I, like a fair number of other students at Hamilton College,
am not a New York native. Growing up in Michigan, I hadn’t even heard of the
Adirondack Park before making the twelve-hour (plus) journey to Hamilton for my
college years. The vast nature of the park and the wilderness it contains never
fails to pleasantly surprise me when I find myself within the blue lines.
However, after considering my own experiences in the park, it saddens me to
realize I would probably be classified as a typical tourist.
On my way back to school after winter break, my father and I
stayed in Lake George for a few days so that we could ski at Gore Mountain.
Before this, my experiences in the park have been limited to hiking a handful
of the 46 high peaks. Like Bill McKibben, the mountains have cast their spell
on me, but considering how I’ve utilized the park to my own benefit, do my
actions reflect my passionate views as an environmentalist? If not, do I need
to reconsider my use of the park? In class, we discussed the tourism industry
and how outsiders have often romanticized the Adirondacks. Maybe I’m also
guilty of romanticizing the mountains, but I prefer to believe I have a deeper
understanding of and greater respect for the environment than most tourists.
But, in the end, does my awareness of issues surrounding the park and my
respect for the wilderness even matter if my actions reflect those of a simple
tourist?
Looking forward, I can only hope to utilize the park in a
more sustainable way. Even though I enjoy hiking the 46 high peaks, it wouldn’t
hurt—and it might even be more satisfying—to explore some of the other, less
traveled mountains. I don’t have to participate in the busiest hikes or most
noteworthy activities to experience the area because the park holds so much
more than the tourism industry advertises. If I can find a way to minimize my
impact within the blue lines, will I be able to justify the hours of pleasure I
seek within the park’s borders? How do I set myself apart from the general
tourist while still spending time in the Adirondacks, and arguably exploiting
the wilderness? These are the questions I must ask myself as I move forward,
and the ones I will consider as I continue to spend time within the Adirondack
Park.
I think the personal dilemma you have highlighted here is closely related to something Bill Mckibben says when he is tracing the origins of the student garden at Middlebury College. Mckibben appears quite surprised that students, after planning to build a student garden, "actually made it happen" (44, Wandering Home). He justifies his reaction stating, "in my days as a wild-eyed student, it was generally accepted that talk was more important than action, but times have changed" (44). As I find myself now as the "wild-eyed student," I have started to wonder if Bill has overestimated the current generation of college students and young adults.
ReplyDeleteI love spending time in the Adirondacks. I grew up spending weekends hiking with my family and vacationing at Blue Mountain Lake. During the winter, I have spent countless days skiing, downhill and cross country, in the park. I also should mention that I utilize the Adirondack Northway to access all of these places. Meanwhile, I complain that the park is becoming increasingly more crowded and too commercial as a result of heightened use and accessibility. Thus, as criticize aspects of the park that I in fact contribute to, I find myself, much to Bill Mckibben's dismay, valuing talk over action.
I think this internal conflict, between talk and action, resides at the heart of many issues in the Adirondacks. It is very easy to point fingers and explain what is, in one's opinion, wrong with the park. Yet, few are willing to terminate their endeavors of conquering all 46 High Peaks, or cut back on the number of summer days spent on the shores of a beautifully regal, although heavily populated, lake side. I suspect that many maintain the attitude that "they were there, or visited there, first" and therefore look to newcomers to take on the burden of searching for new, less populated areas in the park for vacations. Overall, it is difficult to alter behaviors and goals and even quit jobs (in the case of trappers) in order to help the park as a whole, even for those advocating for preservation of the wild, isolated, serene nature of the park. I too have fallen victim to this obstinacy and it unfortunately seems that completely leaving the age in which talk predominates action may be quite challenging.