Longview

 This city of about 40,000 people was often our family road trip destination. Summers were our family's time to visit Grandma and, while embracing many adventures along the way, we would stop in Longview for up to two weeks. Over those two weeks we'd make multiple trips to the Library, watch dad, Grandma and Uncle Mark play bridge and explore the nearby area.
 In the middle of Longview sits Lake Sacajawea...my grandma lives right on it. It's a pretty good sized lake and the trail around it has often provided for our walks to the playground and, one older, a 3.7 mile running path for me to escape to.

 I've heard Grandma talk about how this lake used to have clean, clear water running through pipes under it, keeping the lake pristine. When Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1980, the pipes became clogged with ash and were never cleaned out, rendering Lake Sacajawea no longer able to support activities like swimming and canoeing as there became issues with pollution and algae blooms. Once when I was in high school science class, we watched a video of the Helens eruption. It features my grandma's house as it began discussing the effect the eruption had on nearby communities. I loves hearing stories about the eruption from Grandma as Mount Saint Helens in a mere 30 minute drive from her house.

  Located on both the Lower Columbia and Cowlitz rivers, Longview has become an industrial town, mainly dealing in timber and wood products. Driving into town as kids, I can recall being saddened by the number of logs stacked up along the river for processing of shipment (insert shameless plug to recycle paper and use cloth napkins). In all seriousness, even then the huge patches of clear-cut forest we'd drive past in Washington and Oregon would break my heart.

(Mount Saint Helens)

  The last thing I want to mention about Longview is the claim to fame it holds for any visiting child. Over by the library hangs the Nutty Narrows Bridge. Built in 1963, it is the only bridge in the world constructed specifically for squirrels, its purpose to avoid casualties in the road below. It was always an exciting to treat to go watch squirrels scamper across it.

 There are lots of fun, quirky things to love about Longview but more than anything else, what I loved about this place if the family that it held. It doesn't seem as if saying art projects or helping in the garden would be enough to make me love a place but really, that's exactly the situation. I love Longview for my family and anything we did together here just helped to enrich my appreciation for this little mill town.

Memory Lane

  Studies have shown that one of the the biggest similarities among advocates for the environment is that they spent time in the outdoors as children with an adult they respected. That's it. Who knew it would be that easy? Share your love of the outdoors with a child and there's a good chance they'll grow into an adult that cares about the natural world.

  Lucky me. I had a dad who loved to talk about and be in nature. He was a science teacher, both inside the classroom and out. We grew up road-tripping around North America, parading through National Parks along the way. Sure, camping was the cheapest way to travel, but it was also the most adventurous. We were nothing special. We had no high tech gear. Our tent was probably from K-mart, sleeping bags as well. Our sleeping pads were layers of cotton blankets. It was not unusual to wake up with soaked feet in the morning but MAN, was it fun!

  My mom was raised and raising us Catholic but dad was agnostic. I remember once he took my brother and I out to Standing Bear Lake in Omaha where we sat at a picnic table, listening to him explain his "religion." He explained that he had faith in facts, in science, in the human spirit and that anything beyond that, he couldn't commit to. He told us why, outside of any denomination of faith background, he felt it was important for us to take care of the earth and one another. Then, he went out and lived it. He picked up trash everywhere we went, often to my teenage embarrassment. We continued our cross-country treks, car camping and day hiking. I will never forget the first time I saw a mountain goat or running barefoot down a glacier with my brother in Montana (which, by the way, I highly recommend).

  And after all of this...I grew up to study science and love the environment. I grew up to take others, as well as myself, outside at any opportunity. To seek adventure not only in travel but in the everyday. I grew up believing that if we put our minds to it, humanity can achieve anything.

  Some may have heard me say it before but it's hard to identify just how much space a person occupies in your spirit, your mind, your heart and the world until they are no longer there. At 58, my dad passed away suddenly and painlessly last Saturday. It was 30 years too soon but if there is a good way to go, he found it while dancing and telling jokes in Washington state.

  My grandma is in Washington and he was out helping around the house and catching up with old high school buddies. Washington was almost always our destination while road-tripping and I spent a lot of time as a kid exploring the Pacific Northwest. There were a few specific places that held special meaning in our hearts and, as we made the journey to retrieve dad, we made a point to revisit some of these sites in his honor and memory. It was a really special time for my family.

  If you'll allow, I would like to take this week to tell you about some of these places. Show you pictures, share some memories and reflect on the power that an outdoor landscape can hold in a life and spirit. Those of us who spend time outside know that these places become part of our identity. They become part of our whole being, a spiritual center. And often they can become these things because once, as a child, someone bothered to show them to us.

  Thanks, dad. Thanks for instilling in me the importance of not only loving our natural world, but teaching me how to care for it. Thanks for being an example of doing what was right, even when it embarrassed your teenage children. Now, in sharing these places and spaces, I see you everywhere I look. You are standing on the mountains outside my window and seeing the stars in the sky close up (lucky!). You are the physics of a waterfall and the pH balance of the soil. You will be missed.

(Greatest road trip ever! Omaha- Badlands & Black Hills w/ Mt Rushmore- Devils Tower- Grand Tetons- Yellowstone- Helena, MT- Glacier Nat'l Park- Waterston Park, Canada- Calgary- Edmonton- Road to the Sun- Grandma's, Longview, WA- Oregon coast- Sacramento / San Francisco- Lake Tahoe- Salt Lake City- Omaha)

I would be remiss in not mentioning that my mom had massive impact on who I am today and that in combination, I have been able to believe a positive relationship between science and religion.

The Wild Thang

Warning: This is an honest attempt to address a topic somewhat outside of our mainstream discourse…sex. As my friend, Sara, and I were talking about taboo topics when it came to backcountry education, naturally this subject came up. As a health professional, I asked Sara to share some of her thoughts on the subject with the RC community. What follows is simply food-for-thought and not meant to be an all-encompassing manual. There are MANY personal beliefs and preferences on the matter and this posting is not meant to sway you in any direction other than this: be safe so that your outdoor experience isn’t thwarted by ignorance or lack of planning. If you read no further than here, we will not be offended.

RC Sara is a sexual health educator at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

**She also takes pretty spectacular jumping pictures.**  

Doin’ it in God’s glorious playground can be amazing and unforgettable. With cool breezes, warm sunshine, water droplets, rustling leaves and the light touch of grass, it’s no wonder that a euphemism for sex is “getting’ wild.” Planning ahead for sex is important any time, but it’s of special importance in the backcountry. If you’re going into the wild and are even considering getting down and dirty with your companion, you need to plan accordingly.

Your packing list is up to you but as you’re planning, pause to consider needs for protection, sanitation and your ability to pack out what you pack in. No one wants to see trash in our wild lands, especially of this more personal nature.

If your personal items contain anything with an odor, all normal wilderness rules apply. Pack so that these items can be easily separated from the rest of your gear and contained in your bear bag/barrel. Bringing an extra Ziploc bag for TP is always recommended, but pack one more for items requiring more discretion (wrap it in duct tape for even more privacy).

Other items you should consider packing could include a quick-dry towel, blanket or old t-shirt. Sleeping bags are no fun to wash unless you own a commercial washing machine, so the items above can act as a barrier. Also make sure you’ve brought some biodegradable soap and a washcloth. REI has a great article on hygiene and sanitation in the backcountry HERE.

Where to do it (in order of least risky to most risky)?
Quietly inside your tent with a barrier between your sleeping items and your bodies is the least risky spot. If you’re camping with friends, noises and tent movement can be a dead giveaway, so camp etiquette would say to hold off on your urges until you’re alone.

A two person hammock is another option. Your biggest challenge here will be keeping yourselves from falling out.
     *Remember that getting busted while having sex in public can bring a hefty fine or result in a  more horrific “offender” label on your record. Heck, these days, it could end up on YouTube! Find a spot where you’re very unlikely to be seen by others.

On the ground may seem an obvious choice, but one with a bit more risk. Choose your spot wisely! Avoid stinging nettles, poison ivy etc. Dirt and bugs are hard to avoid completely so if you really want to connect to the earth, lay something between you and the ground.

Under a waterfall or in a mountain stream....ehhhh not so much. Remember that hikers don’t even drink water in the backcountry without treatment or filtering. Don’t invite those parasites elsewhere!

Sex on the beach is definitely not an ideal location. It may sound like a good idea but sand tends to find its way into unwanted places.

Last note on location: Don’t forget that being naked could expose parts of you that never see the sunshine. Even short stints in the sun could cause sunburn. Similarly, with a rapid temperature drop, you may quickly end up as two hypothermia victims!

As in any sexual situation, consider the emotional ramifications. Whether you’re single, dating or in a committed relationship, make sure you are respectful of your partner. Being respectful is always important, but in the backcountry you may be relying on each other to survive - and for some time. One way to be respectful is to know and respect your partner’s comfort level. Additionally, keep in mind that while hiking, showers may be rare and razors are all but useless.

As a final addition to lighten it up, here are the top ten euphemisms for sex in a tent, excepted from “Sex in a Tent: A Wild Couples’ Guide to Getting Naughty in Nature" by Michelle Waitzman:

1. Answering the other call of nature
2. Painting the canvas
3. Howling at the moon
4. Keeping the bunnies awake
5. Working off the marshmallows
6. Driving in the tent pegs
7. Sharing body heat for survival
8. Gathering wood
9. Shakin’ the stakes
10. Flapping the fly

To learn more about sex, I recommend "The Guide to Getting it On" by Paul Joannides and "I Heart Female Orgasm" by Dorian Solot and Marshall Miller. The only outdoor specific sex book I could find online was “Sex in a Tent: A Wild Couples’ Guide to Getting Naughty in Nature" by Michelle Waitzman but I can't say I've ever read it. Finally, if you have specific questions about sex, my fave site is goaskalice.com.

Having sex in the outdoors can be some of the most memorable sex you’ll ever have. Take care out there, explore the world and enjoy yourself!