I’ve been traveling the past 3 weeks. 21 days of packing, repacking, washing clothes in showers, applying handfuls of sunscreen, deleting things from my phone to free up space for more photos, sharing moments and memories with family, friends, and strangers alike, the list goes on and on. Each place has offered its own breathtaking views, rocky terrain, proud locals and seasonal workers, hearts swelling too big for some of the small towns. We walked through small communities, drove through big ones, cruised through open waters, and sight-saw until we were speechless.
With each passing day I thought about the shared pathways, both literal and metaphorical, I was walking with the people around me. As annoying as traffic jams and navigating clueless tourists taking selfies can be, everyone is there for a collective reason of soaking up the beauty that the US holds. Each pitstop boasts a sort of splendor and whimsy that millions of people make the trek to see and experience. That’s damn cool if you ask me.
When you think about all the beautiful places you’ve wandered through, do you think of waterfalls and mountain ridges? Or maybe you think of rainforests and beaches. Maybe your mind flits to your very own backyard watching hummingbirds dart between flowers. Regardless of where your memories take you, whether it’s a few feet from where you sit now or across the country, it’s all apart of the same planet, where people are milling about looking for their place in the world and their own favorite views. We’re all just looking for our niche, again, literally and metaphorically.
I’m lucky to feel at home in a bunch of places because I have friendships that stretch my travels across various states and countries, and I never want to stop exploring the badass earth we have here right under our feet, if nothing else, the very thing that connects us all as a human race.
Under the Antiquities Act, we get to camp, hike, hunt, fish, ride horses, bike, climb, raft, kayak, and last but not least soak up the freaking incredible landscapes and waters that make up the US. We get to do all of these things without even second guessing it. With the current administration, protecting the Earth isn’t its priority, so it’s our job and right to express our concern for these public lands we’ve had the privilege of reveling in. Reminisce on your experiences, stand up for the beauty you’ve witnessed, and share your stories.
These are easy things to do to preserve the national monuments and parks that you’ve come to love so that people in the future can walk the same trails you did. It’s a shared history that we don’t want to end with us, and here’s your chance to make sure it doesn’t.
Today, July 10th, is the last day for public comment on a new executive order that threatens the beauty that makes this nation so great. Less than 60 seconds of your time to help save years of wildlife future -
http://monumentsforall.org/action/
http://monumentsforall.org/action/