We’re deep into the month of July. Wildfires are burning in Europe, Canada, and the western United States. My backpacking buddy from a couple of weeks ago had to hop around Colorado to find sections of the CDT that were safe to hike. My former home region, Southern Oregon, is socked in by smoke from a nearby fire, depending on the winds. New York has had its share of bad smoky air coming all the way from Canada. Reason for conservatives to get back at Canada and propose raising tariffs. I am checking the FireWatch app to see if any fire is breaking out near Yosemite, where I am heading to hike next week.
It’s been hot, with little relief from monsoon rains. Tolerable though, as my shady porch always has a breeze. I count my blessings that I can hike in the mountains where temperatures are much cooler, where creeks are still running, trees provide cool shade, and wildflowers are blooming.
What’s not been so tolerable is the news coming from our war department. Hegseth is asking for another 40 billion to continue fighting an unnecessary war - conflict lol -! He also thinks it’s a good idea to test our soldiers’ testosterone levels, prescribe the said hormone if necessary to keep our fighting men (and women?) aggressive. The research debunks the notion that more testosterone makes men tougher and fitter. Adam Stanaland, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Richmond, says in his article “What people are getting wrong about testosterone and strength: “chronic stress, sleep deprivation, blast exposure and poor nutrition can produce a cluster of health problems called “Operator Syndrome.” Sometimes, the working conditions of special operators can push a 35-year-old’s testosterone levels toward those typical of a man in his 80s.”
This world grows hotter, ablaze with wildfires; meanwhile, our government funds an unnecessary war and pushes for more aggressive males in uniform. Diplomacy? Talking to one another across the Strait of Hormuz? I’m probably preaching to the choir, but I need to juxtapose this madness against everyday goodness.
When I hiked the long trails, I encountered goodness as trail angels. As simple as someone giving me a lift to a nearby town for resupplying, and as generous as getting a comfortable bed in a mobile home on the property of a woman who made it her business to help through-hikers. I had hurt my knee and had trouble crawling in and out of my tent. When I mentioned I needed a few days to recuperate, the host gave me a bed, laundry services, access to Wi-Fi, clothes so my grubby gear could be washed, and the company of many hikers who shared their tips and woes. All at no charge. It doesn’t get better for long-distance hikers. The woman’s home and property were called Hiker Haven. And indeed it was a haven, and Donna -L-Rod was an (trail) angel.
My hiking experiences have shown me that strangers frequently provide more help than kin. When you meet up with a stranger, expectations are low. You hope but don’t expect that you’ll treat each other well, and you share information that could help the other one out. Familial relationships carry inherent hopes for care, love, and acknowledgment. In busy, stressful lives, those expectations are often hard to meet. Setting expectations causes problems.
I’ve been asking strangers I meet during my group hikes and while volunteering if they can count on family to care for them as they age. My Indian strangers answer, “Of course we take care of our parents.” A young westerner may say: “I will, if I can.” The cultural backgrounds these strangers represent lead to varied answers. American independence makes for poor caregiver relations. In this country, we live in a transactional world. There is a price for everything. If you think raising kids and giving them opportunities is the price we pay for the eventual return of caregiving, think twice. With stressful jobs, a lack of money because of increasing costs, young people can hardly take care of themselves, let alone their parents. If you’re part of a community, be it a church, outdoor groups, garden clubs, or similar affiliations, you stand a chance of getting help when you need it. People are social beings. Caring for individuals close by is what people will do. The innate drive to keep the tribe flourishing is in all of us. If we can be as open with family as we are with strangers, expectations won’t mar the relationship, and you may get help when you need it.
I hike to reinforce the notion that the world is basically “good”. When someone notices the sandwich I eat on a hike and asks me where I get the good-looking bread, I smile. I am being seen through my sandwich. I can then share that I make my own sourdough bread and within no time I help someone onto the road to baking their own sourdough bread. We can counter the onslaught of bad political news by being a kind stranger, by letting a kind stranger help us and brighten our day.
Have you met a kind stranger lately?
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