Put Some More Awe in Your Day
plus, creek-side treks, park passes on the chopping block, a camp stove recall, national park backpacking, and more
howdy
Hey Happy Leap Day, everyone! How are you using this extra day?
Checking emails? Browsing the wreckage of Twitter? Filled with existential dread?
How about searching out some AWE?
I have saved a story on awe from the New York Times for a long time—almost since I started writing this newsletter—but I’ve never been able to find a good spot for it. Since moving to the northwest, I’ve found this late February / early March chunk of winter to really be the time of year that brings the most stagnant doldrums … so now’s as good a time as any (hey did you grow up in a part of the country that has something called “False Spring”? I did not.)
As the article notes, “awe” is something we have all felt at one time or another, but trying to put an exact definition into words is a bit slippery. Dr. Dacher Keltner, a psychologist at UC Berkeley and author of a book on the subject says “awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your understanding of the world.”
Although there are lots of different ways to experience awe—the writer mentions their child taking their first steps and hearing a favorite musician perform—I’m willing to bet because you’re here reading this newsletter that you tend to get your doses of awe from spending time in the outdoors. That makes sense, especially as research on awe runs parallel to a lot of research on the benefits of spending time in nature.
That research has suggested experiencing awe calms our nervous system, releases oxytocin to promote trust and bonding, slows our sense of time, increases altruism and a sense of connectedness, quiets negative self-talk, and more. As Dr. Keltner notes, “we are at this moment of cultural narcissism and self-shame and criticism and entitlement; awe gets us out of that.” Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
I know I have had more than my fair share of breathtaking moments of awe on the trail, and yeah, things like seeing Yosemite Valley or Crater Lake for the first time are absolutely on that list. But so are moments like sitting quietly while a family of deer crossed my route on an otherwise unremarkable trail in the San Gabriel Mountains, seeing the cloud layers of the phantom sea roll over the jagged peaks near Malibu Creek State Park, or even weeding in my garden and discovering the big-leaf lupines I was so sure a handyman had trampled to death were still pushing their way back up out of the damp, mossy earth.
And the really good news for those of us who occasionally find ourselves metaphorically chained to a laptop somewhere is that most of these benefits of the outdoors can be experienced even by just looking at pictures of natural scenes. I’ve got my iPhone on one of those magnet charging mounts next to my desktop screen, and I just set it to shuffle through my (seemingly endless) collection of outdoor photos. Is it maybe a distraction from the “work” I’m doing? Perhaps. But do I feel just a little bit better getting my memory jogged back to all these great times I’ve spent out on a trail somewhere? Abso-freaking-lutely.
Read the full article on awe here (unlocked!), which also includes some suggestions on how to up your awe-intake every day.
Modern Hiking
Good stuff from the Modern Hiker site
Creekside Treks
Well, it’s still winter, which means its Wet Season for most of the West. As I write this, the mountains in the Pacific Northwest are (finally!) getting a good hit of snow, and it looks like much of the Sierra Nevada will be in blizzard conditions through the weekend, with some forecasts predicting 5 to 12 feet of snow. For hikers, that means you’ll probably want to cool it on the high elevation stuff for a bit, and when the storms pass, you may also want to explore some of the nearby seasonal creeks, streams, and waterfalls, too.
Our Trail Guide Melissa Ozbek compiled a truly comprehensive list of some of the best Bay Area creek hikes, and if you’re in the neighborhood it’s well worth your time. And oh yeah, you may also still be interested in these, too:
Hey! Spring’s a great time to refresh your Hiking List, so why not pick up a signed copy of one of my books for the SoCal hiker (or hopeful SoCal hiker) in your life?
Your Parks
Your Places
Saguaro at Night
A belated congratulations to Tucson’s Saguaro National Park, which became the ninth place in the world and the second national park to be certified an Urban Night Sky Place by DarkSky International. The designation celebrates the park’s efforts to control light pollution inside its boundaries, even in spite of the slow crawling sprawl of the city of Tucson—which just so happens to be the headquarters of the DarkSky Internationalorganization.
The team at National Parks Traveler has a terrific write-up of one of the park’s nighttime star parties, in case you needed some inspiration. If you haven’t had the pleasure of gazing up at the night sky from the desert … well … you don’t know what you’re missing.
Find your closest International Dark Sky Place right here.
The Best Backpacking in the National Parks
Yeah it’s a Top Ten list, and we should always take those with several grains of salt, but this compilation of backpacking routes in Outside is pretty solid. The trips range from (generally) mild to full-on leg-busters, and highlight scenery all across the country … but honestly I was mostly drawn in by the photos of Canyonlands National Park’s Chesler Park, which cast its spell on me many years ago and lately has been calling me back …
Park Passes on the Chopping Block
Did you know that having a California library card can get you free entry into more than 200 California State Parks? It’s called the California State Library Parks Pass, and it was a pilot program introduced in 2022 to every public library across the state. But unfortunately, it looks like it may be about to get cut in the state’s upcoming budget. By all accounts, the pilot program has been tremendously successful—in San Francisco’s Main Library in the Tenderloin neighborhood, passes were checked out over 2,500 times since July 2022.
The California State Parks Foundation has been writing to legislators to keep funding for this program in the budget, and is encouraging people to do the same.
Tech Talk
Gadgets, Technology, and Hype
Don’t Get Burned
If you’re a fan of MSR cooking pots, you might want to check some model numbers to see if it’s a good idea to trade one in. MSR’s parent company Cascade Designs issued a voluntary recall affecting more than 60,000 cook pots in North America. The recall is focused on pots in the Trail Lite and Reactor series, and aims to correct an issue where the pot handle might come loose, spilling the contents of the cook pot.
The company is offering free replacement lids for anyone by calling Cascade Designs customer support or submitting a case online. Find more information at Gear Junkie.
Wildlife Crossing
Wildlife and the Outdoors
Wolverine’s Return
In the tiny city of Barlow, Oregon (population: 133), some big outdoor news happened this week when a lone wolverine was caught on video near state highway 99. State wildlife officials confirmed the sighting and have said it may be the same wolverine that was sighted around this time last year. The sightings in 2023 were first near the Columbia River, then in the towns of Damascus and Beavercreek, and they’re notable in that they’re the first confirmed wolverine sightings outside of northeastern Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains in over 30 years.
Officials ask anyone who spots a wolverine in the Beaver State to keep away, but report the sighting on iNaturalist.
One More Thing
Oh yeah, before I go …
Did you open up your copy of Microsoft Word recently and notice something a little different? Microsoft is changing its default typeface from Calibri to one called Aptos—the first update to the default font in 17 years.
If you are the type of person who cares deeply about typefaces … or if you’re just the type of person who loves that there are people who care deeply about typefaces … you may want to dig into this primer on the big change, or read more on the development of Aptos (and some of the other fonts that didn’t make the cut).
Oh … and don’t forget to leave the door open for Leap Day William! Hope you get a great selection of candies in exchange for children’s tears!
Until next time,
Happy Trails,
