Taking Childhood Outdoors: A Mother Reflects on Nature

by Linnea Westerlind, outdoors author/blogger

I spent a lot of my Pacific Northwest childhood with dirt under my fingernails, running barefoot in my suburban backyard. I built forts in the blackberry bushes, dug channels in the mud and roamed the cul-de-sac with my sister and our neighborhood friends.

When I became a mom 10 years ago, I began exposing my son to the outdoors as soon as I could, mostly because I craved the fresh air and sunshine. We took daily walks with a stroller and explored new parks all over the city. I have three kids now, who all accumulate an amazing amount of dirt under their fingernails from the time they spend outside. 

Linnea and her family on a backpacking trip through Olympic National Park in 2018. Photo courtesy Linnea Westerlind.

I think it’s much harder to create an outdoor childhood for our children than it was for my generation. There’s competition for their time from video games and extracurricular activities, and many parents are afraid to let kids roam on their own these days. It’s because of this draw to the indoors that I believe it has never been more important to make sure our children have outdoor experiences as part of their upbringing.

Research continues to show us that there are huge benefits to spending time in nature—for our children and for ourselves. Time in the outdoors reduces stress, increases concentration, boosts academic performance, lessens the symptoms of ADHD, improves mood and builds relationship skills.

Linnea and her mom brought the kids for a first visit to Mt. Rainier in 2016. Photo courtesy Linnea Westerlind.

My own mom imparted a love of the outdoors in me from an early age by taking me on a lot of short walks and hikes. Sometimes these were just around our block and other times in the forests of the Cascades. She made sure my time in nature was interesting from a child’s perspective by showing me how to look for ripe blueberries, examine holes in logs that could be hiding places for animals and check out unusual rocks or moss.

Last year I helped form Outdoor Childhood Puget Sound, a network of parents, grandparents, educators and caregivers who are interested in helping kids live a healthier and happier childhood by spending more time outdoors. Through a growing Facebook community, we share tips, events, articles and ideas for how to get our kids outside to play. What I’ve learned from the launch of this modest effort is that there is a longing for greater connection to the outdoors for people of all ages and a relief from our indoor, screen-obsessed lives.

So how do we make nature part of our busy lives more regularly? It’s OK to start small. Go for a walk around the block after dinner. Step outside to look at the stars come out before bedtime. Turn off the Saturday morning cartoons and instead go to a new park or playground. Nature doesn't have to be an epic adventure to be meaningful or memorable. What’s important is that we’re teaching them to love Mother Nature.

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 Linnea Westerlind is the author of Discovering Seattle Parks: A Local's Guide (Mountaineers Books 2017) and the creator of the website yearofseattleparks.com, a free resource of nearly 500 local and regional parks. She is also a co-founder of Outdoor Childhood Puget Sound, an effort to inspire more families to spend time in the outdoors. All families are welcome to join the community’s Facebook group. Linnea lives in Seattle with her husband and three sons.

Well Worth it – Capturing the Color of the Mountains

Hiking the Enchantments, Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Story and Photographs by Andy Porter

The Enchantments are a part of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, (which is itself a part of the Wenatchee National Forest) located near the town of Leavenworth, along Highway 2, in Washington State.

The Enchantments area is actually very small, making upmaybe 10 square miles. Packed in to this wondrous world there are scads of small lakes and tarns of fantastic hues of blue and green surrounded by stark jagged peaks. Autumn brings fantastic colors. Because of the high elevation of the Enchantments Basin (between 6,000 and 8,000 feet) there are dense stands of larch. These trees have needles, and come fall they turn a bright orange color, and look like they are aglow from inside.

I spent some time reading about the trail and lakes, the approach and parking and all that. There are two routes in to -or rather up to- the Enchantments Basin. One is very long (12 miles) with a lot (more than 6,000 feet) of elevation gain. The other route is a little shorter, and has a little less elevation gain, but it includes a hike up Aasgard Pass (more than 2,000 feet up in less than one mile).

I recruited two of my friends to help me use the 5-day permit I’d won. I gave them fair (sort of) warning about the hike.

The first day’s short hike took us up to Colchuck Lake. We arrived late in the day and from the lake could see the gash of Aasgard Pass soaring above the lakes far edge. Late morning finds us clambering over the boulder fields along the lake at the base of the trail up. The morning light flares behind the larch atop the pass.

The hike up to the top of the pass was… arduous.  

Once you manage to crest the pass you arrive in a wonderland of rock and ice. Dragontail Peak’s serrated edge rips the sky asunder above Isolation Lake. Ice fields dot the lake’s edge. A cool wind and a long drink from the icy stream revive me. There are several inviting tent spots here and we quickly set up our portable North Face fortress and prepare food. There are a smattering of larches up here in the alpine zone, but mostly it’s rocks and water.

The light starts to fade and the colors glow along the lakes shore, the blues, greens and pinkish reds don’t look real at all. Late at night I manage to drag myself out of the tent and capture a few shots of the stars and the tent in this moon-ish looking landscape.

The next day as we start hiking I tell my two friends that this will probably be one of the best days hiking ever. We set out excited to see what the day has to offer.

Skirting a low ridge we drop into a new basin filled with countless ponds. We cross a small snow field as we make our way gently down the trail. Our goal for the day is to establish a new camp on a ledge above Crystal Lake and then hike down to Perfection Lake. From there the plan I have is to make our way up to tiny Gnome Tarn for some wonderful views of Prussik Peak reflected.

Each turn of the trail elicits a new sense of wonder. The larches thicken as we descend.

Overlooking Crystal Lake our new camp gloriously commands a wonderful view. Below us the ridges are crusted in orange larch, offset by the blue skies and green lakes. Once camp is set up we (now without heavy packs!) set out for Perfection.

This basin is on fire with orange. As a true color junky I am juiced to my eyeballs with sensory overload. I feel like I’ve been teleported to a new world, like Avatar, or a scene from Middle Earth. Finding the trail junction amid an orange forest, we branch off and start the easy climb up to Prussik Pass, in search of Gnome Tarn.

A little searching and gawking later were there. The place is as promised, nestled at the base of Prussik Peak, exquisitely framed by larch and water. I enter a photographic trance state.

It’s a perfect day, sunny and warm, a cool breeze refreshes us as we bask in the glory of nature. Lingering for lunch we now set off again. Ambling my way back up to camp I encounter a few hikers who report mountain goats ahead. I arrive back at camp and there is a Mom and her young kid, looking for grass and munching away. A new photo frenzy starts I circumnavigate the goats several times as they make their way about.

Finally tiring of goats and picture taking, I go fire up the stove and make some coffee. My friends return and we marvel at all around us. Dinner is served and eaten just in time for the sunset.

The small ponds make wonderful reflections of the sky. Early the next morning the skies are dark and we head back to to the Pass and start the slow descent to Colchuck Lake. Taking a break on a huge slab precariously perched above a stand of larch I capture one last image of larch and lake.

Andy is a nature photographer lured to Washington State by the glorious vistas. He lives along the North Cascades Highway, where he teaches photography and leads photo tours. You can see more of his work at: www.AndyPorterImages.com

Outdoor Events Near Yakima

ENJOY THE OUTDOORS WITH THE NATURE CONSERVANCY AND ROGER URBANIAK

Photo © Northwesttrout.com

Learn more about what to do and see in the great outdoors near Yakima! The Nature Conservancy is sponsoring four talks by Roger Urbaniak designed to increase our appreciation of the natural world.

There is a suggested $10 donation applying to a membership in The Nature Conservancy if you’re not already a member.

When: Second Wednesday of each month, January -  April, 6:30pm
Where: Yakima Arboretum Solarium, 1401 Arboretum Drive in Yakima, WA.

Plenty of parking!

Wednesday January 14, 2015
6:30 PM
Success stories of Salmon Recovery in Washington State

What has been done to bring back salmon numbers to local streams and Rivers and how is it working? Projects will be discussed that impact Columbia River and Yakima River Runs of Chinook, Coho and Sockeye Salmon.

Wednesday February 11, 2015
6:30 PM
Great outdoor destinations near Yakima

Sites will be discussed that range from short local hikes, scenic drives, informational tours, camping opportunities, wild animal viewing sites, wildflower and wild berry locations and more

Wednesday March 11, 2015
6:30 PM
Suggestions for outdoor hobbies

A variety of outdoor hobbies will be discussed from traditional hobbies of hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking to more unusual hobbies of night walking, canoeing, wildflower walks, photography, hang gliding, Yakima River float trips, gathering edible wild food, dune buggies, Sunday drives and more.

Wednesday April 8, 2015
6:30 PM
Getting outside on public and private lands

This lecture is designed to provide you information that will assist you in locating new areas for your recreational activity, identify times when access fees may be required, help you determine when you will be welcome on property or potentially trespassing, times when you might need reservations, etc.