I’m sure the myriad and voluminous readers of this blog aren’t going to need the prodding, but June is just brimming with excuses to get outside. First off, the entire month is Great Outdoors Month, making it a good time to check out the parks near you, or not near you, and do a trip to that one place you’ve been planning to visit for months. Do it soon, before it gets too hot.
Then Saturday, June 7th, is National Trails Day, which fits in with the parks thing, or you can go out and find your own, looking for those subtle signs of trackways, crossovers, migration routes, and so on. How are your observations skills? Can you tell how long ago the trail was last used, and by what? Sometimes this is extremely tricky, sometimes not so – mud and recent rains, scat, and even leftover food can give some pretty strong clues.
The following Saturday (June 14th) is National Get Outdoors Day, always the second Saturday in June. This, really, shouldn’t have to be a prompt for anyone – we should be all outdoors at least several times a week, and I don’t mean between the house and the car either, but because everyone reading is naturally already on top of this, it’s a good time to do something different. No, not stay indoors, I mean try something outdoors that you haven’t done before. The US Forest Service is waiving the fees for their locations throughout the country for the day, so that can help, but this is a good excuse to be creative. Don’t be stupid about it, though: stay hydrated, don’t push your limits too hard, be familiar with your location, and as always, be prepared for the unexpected (which is contradictory, so ensure nothing is unexpected instead.) Put that rain poncho back into your bag, for instance. Don’t count on your smutphone to provide the information you need, since that about guarantees that it won’t.
[All of this sounds a little US-centric, because I’m not familiar with national holidays in other countries, but that’s a lousy excuse to avoid celebrating these if you live elsewhere. None of these were created or promoted by Florida Man/Putin’s Bitch/Tom Tariffic/The Utter Fuckhead and he probably hates them all anyway, so have at it.]
Above all else, experience the environment, broaden your horizons, and have fun!
