Why National Forests?
Have you ever noticed how simple questions can lead to the longest answer? We were recently asked “Why National Forests?” Here are a dozen reasons to explain why Fred and I prefer camping in a National Forest and Grasslands:
Elbow room to spare
There is no need to worry if your neighbor might hear a late night discussion and critique your dinner menu; the distance between sites is simply too great.
A chance to meet the most interesting people
You might have a camp site neighbor from Moscow (Idaho or Russia), or hike with a rock climbing author of murder mysteries from Berlin (Germany or Pennsylvania).
A sense of accomplishment
In the wilds of a national forest you must set up camp, get a fire started, maybe even catch a trout or a mess of perch for dinner, and the list goes on. Some tasks can be a challenge but the satisfaction when the sun sets and you got it done is enormous.
Fresh air for everyone
This is where you don’t see but smell the air. The butterscotch or vanilla aroma of pines, the musky scent of decaying earth, the honey sweet smell of wildflowers, evening campfires and morning coffee and bacon, these and many other scents fill the air.
Conveniently near
With 156 National Forests and 21 national grasslands scattered throughout this country, there must be one within few hours or at the most a day’s drive of everyone.
“A change of wallpaper”
With our hectic lives two weeks of vacation can be hard to come by. But a brief change of surroundings can work wonders to refresh the spirit and mind. With a national forest close by, a bunch of weekend vacations are possible.
Wildlife
In the early morning or just before sunset, sit quietly for a while at a camp site or next to a meadow and discover the quantity of wildlife that live in the national forest. You won’t see it all but there will be enough to make you realize, a robust population of wildlife reflects the forest’s good health.
Awesome beauty
Mankind has built some pretty amazing structures but none compare to the delicate wonder of a dew covered spider’s web, the majestic walk of an elk, antics of two squirrels or the awesome power of a sawtooth top mountain range.
A humbling experience
Stand in a grove of young Aspen trees or next to a hundred-year-old pine, watch an osprey fishing, salmon returning to their home water, or climb to the edge of a mountain ridge and look out on the world and realize just how important you are in the grand scheme.
Quiet starry nights
The black velvet night sky in a national forest has more twinkles than a movie star’s dress on opening night. And the quiet I refer to is the quiet of nature with owls hooting, frogs croaking, coyotes singing, and bugs buzzing.
S’more and scary stories
Perfectly charred marshmallows, squashed between layers of chocolate and graham crackers eaten to tales of Big Foot. Does it get any better?
An affordable treat
If you have the camping equipment (or are “making do” with a bed rolls in the back of your SUV and cooler), a family can camp in a national forest for two nights at about the cost of going the movies with popcorn, candy and soda pop.
A sense of history
Fred would add this reason. We haven’t found a national forest that doesn’t have a direct connection to the history of this country. From ancient cave drawings in the Ozark NF in Arkansas to the ruts left by wagons moving west found in several national forest in Oregon, the history found and preserved in our national forests is noteworthy.
Great Blog Entry.