As I read Skagit County Commissioner Ted Anderson’s letter opposing the creation of the Wild Sky Wilderness, I had to wonder if he has ever actually hiked in a wilderness area. He claims that wilderness is the exclusive province of the “athletically elite” that excludes the elderly, children and those of limited physical ability, but a simple walk in the woods easily dispels that myth.
I’m a 50-year-old, heavyset man with a bad back, but I still manage to slog up wilderness trails. True, I don’t bound up them like I did in my youth, but I manage to persevere in my “tortoise and the hare” fashion. It’s a good lesson for life, really. Some things that are worthwhile take some effort to achieve, indeed are more worthwhile because of the effort expended.
Last Sunday, I hiked the Ashland Lakes trail in the Mount Pilchuck Natural Resource Conservation Area (the State DNR’s version of a wilderness) and when I arrived at Upper Ashland Lake, sweaty, panting and smiling, the first thing I heard was the laughter of children. At Lower Ashland Lake I met a couple at least 20 years my senior who had backpacked in to spend the night, and at Beaver Plant Lake I talked with a father who had camped out with his three kids, ages 5-8. Hardly the athletic elite.
While Anderson does a good job of parroting the talking points given by Wild Sky foe Rep. Richard Pombo during his recent flyover of the proposed wilderness (seems Pombo ain’t much for nature hikes either), he misses an essential point: Wilderness is open to all people, just not to their machines.
Don Shank
Everett
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
