
94
I agree; family vacations with all necessary supplies, should be declared a Constitutional right.
They could finance it by selling their TVs and gaming devices.
1
Bridget, I would offer that we support Bernie Sanders candidacy and his call for the political revolution we desperately need in America and Congress, so we may begin to institute the type of fundamental policy changes needed to rectify our institutional inequities; educational, financial, and on and on.
Thanks Nick, I'm going outside now.
36
The granite country south of Sonora Pass was my favorite stretch of the PCT also. But of course the GOP wants small government so the filthy rich can take over running the country more easily. When the gov't is too small to care for our great public lands, the obscenely wealthy will heroically step in and take charge of them. Won't we all be proud of their sense of public duty.
1
Thank you for this reminder of what is so worth protecting and enjoying. I have hiked the high Sierras many times when I was younger, as a fascinated biology student and lover of all creatures great and small.
Your photograph of the trail by the stream has captivated me with your artist's sense of line and movement, balance and contrast, evoking the sacred nature of wilderness that invites us to breathe in and take home with us what is so freely given. Beautiful.
Your photograph of the trail by the stream has captivated me with your artist's sense of line and movement, balance and contrast, evoking the sacred nature of wilderness that invites us to breathe in and take home with us what is so freely given. Beautiful.
1
This breathtaking view deserves a poem. Such Silence, by Mary Oliver:
As deep as I ever went into the forest
I came upon an old stone bench, very, very old,
and around it a clearing, and beyond that
trees taller and older than I had ever seen...
Such silence!
It really wasn´t so far from a town, but it seemed
all the clocks in the world had stopped counting.
So it was hard to suppose the usual rules applied.
Sometimes there is only a hint, a possibility.
What´s magical, sometimes, has deeper roots
than reason.
I hope everyone knows that.
I sat on the bench, waiting for something.
An angel perhaps.
Or dancers with the legs of goats.
No, I didn´t see either. But only, I think, because
I didn´t stay long enough.
Perhaps if we spent more time contemplating nature, we would eventually acknowledge the boundaries of our limited selves.
We would learn to respect sacred assets as a shared responsibility.
Let us translate an inexhaustible source of spirituality into human compassion. In fact, he/she who loves wildlife would never dare inflict harm on any human being.
May our lives -- both private and social -- be guided by the wisdom of Mother Nature.
Mr. Kristof: it goes without saying that I enjoyed reading your column.
As deep as I ever went into the forest
I came upon an old stone bench, very, very old,
and around it a clearing, and beyond that
trees taller and older than I had ever seen...
Such silence!
It really wasn´t so far from a town, but it seemed
all the clocks in the world had stopped counting.
So it was hard to suppose the usual rules applied.
Sometimes there is only a hint, a possibility.
What´s magical, sometimes, has deeper roots
than reason.
I hope everyone knows that.
I sat on the bench, waiting for something.
An angel perhaps.
Or dancers with the legs of goats.
No, I didn´t see either. But only, I think, because
I didn´t stay long enough.
Perhaps if we spent more time contemplating nature, we would eventually acknowledge the boundaries of our limited selves.
We would learn to respect sacred assets as a shared responsibility.
Let us translate an inexhaustible source of spirituality into human compassion. In fact, he/she who loves wildlife would never dare inflict harm on any human being.
May our lives -- both private and social -- be guided by the wisdom of Mother Nature.
Mr. Kristof: it goes without saying that I enjoyed reading your column.
2
Indeed. As Americans each of us is richer than Bill Gates and the Sultan of Brunei combined with the wilderness we own.
1
"... in the narrow window in which she’s strong enough" ... and hasn't entered the workforce. Even Mr Kristof had to write an article about it.
2
As an American who has traveled world wide, I believe America's national parks are the most beautiful treasure the country has to offer.
I recently suggested in the NYT travel section that vacationing Americans visit their favorite parks instead of coming here to Provence. This suggestion was met with snide remarks by offended people who still believe Americans are welcome everywhere in the world.
We could all benefit from occasional self examination. After 12 years, I still have to catch myself when speaking too loudly in a restaurant or remembering to say bonjour before beginning a conversation.
Even in the pristine wilderness we have to remember to respect nature and be civilized. There is no real escape from ourselves!
I recently suggested in the NYT travel section that vacationing Americans visit their favorite parks instead of coming here to Provence. This suggestion was met with snide remarks by offended people who still believe Americans are welcome everywhere in the world.
We could all benefit from occasional self examination. After 12 years, I still have to catch myself when speaking too loudly in a restaurant or remembering to say bonjour before beginning a conversation.
Even in the pristine wilderness we have to remember to respect nature and be civilized. There is no real escape from ourselves!
2
Yes, nice that our National Parks - approaching a 100th anniversary celebration - are available for their incredible scenry to all of us. My wife, children and I have enjoyed the east coast Acadia National Park often. But I do wonder how someone without a car, no pay unless mom or dad works, no reserve of money to purchase hiking equipment, etc gets to visit our glorious National Parks.
The Big Burn by Timothy Egan made we wonder when Republicans ever cared about all of us enjoying the natural beauty of America. And if Senator Cruz shuts down the government because he doesn't like Plan Parenthood none of us will be able to visit our wonderful natural land. Really does make me ask what it is the Republicans have against nature. Neither melting glaciers nor rising seas nor increased CO2 nor contaminated fracking water nor ... seem to bother them. Apparently mother nature is for them to use and abuse. Sad. Very sad.
The Big Burn by Timothy Egan made we wonder when Republicans ever cared about all of us enjoying the natural beauty of America. And if Senator Cruz shuts down the government because he doesn't like Plan Parenthood none of us will be able to visit our wonderful natural land. Really does make me ask what it is the Republicans have against nature. Neither melting glaciers nor rising seas nor increased CO2 nor contaminated fracking water nor ... seem to bother them. Apparently mother nature is for them to use and abuse. Sad. Very sad.
3
I love your work, Mr. Kristof. Never stop.
1
Nicely written. I can appreciate your sentiments even more that my wife and I have recently relocated to Montana. The access to the spectacular public lands is amazing and something everyone should experience. The preservation of these beautiful public spaces is also something that everyone should take very seriously.
1
Dear Nick, What a wonderful letter! I'm excited to share that you and your daughter hiked very near to a recent conservation success just west of Lake Tahoe. The Nature Conservancy (where I work) and American River Conservancy have just purchased the largest remaining section of checkerboard land south of Donner Summit: the 10,115-acre American River Headwaters!
Most Americans think the Sierra Nevada is protected in an unbroken sweep of public land. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Scan any map and you will quickly notice that the southern and central Sierra is largely conserved. North of Carson Pass only 50% of the land over 3,000 feet is protected, compared to 90% in the rest of the Sierra.
Why the difference? The northern Sierra was the first stop for many emigrants coming west. European settlers started claiming land in the northern Sierra at the time of the Gold Rush. After the Civil War, Congress accelerated land privatization in the northern Sierra by making large land grants to the Railroad. Congress gave the railroad every other square mile for twenty miles on both sides of the tracks over Donner Summit. This created a checkerboard pattern of public-private ownership between Desolation Wilderness and the Sierra Buttes, and it has been problematic ever since. There is some good news, however: we have conserved, restored, and expanded opportunities to enjoy more than 70,000 acres of land in the Northern Sierra!
Most Americans think the Sierra Nevada is protected in an unbroken sweep of public land. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Scan any map and you will quickly notice that the southern and central Sierra is largely conserved. North of Carson Pass only 50% of the land over 3,000 feet is protected, compared to 90% in the rest of the Sierra.
Why the difference? The northern Sierra was the first stop for many emigrants coming west. European settlers started claiming land in the northern Sierra at the time of the Gold Rush. After the Civil War, Congress accelerated land privatization in the northern Sierra by making large land grants to the Railroad. Congress gave the railroad every other square mile for twenty miles on both sides of the tracks over Donner Summit. This created a checkerboard pattern of public-private ownership between Desolation Wilderness and the Sierra Buttes, and it has been problematic ever since. There is some good news, however: we have conserved, restored, and expanded opportunities to enjoy more than 70,000 acres of land in the Northern Sierra!
1
GREAT photo!
1
Not so fast there.... You know that there are plans afoot in the halls of power in Washington that would sell off this treasure to the highest bidders. Our national forests are full of resources and resources mean profits. Not for "The People," but for the owners. Our share of the deal is going to pay for the war(s).
3
Before this land became "our" land, Mr. Kristof, it was populated by other humans who also believed it was their land. Today, their lands are called "reservations".
3
"There is nothing nobler than to put up with a few inconveniences like snakes and dust for the sake of absolute freedom."
Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
1
The T-Y trail is the one section of the Pacific Crest Trail that I have hiked. That June followed a very snowy spring, so the top of every pass was covered in snow. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.
I remember returning home and thinking how low the ceiling felt, after nothing but sky for 3 weeks, and how much my family home seemed crammed with unnecessary stuff.
I remember returning home and thinking how low the ceiling felt, after nothing but sky for 3 weeks, and how much my family home seemed crammed with unnecessary stuff.
42
Sure "everyone" has access to these lands, but did you not notice that only those in the top ... oh, 5% of the income scale actually have access.... due to the location of this wild land? I am not sure how to remedy that. Not only does it take financial security to afford the vehicle to get there, but then it also will often take an entirely different wardrobe to be prepared for the conditions. So those of us that are able to access these Parks, in Canada as well as the US, have a greater responsibility in their security and maintenance.
33
Your statement is not accurate for all Wilderness areas. There are several designated Wilderness areas within a short drive of EVERYONE who lives in Southern California.
As a USFS Volunteer Wilderness Ranger I can assure you that we meet all levels of the socio economic spectrum on the trails in the wilderness.
We are very fortunate in the western states to have so many opportunities to visit our public lands which have been protected by the Wilderness Act of 1964.
As a USFS Volunteer Wilderness Ranger I can assure you that we meet all levels of the socio economic spectrum on the trails in the wilderness.
We are very fortunate in the western states to have so many opportunities to visit our public lands which have been protected by the Wilderness Act of 1964.
There are National Parks in 49 of the 50 states (even CT has one) and there are true wildness areas within a couple hours of driving for most people. And if you are not extreme camping or mountain climbing the equipment needs are few and the cost low. If people don't go camping it is because they don't want to.
Absolutely untrue. All you have to have is the will and commitment to get there. Think John Muir had a car and specialized wardrobe? Go to Camp 4 in Yosemite, the climbers camp. They're not in the top 5% of ANY income scale!
Don't make excuses, make plans. It's not that hard, honest.
Don't make excuses, make plans. It's not that hard, honest.
What a nice essay, thank you! You are wise to undertake this while you still can and your daughter has the time to join you. At 67 I am too old for it now, and regret not doing something like that when I was younger.
If you get as far north as Manning Park in BC, welcome to Canada!
If you get as far north as Manning Park in BC, welcome to Canada!
1
Kristof's piece is beautiful and a reminder that there are two major problems. First, the National Park Service faces an $11 billion maintenance backlog; if you ignore the leaky roof in your home, the damage and cost of repair rise over time, and that's happening here. Second, efforts to privatize and reduce investment in our national parks have risen significantly. Next year will be the centennial anniversary for the National Park Service; hopefully, that will trigger a national conversation about preserving our historic assets.
5
Well written. I was born in India and similar arguments could be made for modern India too.
3
When I say I "love America," these lands described by Kristof are what comes into my mind, these public treasures we can all enjoy.
But what about those people who want to drill, raze and pave these beautiful lands? When they say they "love America," it's hard for me to believe it.
But what about those people who want to drill, raze and pave these beautiful lands? When they say they "love America," it's hard for me to believe it.
120
"But what about those people who want to drill, raze and pave these beautiful lands?"
Golly, mc, all that "those people" really want to do is create jobs. Donchaknow?
Golly, mc, all that "those people" really want to do is create jobs. Donchaknow?
1
Oh yeah! "We must destroy the village to save it!" I remember that.
I mean, look at Appalachia. They've been "creating jobs" there for years--I mean, talk about an area abounding in prosperity! And people are just flocking there to live--as long as you don't need to drink or bathe or need land to live on, it's just great.
Thanks Larry for the reality check!
I mean, look at Appalachia. They've been "creating jobs" there for years--I mean, talk about an area abounding in prosperity! And people are just flocking there to live--as long as you don't need to drink or bathe or need land to live on, it's just great.
Thanks Larry for the reality check!
Great column, Kristof! Please keep up the fabulous job. I really enjoy your work. Thanks for telling the truth here and in everything you write.
2
You are very fortunate to have a daughter that wants to spend that much time with you. You have a very special relationship that many could never imagine. Happy hiking!
1
KRISTOF !! Let me tell you, let me shout that you are one h u g e building block !!
2
It's not actually Our Land because the United States forcibly seized vast portions of the west from Mexico and the Native Americans.
The United States also took Hawaii by coercive force.
The national parks are awesome places for us all and ultimately no one really owns the land forever anyway.
The United States also took Hawaii by coercive force.
The national parks are awesome places for us all and ultimately no one really owns the land forever anyway.
3
Speaking of wild places, mark this event on your March 2016 calendar: Renowned Harvard entomologist and author E.O. WILSON (two-time Pulitzer winner) has a new book coming out in the spring, entitled, "Half-Earth: Our Planet's Fight for Life."
According to an article in the Sept./Oct. 2015 issue of AUDUBON, "'Half-Earth' is his answer to the disaster a hand: a reimagined world in which humans retreat to areas comprising one-half of the planet's landmass. The rest is to be left to the 10 million species inhabiting Earth in a kind of giant national park. In human-free zones, Wilson believes, many endangered species would recover and their extinction would, most likely, be averted."
According to an article in the Sept./Oct. 2015 issue of AUDUBON, "'Half-Earth' is his answer to the disaster a hand: a reimagined world in which humans retreat to areas comprising one-half of the planet's landmass. The rest is to be left to the 10 million species inhabiting Earth in a kind of giant national park. In human-free zones, Wilson believes, many endangered species would recover and their extinction would, most likely, be averted."
1
Having done my share of camping, hiking, tenting, and yes, getting soaked and blistered to the point of "promising" never to do it again, only to do it again, I thank you for this column. Too often, we get bogged down in the day-to- day, mundane, highly politicized environment in which we in this country live. But there are hundreds of places to go where there is no or poor cell service, where Facebook and Twitter don't care about our friends and/or followers, and where we can breathe the air and smell the essence of...what is that, exactly?...oh, let's call it 'fresh air' for starters.
Go there, reader. Go there and lose this blasted connection for a day, a weekend, a week. A while. It does a body - and soul - good.
Go there, reader. Go there and lose this blasted connection for a day, a weekend, a week. A while. It does a body - and soul - good.
2
Great story, Nick. Your readers will live vicariously with you and your daughter on this trek in the incredible Pacific Crest Trail wilderness. You are experiencing something that most Americans admire as a part of our heritage.
Good job! We'll be following you.
Good job! We'll be following you.
2
Visiting in some of God's beautiful country and appreciating the truth of this column.
2
I just read another article about the Appalachian Trail. They are threatening to change the finish from Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park because of all the abuses and great numbers of people. One guy just completed the AT in 46 days by having his wife carry everything so he could sleep in the van every night. Kristof and Bryson have written about the way it should be but that is no longer the American way.
2
Reading this editorial was like experiencing a restorative breeze. America's image in the world can be as grimy as coal.Yet, anyone who comes to our national parks would love America to its core. This column reminds us that we can experience the overwhelming power of nature anywhere.
1
There are no grizzly bears in California, indeed, nowhere on the PCT, except just possibly-- just-- in the North Cascades close to the Canadian border.
3
Absolutely right!!
My wife and our two children spent many a night in the 1980's and 90's in the wilderness learning the true values of life.
It is good to know that is still possible, and yes, sad that so little wilderness is being designated in the last decade.
My wife and our two children spent many a night in the 1980's and 90's in the wilderness learning the true values of life.
It is good to know that is still possible, and yes, sad that so little wilderness is being designated in the last decade.
2
Mr. K. Columns like these are going to make people love the wild to death.
Backpackers are going to be followed by RVs, ATVs, dirt bikes and target practice.
Backpackers are going to be followed by RVs, ATVs, dirt bikes and target practice.
Beautiful piece , I want to do it! More pictures next time , please.7
1
What a beautiful part of the PCT! The picture looks like spectacular Mosquito Lakes near Ebbett's pass, but that's a bit off the trail. Were you there?
I remember taking a bus to Colorado with the Boy Scouts. Seeing the Garden of the Gods, among other national treasures. Canoeing with my family in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota in the days before cell phones or GPS was quite the adventure. I can attest that a moose in your campsite deserves respect as well! So many other camping trips and hikes come to mind. Coming from a family of modest means, such memories would not be possible without our forward thinking forefathers and mothers.
I've long lived outside the US. The quality of life in Europe is awesome. Inequality is much better (lower). That being said there is no doubt that America's national parks are awe inspiring in comparison to what we have here, when you factor in number and size. It is up to us to continue to protect and fund these American national treasures so that future generations can create such wonderful memories as the ones I have and cherish.
I've long lived outside the US. The quality of life in Europe is awesome. Inequality is much better (lower). That being said there is no doubt that America's national parks are awe inspiring in comparison to what we have here, when you factor in number and size. It is up to us to continue to protect and fund these American national treasures so that future generations can create such wonderful memories as the ones I have and cherish.
77
"That sanity be kept,I sit at open windows..." ,once of a sudden Dylan Thomas' s poems came to my mind ,the same two unforgettable books:Prairy Erth by William Least Heat Moon and Zen and the art of motor cycle maintenance by Pirsig.
Thanks for a fine reflective article .
Thanks for a fine reflective article .
Thank you for sharing this, Mr. Kristof. I needed a reminder that I am also blessed with this natural beauty in our country.
I've had to go on outings on a much more modest scale because my daughter has severe disability and cannot share in hikes with me.
We have just planned a short train trip that will take us from Emeryville CA to Reno through mountains, snow and other things she rarely gets to see. We will visit the Planetarium at the U of Nev. at Reno to see some spectacular nature shows.
This, though, is contingent on her not getting sick so I have to use up the scant vacation I have to help her mend.
In the meantime, we still dream...
I've had to go on outings on a much more modest scale because my daughter has severe disability and cannot share in hikes with me.
We have just planned a short train trip that will take us from Emeryville CA to Reno through mountains, snow and other things she rarely gets to see. We will visit the Planetarium at the U of Nev. at Reno to see some spectacular nature shows.
This, though, is contingent on her not getting sick so I have to use up the scant vacation I have to help her mend.
In the meantime, we still dream...
1
Thanks, Mr. Kristoff. I am wallowing in a frightened funk about all the gun murders in the news today and our lax gun laws. I needed a break looking at that beautiful photo and reading your leveling account of your time on the trail. It's been a while. I was reminded of my past in the wilderness and it made me better. You are the man!
1
A wonderful reminder that there are still some remnants of a more sharing & caring America, as it fades in our rear view mirror. A time when wilderness wonders drew more attention than a politically-divisive rant on an iPhone. You and a few others still get it. Wilderness adventure can heal the soul ... could it heal our country? Thank you!
2
I was so lucky to grow up in a large, middle-class family. Because there were so many of us - but my mom and dad loved traveling - we camped in almost all the national parks, along with many state parks. As a middle-class adult, one of my best memories is driving from the south, all the way into Nova Scotia, and camping for a week all by myself. I am no longer afforded the luxury (!) of traveling alone, but camping is something that all kids should do. Living in a city, I ache for the outdoors - the outdoors that goes on for miles and miles and miles. I know that the need to be in nature is in all of our DNA, yet some of are unaware of just what that need is.
1
The lands which inspired the National Park system are located out West. Today, more than half of the the land west of the Mississippi is publicly owned. As for the Pacific shore, beaches in California are pretty much all open to the public while those in Oregon are all publicly accessible. East of the Mississippi public lands are dwarfed by those out West. And, as for ocean access, all beach land is or can be privately owned in a number of northeastern states.
From sea to shining sea, there are two distinct patterns of land use, one giving priority to the public, the other giving priority to private owners. Considering the priceless contribution of Western states to public recreation, maybe easterners could get rid of their countless coal plants and stop messing with the climate out here.
From sea to shining sea, there are two distinct patterns of land use, one giving priority to the public, the other giving priority to private owners. Considering the priceless contribution of Western states to public recreation, maybe easterners could get rid of their countless coal plants and stop messing with the climate out here.
1
Thanks for the reminder, Nik. Last March break, my wife and I backpacked through the Grand Gulch area in Utah- glorious. This March we're heading to the Aldo Leopold wilderness. Glad the lands were made for you and me.
1
Thanks you for sharing your hiking experiences on the Pacific Crest Trail and wisdom witb your readers and with your daughtter. How fortunate you borh are to experience this together.
I just completed the Camino Santiago in Spain alone and hope to experience it again with my teen-age daughter Perhaps we'll hike the PCT first! You and your daughter are an inspiration.
I just completed the Camino Santiago in Spain alone and hope to experience it again with my teen-age daughter Perhaps we'll hike the PCT first! You and your daughter are an inspiration.
1
Thank you for writing this! Wilderness and public lands are our birthright as Americans. We owe a great debt to all those who have worked to protect these places, in their own right and for our enjoyment, too.
Thanks also for pointing out that they are pretty much free to enjoy. And despite marketing campaigns, one doesn't need fancy, expensive gear to get out into the wild.
But our public lands won't be there for future generations to enjoy if we don't wake up the fact that the entire concept is under attack by the forces of privatization. Citizens need to speak out in support of wild places and public lands—to their congressional representatives, the White House, and newspaper editors.
The best way to become an effective advocate is to get out and experience wilderness for yourself. Take your kids, your nieces and nephews, and the neighbors' kids, too!
Thanks also for pointing out that they are pretty much free to enjoy. And despite marketing campaigns, one doesn't need fancy, expensive gear to get out into the wild.
But our public lands won't be there for future generations to enjoy if we don't wake up the fact that the entire concept is under attack by the forces of privatization. Citizens need to speak out in support of wild places and public lands—to their congressional representatives, the White House, and newspaper editors.
The best way to become an effective advocate is to get out and experience wilderness for yourself. Take your kids, your nieces and nephews, and the neighbors' kids, too!
94
Thanks for this commentary. For most of my life I've gone into the wild to replenish my soul. To quote Thoreau, "All good things are wild and free." Sadly, so many of the emotional and psychological problems we currently face are connected to a severing of this wild from our lives. Instead of seeking solace and authentic transformation in the woods or mountains, we cling to our machines, distracting and numbing ourselves from the reality of being human. I don't have a TV, nor a smart phone, and use a computer primarily for email and research. That's it. As an educator, I encourage my students to disconnect and hit the trail. Beauty and truth awaits.
61
Just be really careful around bears. Bears deserve A LOT of space and don't get between a mother and her cubs, ever.
Your daughter is very lucky to have an adventurous dad and you are lucky that she's not too cool to go hiking with you! Happy trails.
2
I invite you Nicholas to ponder, therefore, what it must mean for the First Peoples of your land to have lost what you so eloquently describe? When can we expect from you a searing series of articles about the misery and endless grief for what is lost that the forgotten Americans experience every day on their out-of-sight, out-of-mind reservations, to where white American liberals and conservatives alike have conveniently consigned them?
1
Simply a beautiful story.......thank you!
1
Amen! "Wilderness is the raw material out of which man has hammered the artifact called civilization". Aldo Leopold.
1
Excellent column. Straightforward and powerful, like leaving America's remaining wilderness -a small fraction of the country's total public land, and a very small fraction of all its land- as wilderness.
1
Thanks. We've been brought back to our senses and put in our place. Enjoy.
2
Nature provides "therapy for the soul" because nature is the mother of us all. But humans are guilty of gross parental abuse. That must end, with a new, radically improved paradigm of ethical consumption.
96
A perfect read for a Sunday morning--the one time in the week when there seems to be both time and invitation to stroll the garden and watch the birds at the feeders.
Sadly, the Judeo-Christian tradition has encouraged humanity to have dominion over creation when--in reality--we are in relationship with it. One need only stand at the summit of a majestic Rocky Mountain peak to be corrected in this notion of having dominion. Still, as Kristof points out, $100 million dollar estates for sale in Colorado continue to perpetuate this erroneous belief that we can own it.
Sadly, the Judeo-Christian tradition has encouraged humanity to have dominion over creation when--in reality--we are in relationship with it. One need only stand at the summit of a majestic Rocky Mountain peak to be corrected in this notion of having dominion. Still, as Kristof points out, $100 million dollar estates for sale in Colorado continue to perpetuate this erroneous belief that we can own it.
11
My understanding is that most of our public libraries, public parks and beaches, and many of our public universities and community colleges were made possible by large donations by plutocrats (and less-than-plutocrats comprising the 1%) of that era. The idea of the national parks, at least, was actively resisted by many in Congress. I know this from watching a Ken Burns documentary on another public resource, PBS.
Perhaps the problem, then and now, is short-sightedness, selfishness, and greed, whether it is manifested by the rich, the poor, or the elected.
I give my thanks to any of the world's wealthier 10% who are using their money to try to better mankind's situation, and my middle finger to those (of any net worth) that consume beyond their biological needs without considering giving, instead.
public school system at the time,
Perhaps the problem, then and now, is short-sightedness, selfishness, and greed, whether it is manifested by the rich, the poor, or the elected.
I give my thanks to any of the world's wealthier 10% who are using their money to try to better mankind's situation, and my middle finger to those (of any net worth) that consume beyond their biological needs without considering giving, instead.
public school system at the time,
3
What a lovely essay, Mr. Kristof! But as I read, silently enjoying the images you guys hiking a trail, nobody near, grunts and groans combined with visions impossible almost to describe in words, comes this jolt of a paragraph:
"I can’t help thinking that if the American West were discovered today, the most glorious bits would be sold off to the highest bidder. Yosemite might be nothing but weekend homes for Internet tycoons."
Wow. Takes my breath away in an entirely different sense. And it made me realize, that perhaps in this silly season of nonstop critiquing an electoral event that won't happen still for 14 months, that it's fully understandable why the strain of angry dissent and activism is pervading both parties.
I'm sensing a revolt of the ordinary against the tyranny of the exclusive. A populous tired of nonstop articles and images of the vast inequality that seems to have shredded our social fabric in the past 30 years.
On the trail, as you write, all that disappears. Mercifully. While I'm unable to join you (figuratively of course) in such a physical endeavor, I obtain a vicarious thrill at the thought of you two happening upon a vista so splendid and vast that one can only gasp and want to sing, "America the Beautiful."
"I can’t help thinking that if the American West were discovered today, the most glorious bits would be sold off to the highest bidder. Yosemite might be nothing but weekend homes for Internet tycoons."
Wow. Takes my breath away in an entirely different sense. And it made me realize, that perhaps in this silly season of nonstop critiquing an electoral event that won't happen still for 14 months, that it's fully understandable why the strain of angry dissent and activism is pervading both parties.
I'm sensing a revolt of the ordinary against the tyranny of the exclusive. A populous tired of nonstop articles and images of the vast inequality that seems to have shredded our social fabric in the past 30 years.
On the trail, as you write, all that disappears. Mercifully. While I'm unable to join you (figuratively of course) in such a physical endeavor, I obtain a vicarious thrill at the thought of you two happening upon a vista so splendid and vast that one can only gasp and want to sing, "America the Beautiful."
37
Recently a friend said to me, "You should visit Mexico. They have wonderful, huge fruit salads, and they cost practically nothing!" I replied that although that might be true, the first one would be very pricey, as it would necessarily include the price of airfare and hotel.
It is much the same with our extraordinary public lands, our national parks and trails. For the vast majority of us, taking time off from work, and paying for the travel to these places, is way out of reach. As we respond to threats to wrest control of these spaces from the commons, we must also work to restore equality and democracy.
That is, I know, seemingly impossible. I am reminded that the Buddha taught that EVERYTHING begins with the mind alone. The first step is envisioning the impossible. Thanks, Mr. Kristof, for replenishing my supply of imagined beautiful vistas.
It is much the same with our extraordinary public lands, our national parks and trails. For the vast majority of us, taking time off from work, and paying for the travel to these places, is way out of reach. As we respond to threats to wrest control of these spaces from the commons, we must also work to restore equality and democracy.
That is, I know, seemingly impossible. I am reminded that the Buddha taught that EVERYTHING begins with the mind alone. The first step is envisioning the impossible. Thanks, Mr. Kristof, for replenishing my supply of imagined beautiful vistas.
25
Unfortunately most Americans never get to experience the beauty of our public lands, the majesty of the Sierra Nevadas and epic trails such as the Pacific Crest or the John Muir. Most Americans simply don't get enough vacation time and are squeezed by their slave owners to work themselves to death - 50, 60 hours a week seems to have become the norm for everyone I know these days.
Then of course the public perception of the value of public lands begins to fade: so many people aren't even aware that these public lands are there for them, very few actually know what they look like.
It's easier for the plutocrats to take something away from the people, if the people don't even realize what it is that they are giving up.
Then of course the public perception of the value of public lands begins to fade: so many people aren't even aware that these public lands are there for them, very few actually know what they look like.
It's easier for the plutocrats to take something away from the people, if the people don't even realize what it is that they are giving up.
47
"Their vision reflected a deep belief at the time, among Republicans as well as Democrats, in public services that transcended class. The result was the world’s best public school system at the time, networks of public libraries, public parks and beaches, and later a broad system of public universities and community colleges.... Sadly, that belief in public goods today seems old-fashioned!"
It's even worse. Economic theory has no formal role for knowledge, yet easily the greatest driver of change and innovation is new knowledge and changing perspective. Apple's gadgets, for example, have their deepest roots in the transistor, a result of hard-slogging basic science, and not just entrepreneurial flair and a large projection screens for announcing 'cool' products.
The US has always had a strain of anti-intellectualism. Didn't matter when it only affected attitudes down on the farm, but in a hyper-competitive world and a knowledge sphere in rapid expansion, the loss of faith in the value of universal and accessible education is a critical flaw. Time was when a grade school education was good enough, then a high school diploma. Now we need to make university education far easier to acquire, not for the good of each student only, but to sustain and improve the country as a whole.
It's even worse. Economic theory has no formal role for knowledge, yet easily the greatest driver of change and innovation is new knowledge and changing perspective. Apple's gadgets, for example, have their deepest roots in the transistor, a result of hard-slogging basic science, and not just entrepreneurial flair and a large projection screens for announcing 'cool' products.
The US has always had a strain of anti-intellectualism. Didn't matter when it only affected attitudes down on the farm, but in a hyper-competitive world and a knowledge sphere in rapid expansion, the loss of faith in the value of universal and accessible education is a critical flaw. Time was when a grade school education was good enough, then a high school diploma. Now we need to make university education far easier to acquire, not for the good of each student only, but to sustain and improve the country as a whole.
14
For most Americans this egalitarian experience is abstract. The United States is the only developed country -- the only one! -- that does not require employers to give employees paid vacation days. So sure, the great wilderness is out there -- if you are among the decreasing few that can afford to take time off to visit it.
15
Given an insatiable human greed, who knows even this pristine wilderness too slips under the price tag one day, killing all the egalitarianism the nature is known for?
11
Yes, that is precisely what the GOP's handlers would like to do. If they have their way - and why not? - there will be no "public" in public land or anything else. They are going to push this until it breaks.
The world may be watching a slow moving revolution forming. Let's hope it is Bernie Sander's political revolution where we wrest control back at the ballot box because the alternative will not be pretty.
The world may be watching a slow moving revolution forming. Let's hope it is Bernie Sander's political revolution where we wrest control back at the ballot box because the alternative will not be pretty.
1
You nailed it. The comfort trap, the idea that life is about comfort. Life is uncomfortable, right from being born and to dying. Nature is not comfortable and we need to accept that life is not meant to be comfortable, that in fact our search for comfort with cars etc is actually killing us and our planet.
12
I agree heartily about the propensity of wilderness, and wildness in other degrees, to equalize things. It's also soul cleansing. If only low-income workers had the time and wherewithal to be able to enjoy it more.
12
What a great verbal picture Nicholas Kristof has painted! A good friend -- a retired microbiologist, who has hiked all over the world -- is in the midst of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, just as Mr. Kristof and his daughter are doing. He also raves about the experience.
The extraordinary vision and altruism of wealthy Americans over a century ago in creating our national parks and public lands provide an example of what decent people do for their country. Even the wealth of someone like John D. Rockefeller, who was a target of Teddy Roosevelt, found its way to creation of beautiful public spaces.
We need to be tireless in protecting these public treasures for the next generation. Hopefully, we may also persuade today’s super rich that instead of worrying about preserving the carried interest tax dodge, their money can preserve something which will make them and their fellow Americans better.
The extraordinary vision and altruism of wealthy Americans over a century ago in creating our national parks and public lands provide an example of what decent people do for their country. Even the wealth of someone like John D. Rockefeller, who was a target of Teddy Roosevelt, found its way to creation of beautiful public spaces.
We need to be tireless in protecting these public treasures for the next generation. Hopefully, we may also persuade today’s super rich that instead of worrying about preserving the carried interest tax dodge, their money can preserve something which will make them and their fellow Americans better.
44
Lovely essay, Mr. Kristof. Our national parks are the best of America. We are fortunate that the great Theodore Roosevelt championed the creation of the National Park System. Preservation of this treasured legacy is imperative.
41
1%ers should consider doing as some Italian 1%ers have, give money to maintain there countries treasures. As the gentleman that gave millions to repair the Washington Monument.
The WPA artists left us fabulous artwork of wilderness & rural places. I believe their impact on the public consciousness regarding nature & our duty to preserve it has lasted to this day. A night under the stars, in a snug sleeping bag with treetops swaying in the breeze high overhead can not only rekindle mutual affection, but can be a source of inspiration to carry us through our most difficult times. The tough economic times that sent our elders into the woods to pursue their arts, crafts & work projects have left us a priceless legacy.
29
The real sadness is that many people never get to experience the incredible feeling of hiking in pristine wilderness (in Europe pristine wilderness is harder to find, but one can still find beautiful and well preserved landscapes).
I really think it is a life changing experience, it will change the way you feel about material wealth. Or is it the other way around, only those that are not completely absorbed by material goods will deeply feel connected to this wilderness?
If we want this world to be sustainable, we need ways to find pleasure, meaning, fulfillment that don't require a gas-guzzling SUV, an oversized mansion and whatever else (we of course need comfort, modern medecine, and devices that enable to stay connected and provide culture/entertainement, etc, we are not going back to the caves).
For the moment Nick, continue to enjoy your (shared) solitude on the PCT!
I really think it is a life changing experience, it will change the way you feel about material wealth. Or is it the other way around, only those that are not completely absorbed by material goods will deeply feel connected to this wilderness?
If we want this world to be sustainable, we need ways to find pleasure, meaning, fulfillment that don't require a gas-guzzling SUV, an oversized mansion and whatever else (we of course need comfort, modern medecine, and devices that enable to stay connected and provide culture/entertainement, etc, we are not going back to the caves).
For the moment Nick, continue to enjoy your (shared) solitude on the PCT!
19
Public transit also offers an egalitarian opportunity. Driving in rush hour traffic is just not the same.
12
In this country, all public transportation is borderline expensive, few and far between and the rich never take it. They just take a helicopter to the office so they don't have to rub shoulders (perish the thought) with the hoi polloi.
I have spent many days in the sierra Nevada back country. You have not gotten to the really spectacular sections. You did nave to cross the Tuolumne above Hetch Hetchy, but from Yosemite south the scenery gets really spectacular.
Even so, the country is threatened by private interests who would charge you to use it, and who would run their cattle on it if they could get away with it. The Sierra Nevada range came with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago the same as Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. It is land paid for by the U.S. and belongs to the people of the U.S. but certain groups keep demanding that these lands be given to the state they are in.
We have to stay vigilant to keep these lands open for all people.
Every year I met foreigners who marvel at our public lands, who travel thousands of miles just to experience them.
As a long term member of the Sierra Club, I have tried to do my part to help keep these lands free and open for future generations. Climb a few peaks along the way, and you might find my name in the register on some of them.
Even so, the country is threatened by private interests who would charge you to use it, and who would run their cattle on it if they could get away with it. The Sierra Nevada range came with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago the same as Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. It is land paid for by the U.S. and belongs to the people of the U.S. but certain groups keep demanding that these lands be given to the state they are in.
We have to stay vigilant to keep these lands open for all people.
Every year I met foreigners who marvel at our public lands, who travel thousands of miles just to experience them.
As a long term member of the Sierra Club, I have tried to do my part to help keep these lands free and open for future generations. Climb a few peaks along the way, and you might find my name in the register on some of them.
96
At 330 million humans, I hope the population of the U.S. starts to decrease so all the wilderness areas that are not protected don't turn into more towns, suburbs, developments, highways, railroads, hyperloops, farms, ranches, and dumps like western Europe, India, eastern China, and Japan. Even so called desolate areas are packed with humans hiking, biking, ATVing, and motorcycling. Other species need large areas of land - the nuisance species called humans is causing the sixth mass extinction of Earth's non-human life.
55
Ok. What caused the other five mass extinctions of earth's non-human life? Are we some how to blame for that?
I agree we need to check our numbers, but you sound like you want us all dead. WE have a right to be here too.
Go listen to Einaudi's, The Walk. His piano playing is magnificent. You'll feel better.
I agree we need to check our numbers, but you sound like you want us all dead. WE have a right to be here too.
Go listen to Einaudi's, The Walk. His piano playing is magnificent. You'll feel better.
Nightwood, I think you are creating a straw man from my comment, however I will give Einaudi a listen.
I really appreciate public lands now that I don't have much public land to enjoy. When I lived in Utah there was so much beauty which was completely open for the publics' enjoyment. The BLM land was free to hike, bike, and backpack on. I could leave my house in Utah and walk for miles seeing canyons, springs, wildlife, petroglyphs and Anasazi ruins.
There is very little public land where I live now. What little public land exists takes hours to drive to and it's not big enough for things like backpacking, unless you want just a day's trip. Even hunters are having a hard time finding land to hunt on because the farms that belonged to friends are becoming housing additions and big box stores. Appreciate the public land you have because states that don't have it are pretty boring unless all you want to do is shop at Walmart.
There is very little public land where I live now. What little public land exists takes hours to drive to and it's not big enough for things like backpacking, unless you want just a day's trip. Even hunters are having a hard time finding land to hunt on because the farms that belonged to friends are becoming housing additions and big box stores. Appreciate the public land you have because states that don't have it are pretty boring unless all you want to do is shop at Walmart.
108
"Their vision reflected a deep belief at the time, among Republicans as well as Democrats, in public services that transcended class. The result was the world’s best public school system at the time, networks of public libraries, public parks and beaches, and later a broad system of public universities and community colleges."
Hold on a second with the blast of nostalgia. We went through a progressive period (1960's) of American history where the economic engine driving this country was accused of being neocolonialist and imperialistic as well as exploiting the Third World and its natural resources. You progressives know who you are. Before the off-shoring was even imagined we jumped heavily into imports which coincided with the beginning of the drop in middle class wealth (October 1973). This was driven by decisions made by the US consumers and a change in the cost of natural resources, not the Koch brothers. And by the way, the east and west coast lead the country in driving imported automobiles (95% had been assembled in the US in the 1950's by what was called the Big Three, now it's barely 45% if you count transplants like Honda and BWM). Is there anything wrong with that? No. But just don't whine about that US economy because that is long gone and we have ourselves, the consumers to thank. Although some of the southern states are rebounding in terms of textiles, so there’s that.
Hold on a second with the blast of nostalgia. We went through a progressive period (1960's) of American history where the economic engine driving this country was accused of being neocolonialist and imperialistic as well as exploiting the Third World and its natural resources. You progressives know who you are. Before the off-shoring was even imagined we jumped heavily into imports which coincided with the beginning of the drop in middle class wealth (October 1973). This was driven by decisions made by the US consumers and a change in the cost of natural resources, not the Koch brothers. And by the way, the east and west coast lead the country in driving imported automobiles (95% had been assembled in the US in the 1950's by what was called the Big Three, now it's barely 45% if you count transplants like Honda and BWM). Is there anything wrong with that? No. But just don't whine about that US economy because that is long gone and we have ourselves, the consumers to thank. Although some of the southern states are rebounding in terms of textiles, so there’s that.
Complete non sequitur - Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were strong advocates of public libraries, communities, parks, schools, etc.
once upon a time, before the Reagan madness descended upon us (and if you like, the extremes of the wacky Left in the 60s) the commons was revered by all.
Now, Jp of Michigan is only one of millions who have no memory of such a time (I don't think looking back 200+ years to our founders qualifies as "nostalgia", but rather as important historical insight - so perhaps I should have said "no knowledge of such a time").
For those who consider Bernie Sanders to be lumped in with those "60s progressives" that Jp finds so offensive, most of what he is talking about is perfectly in line with Mr. Kristof's vision of a universally accepted view of the commons.
Do we have a possibility of returning to such a simple, common, shared vision?
once upon a time, before the Reagan madness descended upon us (and if you like, the extremes of the wacky Left in the 60s) the commons was revered by all.
Now, Jp of Michigan is only one of millions who have no memory of such a time (I don't think looking back 200+ years to our founders qualifies as "nostalgia", but rather as important historical insight - so perhaps I should have said "no knowledge of such a time").
For those who consider Bernie Sanders to be lumped in with those "60s progressives" that Jp finds so offensive, most of what he is talking about is perfectly in line with Mr. Kristof's vision of a universally accepted view of the commons.
Do we have a possibility of returning to such a simple, common, shared vision?
2
To preserve these public jewels for all of us, as envisioned by presidents both Republican and Democratic, we must take care to VOTE. Vote for those who can appreciate the value of a national community with access to public resources available to us all, not simply those whose wealth has accumulated so fabulously that they can buy whole national parks, forests and monuments.
Republicans have long since abandoned any such appreciation of a public realm. If we can't monetize it, it must therefore be worthless.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
Republicans have long since abandoned any such appreciation of a public realm. If we can't monetize it, it must therefore be worthless.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
177
We The People of the United States of America are co-owners of a 640-million acre national real estate portfolio so poetically described by Mr. Kristof. These treasured lands are managed by a number of different federal agencies including the National Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management (the largest), and US Fish & Wildlife Service wildlife refuges.
As the author mentions, however, prime real estate is worth a lot of money - a fact that has not gone unnoticed by the wizards of Wall Street and their lobbyist storm troopers. An accelerating campaign to pry these lands out of public domain for private exploitation is ongoing both in Congress and in the state legislatures of the eleven western states where most of the federal land is located. The land grabbers have changed their propaganda brand over the past two years. For decades they promoted the idea of "selling off land," usually to pay down the national debt.
Now, having never succeeded with a straight sell-off pitch, They've switched to promoting the idea of "Transferring ownership to the states." Anybody who knows anything about state finances instantly realizes this is a con. No state could ever afford to pay for management of these lands without raising taxes by a multiple of 10. So public land defenders are piercing that veil to charge that such "transfer" propaganda is nothing but a front for an eventual selloff.
Alas, The last great American commons is in eminent danger of inclosure.
As the author mentions, however, prime real estate is worth a lot of money - a fact that has not gone unnoticed by the wizards of Wall Street and their lobbyist storm troopers. An accelerating campaign to pry these lands out of public domain for private exploitation is ongoing both in Congress and in the state legislatures of the eleven western states where most of the federal land is located. The land grabbers have changed their propaganda brand over the past two years. For decades they promoted the idea of "selling off land," usually to pay down the national debt.
Now, having never succeeded with a straight sell-off pitch, They've switched to promoting the idea of "Transferring ownership to the states." Anybody who knows anything about state finances instantly realizes this is a con. No state could ever afford to pay for management of these lands without raising taxes by a multiple of 10. So public land defenders are piercing that veil to charge that such "transfer" propaganda is nothing but a front for an eventual selloff.
Alas, The last great American commons is in eminent danger of inclosure.
281
We had the farce of a senatorial candidate who put on a brand new barn coat and posed in front of some pines to pretend to care about the Colorado wilderness. Unfortunately, he's one of the jerks trying to sell off the very same lands. At the same time, a real wilderness advocate and genuinely decent man was slimed by a man who couldn't tell the truth about any issues. Guess who won? The Koch brothers of course.
128
FYI, the states do own 200 million acres of public lands. In Arizona, it's 40-30 federal/state. The state-owned land here is used much more by state residents whereas the federal owned land tends to draw from a broader population. The division of control makes sense as is and transferring land would not be sensible. I think the feds are good at what they do and the state is good at what it does, and they are separate missions which should stay that way.
12
The state's mission in Arizona is to raise money for the schools. As such most of the state land is closed to the public. It is basically run the same as private land. It is only the Federal land that is enjoyed by the public. If the state was given the Federal land also, they would probably close that too.
7
Until Wild, the Pacific Crest Trail was obscure when compared to the Appalachian Trail. Now traffic has increased substantially. Small towns by the Appalachian Trial are well used to a small stream of traffic from long distance hikers there. And most of those hikers are very experienced, long-time outdoors people. By contrast, the long distance hikers along the Pacific Crest Trail are more the REI/EMS types and are relative novices. I suspect the quality of equipment has gone up on the PCT and I imagine that the locals think of the new crowd as much more like the 1% than the pre-Wild hikers.
5
The REI types? We've been members of REI since the early 1960's. When did you first set foot in the woods?
1
It will get a small bump and then go back down. The PCT is A LOT tougher than the Appalachian trail for a lot of reasons.
1
Anyone who walks the PCT pr AT under their own power deserves respect.
2
I just finished reading "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed and it was a testament to how she found redemption step-by-painful step alone on the Pacific Crest Trail. I read "Wild" because I had seen the movie, whereas my friend had already read the book and thought she would be disappointed in the movie. Now I understand why but on the other hand, I may never have read the book had I not seen the movie first! There's no movie location that can surpass the wonders of our National Parks!
17
I agree. We need to turn back the tide of privatizing everything, including the commons like our national parks and our assets not sold off to the highest bidder. Nature is necessary for our survival, and is not just a feel good thing for a long walk. Without nature we will all die. Once we wake up to the damage we inflict on the earth and the affect it is having on the health of our planet, each and every parcel of unblemished nature will take on the value that should be atrributed to it..PRICELESS. The commons of clean air, clean water, public education, public libraries, transportation systems and public parks whose wildness are protected are things we should never allow to be compromised.
144
Carolyn,
The Federal "public parks" are not free to citizens even Mt. Rushmore charges for parking in order for you to visit. Others charge admission to visit or even drive through them and all charge for camping or wilderness backpacking permits. Americans shouldn't have to wait to age 65 to be able to visit our amazing national parks for free. In fact the concept of national parks would have more support if more of us did visit them.
The Federal "public parks" are not free to citizens even Mt. Rushmore charges for parking in order for you to visit. Others charge admission to visit or even drive through them and all charge for camping or wilderness backpacking permits. Americans shouldn't have to wait to age 65 to be able to visit our amazing national parks for free. In fact the concept of national parks would have more support if more of us did visit them.
9
The parks agree! Did you know that every 4th grader and their families will be able to enter any park for free this year? Many parks -- like Redwood National Park in my area -- have no entry fees at all, and all parks have at least a few days a year when there are no fees (like the 99th birthday this week).
My concern about your article has to do with conceptual clarity about the terms you used to describe your experience of hiking with your daughter. I write within a context of being employed by the National Park Service and involvement with other land use.
For a few decades, at least since William Cronon's 'Uncommon Ground, Rethinking the Human Place in Nature,' the concept of wilderness has changed. What most Americans call wilderness is not pristine and absent impacts from humans.
' Wilderness' is now contrasted with 'wildness.' Wilderness embodies places that have been altered not only by people who first used such places, e.g., native Americans, but also modern urban Americans who have demanded in many places developments to accommodate their desires: hotels, gift shops, ski areas, restaurants, sewage treatment plants, etc.–all of which has altered the areas.
'Wildness' includes places that are closer to 'pristine,' i.e., no human impacts. Still, no place is truly wild because global pollution and loss of biodiversity from humans' impacts has altered places that seem, on the surface, to be purely pristine.
The distinction between wilderness and wildness is important. As Americans continue to use the terms synonymously the distinction between the more truly wild and areas that are scenic yet developed is lost. This decreases the likelihood that more pristine wild areas will be protected because the distinction between wilderness and the wild are lost.
For a few decades, at least since William Cronon's 'Uncommon Ground, Rethinking the Human Place in Nature,' the concept of wilderness has changed. What most Americans call wilderness is not pristine and absent impacts from humans.
' Wilderness' is now contrasted with 'wildness.' Wilderness embodies places that have been altered not only by people who first used such places, e.g., native Americans, but also modern urban Americans who have demanded in many places developments to accommodate their desires: hotels, gift shops, ski areas, restaurants, sewage treatment plants, etc.–all of which has altered the areas.
'Wildness' includes places that are closer to 'pristine,' i.e., no human impacts. Still, no place is truly wild because global pollution and loss of biodiversity from humans' impacts has altered places that seem, on the surface, to be purely pristine.
The distinction between wilderness and wildness is important. As Americans continue to use the terms synonymously the distinction between the more truly wild and areas that are scenic yet developed is lost. This decreases the likelihood that more pristine wild areas will be protected because the distinction between wilderness and the wild are lost.
59
Human society obviously needs these accomodations the most esoteric nature elites despise. Just as a house isn't really lived in until kids arrive, wild areas need people to have justified their being left alone, right?
If we'd left the entire continent to the squirrels and reptiles, would that have made you happy?
If we'd left the entire continent to the squirrels and reptiles, would that have made you happy?
Florida's governor is trying to make the state's magnificent state park system financially self-sufficient. Golf courses proved unpopular, so now it's logging, grazing, and hunting.
90
The 1% are not "makers" as they flatter themselves to be. They are takers of the worse kind for they take far more than they need and hoard what they have. In fact, I have begun to think that excessive wealth is a type of hoarding disorder and those with the most are the sickest.
3
Great column. About your father-daughter adventure, about nature's bounty, and mostly about the America we once were, and maybe can be again. I just turned 60 this week, and the change in our country that has sickened me most since the days of St. Ronnie is the loss of the sense of "the commons." That we are all in this together: to honor a truly unique history, to strive for greatness in the present, and to build something wonderful to be enjoyed by future Americans with whom we possibly have nothing in common-- except for the shared sense of "we are in this together." It was not the rugged individualism of mythical cowboys (or heaven knows, CEOs!) which made this country great. It was unrelated, unconnected people teaming up, sometimes with great personal sacrifice, to make conditions better, for ALL.
199
I am always surprised when I hear people claim we're a Christian country, because what I grew up thinking binds us together is how we settled the land. Under that scenario, I imagined the national parks as kind of resting places from the task of settling and working the land, kind of like our neighborhood playgrounds writ large, or like a day of rest at the end of a work week. They seemed to me, in an abstract sort of way, like pockets of rest amid the bustle of farming, mining, commerce, and transportation that they taught us about in social studies class at school. And so from my point of view then, national parks were part of what binds the people of our country together, rather than a worldview, exceptionalism, or a particular religious tradition -- our joint endeavor of inhabiting this land seemed to me to be at the root of what being an American meant. Against that background I was surprised to learn later about the many divisions that other people see in our population and their attempts to define and restrict who is "really" an American.
39
At least one liberal can mention the fake issue of wealth inequality -
AKA ''different results from different people'' -
and admit that envy, jealousy, or coveting plays a part in it.
Of course, if these less-used federal areas were left under the controlling hand of the states as the original founders planned for all along, there might actually be easier access to the wonderful remote areas so that NOT only the most healthy and hardy 5% or 10% could actually use them.
Elitist tinkering and control is SO 1600's.
AKA ''different results from different people'' -
and admit that envy, jealousy, or coveting plays a part in it.
Of course, if these less-used federal areas were left under the controlling hand of the states as the original founders planned for all along, there might actually be easier access to the wonderful remote areas so that NOT only the most healthy and hardy 5% or 10% could actually use them.
Elitist tinkering and control is SO 1600's.
3
Kentucky? Isn't that the state where the wonder of state government handed some of the beautiful land in the US to be raped and pillaged and its people were treated as no better than objects to be used and discarded--just so much collateral damage as far as the coal industry is concerned? The federal government may not be the world's best steward of the land but it's a heck of a lot better than most of our state governments.
As for the wilderness being for only the most healthy and hardy 5 or 10% of the population, that could only be said by someone who has never bothered to even try. I'm 69 years old; my husband is 74. We both have our share of aching joints and various infirmities but we have no trouble visiting and enjoying the wilderness. And even when we can no longer walk easily, we believe our children and grandchildren deserve to be able to do what Nicolas Kristof and his daughter are doing. That's just simple stewardship of a common resource.
As for the wilderness being for only the most healthy and hardy 5 or 10% of the population, that could only be said by someone who has never bothered to even try. I'm 69 years old; my husband is 74. We both have our share of aching joints and various infirmities but we have no trouble visiting and enjoying the wilderness. And even when we can no longer walk easily, we believe our children and grandchildren deserve to be able to do what Nicolas Kristof and his daughter are doing. That's just simple stewardship of a common resource.
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As I recall, the Federal government paid for the Louisiana Purchase, the states did not even exist at that time. Just where do you get the idea that the founders planned to give away all of west's land to states?
Apparently Mr. Austin would only be happy if the Pacific Crest trail and the Continental Divide trail were paved. And all those wonderful "remote" areas sure would not be "remote" with paved roads and trails.
Apparently Mr. Austin would only be happy if the Pacific Crest trail and the Continental Divide trail were paved. And all those wonderful "remote" areas sure would not be "remote" with paved roads and trails.
13
Wow - this comment really highlights just how deep the ideological schism runs right now in our country. Hard to fathom this is your reaction to Mr. Kristof's column, and I for one am grateful we don't have full state control over all US land that might allow local interests to pave easy access and force "multiple use" provisions for drilling, 4-wheeling and shooting in national parks, which I suspect you might support.
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Don't count on that Land for too long
In spite of the words of the song,
The wealth the Kochs sought
A climate change wrought,
Denials will not right great wrong!
In spite of the words of the song,
The wealth the Kochs sought
A climate change wrought,
Denials will not right great wrong!
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