Political assassinations in Minnesota. Warfare between Israel and Iran. Continued outrage over immigration policies and politics in general. Another airline disaster. The headlines can be disturbing and exhausting. The advice “Don’t Worry, Baby” is hard to take when reading about the recent death of Brian Wilson, who cowrote the song.
Yes, a responsible citizen keeps up with the news at least in general outline. But sometimes you should just turn off the TV, put down your device (or newspaper if you’re old-school), and go outside. You can never shoulder the world’s burdens, and sometimes you need to set them aside for your own emotional health.
When I joined a family camping trip near Steamboat Springs this past week I was reminded that we Coloradans live in some of the most beautiful country in the world. There’s no better place to find solace and respite.
I confess my nine-year-old easily beat me up the trail to Three Island Lake. The spectacular views were worth the incline. Wildflowers dotted the hillsides. Melting spring snow crossed the trail. Two bears, one chocolate brown, another cinnamon, meandered down from the treeline into a high marshy meadow, thankfully well back from the trail. The valley opened up to snow-capped peaks. The lake flowed into a meandering creek that quickly turned to a rush of whitewater.
I got no cell service at our campsite, so I couldn’t check the news even if I wanted to. Instead I listened to stories around the campfire and ate hotdogs and s’mores. I did use my phone to snap some photographs, and I read a bit on my Kindle. But mostly the noise of technology faded in favor of the sounds of chirping birds, a deer bounding through the brush, the crackling of the fire, the pollen-laden breeze, and, for much of one night, the pelting of rain on the tent fly. By day the grass was vivid green; by night after the clouds cleared the Milky Way shone through.
Getting into the wilderness doesn’t take a lot of money. True, a person can spend a fortune on vehicles and gear. But I get by just fine most places in my front-wheel-drive city car. One reason that I went camping a lot as a child is that my family didn’t have money for expensive vacations. One splurge I’ll recommend is a Big Agnes inflatable pad; good sleeping gear makes a huge difference. Also I like picaridin bug spray.
Colorado is home to some 13,000 individual campsites, says Colorado.com. ChatGPT suggests that Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages around a third of those. It further says that private and government entities each provide around 1,200 campgrounds (each with multiple sites). CPW lists 43 state parks (Chat indicates a couple may not yet be open to the public). I believe I’ve been to 21 of those. On a lot of BLM and National Forest land you can set up camp at wherever you want within established rules. (We can get into the politics of Colorado wilderness areas another time.)
You don’t have to stay overnight to enjoy the many picnic spots and open-space and wilderness trails all over Colorado. Colorado.com says that state and national wilderness areas offer more than 17,000 hiking trails covering some 39,000 miles. Regional governments offer thousands of additional miles (estimates Chat). Jefferson County, for example, boasts over 269 “miles of trail span.”
You don’t have to take my word about the benefits. No doubt you’ve experienced them yourself. A piece from Mayo cites a number of studies on the emotional and physical benefits of spending time in nature.
When you get back home the bad news will be waiting for you. (It’s also helpful to remember that news media tend to emphasize horrors and catastrophes and ignore or downplay the good news.) I do think we have a responsibility to try to make the world a better place insofar as we can. But you can’t do that without taking care of yourself first.
We come from nature and are part of it. Stepping into the wild world can help a person better-cope with the troubles of the human world.
Ari Armstrong writes regularly for Complete Colorado and is the author of books about Ayn Rand, Harry Potter, and classical liberalism. He can be reached at ari at ariarmstrong dot com.
