Being on this trip taught me the importance of being in place. Looking at nature through a picture is never the same as experiencing it firsthand. Before this trip, it had been a very long time since I had gone camping. I had somewhat lost my connection to nature in college despite studying it as an environmental scientist. Being surrounded by nature while learning about it helped elevate my understanding of what we read and what Zac and Kirstin taught us. I was able to experience the very places and species that were talked about by the scholars we interacted with during the course.
Specifically, visiting Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park was where I truly realized the effects of climate change. Everybody knows it is going on, and everybody can see its effects in their local areas. This leads to a more localized understanding of climate change. But seeing foreign concepts outside of my understanding in action had tremendous value. I saw how Grinnell Glacier was pulling away from the mountain more than usual. I saw the glacial flies that can only live in the glacial pools. I enjoyed the cooling effect of the glacier while enjoying lunch. All of these things together reinvigorated my belief in environmental protection. Because while I was there, I kept thinking about how future generations may not be able to experience what I saw that day.
Lessons in a classroom may be able to get you part of the way there to an understanding of how the world works. But some things you just have to go out and experience. I urge everyone out there to go out into the world and experience what makes our planet unique and to work hard to protect it.
