By Wilson Kerr — Columnist
At a recent block party, my neighbor Rebecca suggested I write about the gathering in my column. Her suggestion (and my quick reaction to it) got me thinking about how we place a perhaps undue burden on defining “time outdoors.” Instinct says it means to get away, as far from civilization as possible. We tend to link remoteness and isolation with the quality of an outdoor experience. At least I do.
My sister Rosi once did a 1,200-mile trek through the Canadian arctic, hauling supplies in a sled. I imagine being north of the tree line felt deeply “out here,” and the vast emptiness of Nunavut was breathtaking. Just this past weekend, I looked out at hundreds of miles of roadless Vermont forest, ablaze with fall colors, from the top of Mount Snow. The lack of signs of humanity felt reassuring — that an expanse of uninterrupted woods that stretched to the horizon was still relatively close by.
But appreciating nature and being outdoors can be far simpler, and easier. Walking the kids to school and slowing down on the way home to notice a gray squirrel caching acorns for the winter ahead is not necessarily any less poignant than a mountain vista. After all, the forests of New England depend on the lost acorns they hide becoming seedlings and then new oak trees.
Digging the bike out and peddling to town for that errand, instead of instinctively starting the car, allows you to look around, to notice the leaves changing, to slow down. Or even something as simple as stepping out onto your porch and breathing in the crisp fall air as you sip your morning coffee. These small reconnections with the natural world, even right here in town, are important too. Vital even.
Creatures great and small
As Damon Street neighbors, we gathered on a beautiful September Sunday evening. Food was brought out potluck style to tables in front of Tiffany and Bob’s house, and a fire crackled in the firepit. The kids played, and the adults talked about the kids growing up and the weather and work and how everyone’s summer was, as neighbors do.
The fact that we were outside in the fresh air, with the trees above us, is what made the evening special. This is what Rebecca’s suggestion was anchored in, but I did not see it right away.
Nature surrounded us, literally. Joe found two northern gray treefrogs hiding in the folding chair he was setting up. This led to a discussion with Beverly about the vernal pool behind her house across Conant Street and how vital these refuges are. A flight of Canada geese honking caused us all to look up, wondering where they were headed. As bat flitted above, dancing and swerving to catch bugs, using echolocation to “see” in the gathering twilight. Remarkable.
Calling it a night
As the darkness crept in, the fire died down and people drifted home. School day tomorrow. Tables were folded up and food bought back inside. Neighbors said good night and thanked Jen and Joe for the idea. It had been too long.
It was not an epic adventure way off in the woods. No expansive mountaintop views or thousand-mile arctic treks were involved. We were right in town, among our homes, on our paved street, but nature was still all around us, in smaller, but no less important ways.
Rebecca’s wise suggestion took me a while to appreciate but she was right. It was indeed “time outdoors” very well spent, and I thank her for the idea.
Until next month, I hope you will get outdoors in small ways, whenever you can. Also, be aware that archery season for deer opens October 7, and amorous bucks will start getting more active as November approaches, chasing does. Please be extra careful driving at dawn and dusk, and consider that the deer are not crossing our roads; the roads are crossing their forest.
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Wilson Kerr lives in Concord and is an avid outdoorsman and amateur naturalist. This monthly column is written to help grow awareness of the wonders of nature. In this increasingly fast-paced and technology-packed world, it is important to stop and take in the beauty of our area and the animals that inhabit it. The author hopes this column will be read by families and used as a teaching tool and that you will spend more … Time Outdoors.