Mother Nature is a Feminist
Fight the patriarchy from the trail.
I wasn’t raised going outside. I spent the majority of my childhood indoors or partaking in an occasional controlled outdoor activity. Growing up on the coast, the most outdoor time I got was driving from the suburbs to go to the beach for a few hours. While beautiful, touristy beach towns don’t quite treat the beach as the escape to nature that it really is.
I always wanted to be someone who was “outdoorsy.” My brother was an Eagle Scout and his troop went camping and hiking and learned all kinds of exciting new skills. My Girl Scout troop was… not that. I think we camped in a backyard once, maybe in a cabin another time. The rest of the time we spent in a classroom making arts and crafts. Not to hate on arts and crafts but… you know. Not quite the same experience.
As time went on, I went hiking a few times. I started to become interested in environmental issues and conservation. Then when I got to college, I realized that even though I was an aspiring biologist and my university was surrounded by any outdoor activity I could possibly think of… I didn’t know how to go outside.
But the biggest problem wasn’t really my lack of knowledge. It was my lack of confidence. Even if I didn’t realize it at the time, I was allowing myself to fall under the narrative of…
