You Can Accomplish A Lot Just By Walking [Chris Kassar]

Two weeks ago, I had the honor of representing the Peaks Foundation at the Summer Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City.  I spoke with loads of people from the outdoor industry and, ideally, these discussions will lead to partnerships that will help foster growth for the Foundation.

One of the highlights of the show was a talk from Shelton Johnson – a park ranger in Yosemite. He spoke of the transformative power of walking, the transcendence of wilderness and the importance of good hiking boots to get to heaven.  As an alumnus of last year’s “3 Peaks 3 Weeks Africa Challenge,” it all really resonated with me, so I thought I’d share it in more detail.

“Heaven is not a place you have to die to get to… you just need good hiking boots!”  The packed room erupted with laughter and applause at Shelton Johnson’s brilliant statement.  Johnson, a novelist, poet and ranger in Yosemite National Park, who is also known for his role in Ken Burns’ movie on National Parks, spoke at the Conservation Alliance Breakfast – a yearly highlight of the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City.  Drawing from his experience growing up in Detroit with Native American and African American roots, Johnson spoke about the need to better connect youth and minorities to our public lands.

“When you’re a child growing up in the inner city, you don’t hear, you don’t see, you don’t feel what everyone in this room sees, hears and feels about the wild, ” he said. “Inner city kids don’t grow up dreaming of the Grand Canyon or Yosemite. No one talked to me as a child and said, ‘We need to go to the Grand Canyon.’ …But, where else do you feel that sense of deep time, that sense of cosmic time that happens in wilderness?  And, if you’re not raised to value it, you won’t claim the right to it. It bothers me today that there are so many kids who do not have that experience.”

Johnson explained that sharing stories and our own passion for the outdoors through books, magazines, photography and film could shift this trend and bring more diverse groups of people into wild places.  “Art has the power to reach into your soul, grab onto it and never let go,” he said. “If you can’t get to the rim of the Grand Canyon, find a great book, find a great film,—find anything about it and you can still experience it.”

Individuals and the outdoor industry as a collective can have an impact by sharing what we know and love through media, industry platforms and our own stories to “invite” minorities and youth to take advantage of our wild lands. Public lands, specifically our National Parks, are our collective inheritance and Johnson wants to see more people laying claim to this inheritance. He emphasized the importance of getting people into nature because of its transcendent qualities; its ability to inspire awe, “put humans in touch with the sublime” and change people.  “You can accomplish a lot by just walking – whether it be from Selma to Montgomery or walking the Kaibab Trail. I don’t know anyone who has walked and not been transformed by their journey.”

“That’s what I’m all about – creating a drive and increasing that hunger for wilderness,” concluded Johnson. “And that hunger is strongest in those who have only had a little taste. When kids have only had a little taste, you can’t keep them away. But they don’t even know it’s on the menu unless we tell them that it’s there…. So we have to because transcendence should belong to everyone.”

The crowd rewarded Johnson with a standing ovation and you could feel the energy of the room buzzing.  This event definitely lived up to the tagline on the invite:  “Arrive tired, leave inspired.”

Throughout Mr. Johnson’s talk, I could not help but think: This is exactly what the Peaks Foundation challenges are about – getting people outdoors so they can experience the transcendent power of nature while also giving back.  I saw first-hand that “just walking” can be extremely powerful.  The three-week “walk” that I took last year in Africa changed my life and I know that many of my teammates experienced great transformation while trekking the continent’s highest peaks.

One final note: Mr. Johnson is right – hiking boots are all you need to get to heaven!  Never have I been as sure of this fact as when standing atop Mount Meru, as Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak loomed large to my left and the sun rose behind it; a full moon dangled amidst the stars and began its descent to my right. I was breathless, but not because of the altitude…..