President's Logbook
By Jim Fetig
“You’re now free mama. Go build that fire so I can come find you in the night.”
This poignant prayer was offered by a former PATC ridgerunner as she posted her mother’s obituary on Facebook. Her mother was a former park ranger who instilled in her daughter a lifetime of love, respect, and stewardship for the outdoors and the Appalachian Trail.
My hope is that her mother’s spirit finds its way to every campfire, everywhere, and spreads peace, love and joy in the cast of its flickering glow; its sparks our forgiven sins sailing away into the velvet beyond.
Campfires have a mythical place in the American psyche. The romance of cowboys’ chuckwagon fire and the ambiance of an American Indian pow wow fire served as literary and cinematic window dressing for more than a generation. Norman Rockwell’s “The Scoutmaster” inspired more than one boomer to outdoor leadership.
More recently, campfires have been recognized as a form of therapy. According to Axios, “A growing number of therapists and nonprofits are tapping into the therapeutic powers for fire to help veterans, recovering addicts and at-risk teens.” Sitting fireside reportedly can lower blood pressure and boost relaxation.
Watching flames dance and sparks fly can be soothing and even mesmerizing as you let reality slip into cruise control and you tune into a better channel.
One of my “happy places,” as a PATC volunteer, is parking my butt in a chair near the fire place at the Indian Run maintenance hut or gathering around the fire at Hoodlum’s September trail maintenance workshop. I love being with like-minded people, imagining the workday’s caterpillar becoming the night’s butterfly. Somehow the stress diminishes as my breathing slows and my muscles slacken and the stories unfold.
Terry Tempest Williams described the magic of the outdoors, “Public lands are public commons, breathing spaces in a country that is increasingly holding its breath.” She added, “We stand before a giant sequoia and remember the size of our hearts instead of the weight of our egos.”
Please build that fire Mrs. Hobbs. May your spirit light the way for all of us.
