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October 05, 2006
Take a Hike! And Take a Child With You!
Last Child In The Woods
by Richard Louv
Fall is finally here, and with it comes cooler weather, lower humidity, shorter days, and the best hiking of the year! Columbus Day weekend is almost upon us, and here in the southeast, places like Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cumberland Island National Seashore, and the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area will be crawling with hikers. Tens of thousands of additional hiking enthusiasts will flock to their local county and state parks, city greenways, and nature centers to get out and stretch their legs.
While this might seem like a positive thing in a time when CNN, Time Magazine and other major news outlets constantly beat the drum about our nation's obesity epidemic, all is not as it seems. This morning I awoke and found an article in the Albany (NY) Times Union talking about how children are not getting outside like they once used to. A troubling trend is occurring out in the woods. This issue is the topic of a new book by Richard Louv entitled "Last Child in the Woods." Published in 2005, this book was recently released in paperback and has inspired a new term - "Nature Deficit Disorder."
Louv has been interviewed on National Public Radio, and was the featured speaker at a conference in West Virginia last month entitled the National Dialogue on Children and Nature.
There are some fairly simple solutions to this problem, and for many folks, it starts at home. Take a hike, and talk a young person with you! Start slow, and choose a short trail 1-2 miles in length. Explore, imagine, look for birds and other wildlife, and simply have a good time. Bring a pair of binoculars with you. And a healthy picnic lunch. You CAN make a difference in the life of a young person - all the while helping yourself by modeling healthy habits.
For more information about hiking including fact sheets about safety and things to bring with you out on the trail, please visit the American Hiking Society website. While you're there, please consider joining the only National organization that advocates on behalf of hikers and the hiking experience.
Happy hiking!
~Jeffrey Hunter~
American Hiking Happenings | By Jeffrey Hunter | 08:51 AM
