Plastic-Free July: Hiking Edition

July 31, 2021 Deanna Jensen

Year round, Dear Summit is all about getting out and enjoying the wonders of nature, and sustainability is always a big part of that. But this month is the perfect time to put a little extra focus on the rising need to ditch the plastic we can so easily rely on.

Why is plastic such a big deal?

Plastic objects never truly biodegrade, but over time they do break down into tiny (toxic) plastic particles called microplastics. These particles are so tiny that they end up in the soil, waterways (such as your favorite river, lake, ocean, or local municipal tap water), the air, and even in our food. Yep. Our food. These tiny particles are like sponges to toxic substances in the environment, and then when tiny creatures mistake them for food, those particles and the toxins they carry compound as they work their way up the food chain… and eventually into the food we buy at the supermarket. Not to mention the countless birds, fish, whales, and other animals which die along the way as their stomachs fill with plastic trash instead of real food. (Learn more about the problems with microplastics here.)

So, yes, these tiny plastic bits are a big problem.

But what about recycling, you ask? Unfortunately…

Why Hiking?

September 15, 2018 Deanna Jensen

Flip through any outdoorsy magazine, or browse your local outdoor gear shop, and you might find yourself overwhelmed with the endless options for how to get your nature fix. You could climb mountains, camp in the desert, tackle terror-inducing rapids in a kayak, or spend months living out of your backpack while trekking a long-distance monolith like the Pacific Crest Trail.

Or, you can go hiking.

Compared to the high-adrenaline, high-profile outdoor sports listed above - the sorts of adventures that end up on the cover of National Geographic and the like - maybe hiking seems too simple.

But that’s precisely why I love hiking.

While I would love to try backpacking, rock climbing, packrafting, or any of the other endless ways to soak in the outdoors, I believe hiking is the best option for spending time outside. Hiking, of all of the possible outdoor pursuits, is the most accessible, adaptable, and affordable way to get out there and bask in the endless benefits that nature holds for you.

Hiking is Accessible.

First, I believe hiking is the most accessible of all outdoor pursuits. You don’t need to…

Kings Canyon National Park: Zumwalt Meadow Trail

October 1, 2017 Deanna Jensen

Kings Canyon Zumwalt Meadow Trail cover.2.png

Sometimes even the smallest adventures can produce the best life lessons.

I learned this firsthand when my husband, Val, and I recently took our little family of three on a weekend trip to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The adjacent parks are known for their groves of Giant Sequoia trees, in particular, the superlative General Sherman tree and the General Grant tree. We spent our first two days in the parks wandering among the sequoias, marvelling at these truly majestic titans of the forest. A lot of things in nature are dubbed “majestic” and compared to cathedrals or other places of reverence, and it’s often overdone and hyperbolic in my opinion, but in this case, those poetic descriptors are perfectly accurate.

I can’t even properly describe the awe I felt among the sequoias. Standing at the base of the world’s largest trees - these massive plants that can live for 2,000 years or more, grow to heights of 300 feet, and trunks 26 feet in diameter - is something I think everyone needs to experience. Sequoias are so big and often gnarled by age and charred fire-scars, and yet they still exude a strange and alluring elegance. Once you’ve walked among these enchanting giants, you’ll never look at...