This has to be the hardest Nature Writing Challenge prompt yet! Here it is just a few days from National Public Lands Day on September 22, 2018 and I trying to write about where would be my favorite place to introduce someone to public lands. As someone who spends quite a bit of time wandering on public lands, it has been crazy trying to narrow down just where would I take someone for their first time or to show off some of the most beautiful places I love to visit. I thought I would start somewhere simple: define what exactly are public lands in the first place.
What Are Public Lands?
That is a very good question! Public lands are lands set aside by the government for the public to protect and preserve them from private interest. I acknowledge that not all Americans have the same relationship with our country’s public lands and you can read more about that in my The National Parks: America’s Best Idea post or in works like THIS. The majority of public lands in the United States are held in trust for the American people by the federal government and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the United States National Park Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, or the Fish and Wildlife Service under the Department of the Interior, or by the United States Forest Service under the Department of Agriculture. According to the Department of the Interior, public lands are:
- National Parks
- National Forests
- National Wildlife Refuges
- National Conservation Areas
- National Monuments
- Wildernesses
- National Historic Sites
- National Memorials
- National Battllefields
- National Recreation Areas
- Wild and Scenic Rivers
- National Seashores and National Lakeshores
- National Trails
Can you see why I am having such a hard time writing about my favorite one to introduce someone to public lands? There are SO many public lands I love to choose from! Even keeping my options to Washington State still leaves me with a plethora of options. Playing adventures and gorgeous scenery over and over in my mind since Monday, it finally came to me last night on a long car ride home. Just where have I taken people when I want to turn the “wow factor” up?
Where Are My Favorite Public Lands?
I have to stay close to home for my choices and it is just one of the many reasons I love where I live. I can access the trailheads for these stunning destinations in less than 2 hours. And the great part? All three can be combined for one spectacular backpacking adventure!
Benchmark Mountain in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness
If I could take someone to only one mountain top, this would be it. Sure, it is a bit of a trek in but nothing technical so as long as someone had the endurance they would be fine. It is used to have a more direct trail in but with a road washout the forest service is not in a hurry to fix, it sits about 11 miles in at the moment.
Best to plan an overnight and wake up early to enjoy the sunrise. You may have read about how I took my girlfriends a few years ago in Out With The Girls. In case you missed it, here we are on the top:
Pear Lake in the Henry M. Jackson Wildeness
No hike to Benchmark would be complete without a night at Pear Lake. Although I prefer to hike in on the Meadow Creek Trail to Fortune Ponds and then over a small saddle to Pear, you can access it by coming in the same Top Lake Trail that you would to visit Benchmark.
I could sit on the talus field above the lake forever watching the sun go down. And for an extra bonus, you can scramble up to Fortune Mountain above the lake for a little bit of this:
The Pacific Crest Trail National Scenic Trail
Of course. I don’t know why I didn’t think about this one right away. Sometimes when something is so familiar, you forget how special it could be to someone new. Not that I haven’t taken many a friend out on a backpacking trip on the trail or talked it up ad nauseam. But I have never steered anyone wrong. Benchmark and Pear Lake sit on the Pacific Crest Trail right above my adopted section (Pear Lake marks the northern end).
I do love both the Washington and Oregon sections that I have hiked but this area holds a special place in my heart. And every time I take a new person to experience it, not only are they marveling at the jawdropping scenery, they get to hear about how I cut that log or fixed that drain. It helps the trail and and outdoors have much more of a personal connection. I’ve hiked it 6 times now and will probably add 2 trips each year as long as I am able to hike and do trail work. Speaking of trail work…
What Is National Public Lands Day?
I would be remiss if I didn’t end my story with a little more information about National Public Lands Day. This yearly event that falls on the fourth Saturday of September is an opportunity for giving back. National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is our nation’s largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands. It is also a “fee-free day”—entrance fees are waived at national parks and other public lands. This includes Washington State Parks, as well. The annual celebration is coordinated by the National Environmental Education Foundation) but people and organizations across the country can participate in their own way. And it is no coincidence that I’ll be out on the Pacific Crest Trail leading a work party doing some brushing and minor tread repair near my adopted section Saturday. Should be a wonderful (if not a bit wet) day!
This post was written in one hour for the #NatureWritingChallenge. Check out Twitter to learn more or see my other posts from the challenge here. Not sure what public lands are? Check out this article on the Department of The Interior website: America’s Public Lands Explained.
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