An Inspiration for Our Good

"Receiving guidance from a Ranger." photo by Carol E Fairbanks © 2014

As I was hiking the scenic trail past the awe-inspiring Mount Rainier, I heard a park ranger yell at some sign-ignoring teenagers, “You need to get back on the trail, please!”  We had all passed many trail signs that alerted hikers of the danger to fragile wildflowers, when veering off the designated path. On this day of perfect weather, many people, including lots of young kids, were drawn to experience the magnificent natural beauty of Mount Rainier National Park. As I watched those young girls reluctantly get back on the trail, I realized just how necessary those park rangers are in educating all of us to better ways of experiencing this  wilderness that draws people of all ages. But in watching many young adventurers, who were motivated by their youthful vigor, ignore those park signs on their alpine climb, I was reminded again how we all have to learn to better relate to nature so as not to harm either it or ourselves. As I saw the park rangers enthusiastically passing out literature, that illustrated the wonderful diversity of wildflowers growing naturally in this mountain terrain, I felt very grateful for the vital role that they play in preserving wilderness areas. 

"Sourdough Gap up on the ridge is seen from Sheep Lake."  photo by Carol E Fairbanks  © 2014

Growing up in our modern cities, surrounded by concrete and manmade structures, we don’t often have ample opportunity to develop a positive value of nature. With the diversion of many electronics, we are often alienated from the natural world, of which we are an integral part. But this is not just a recent phenomenon of our industrialized culture, that largely views nature as a resource to be exploited. In the summer of 1914, during a visit to Yosemite National Park in California, a vacationing businessman named Stephen Mather, expressed dismay at what he saw as he hiked there. The trails were sadly neglected and in poor condition. Cattle were seen grazing where park rules prohibited it. Stately sequoias, that Mather felt should be protected, were planned to be logged by speculators who had managed to file private claims, while misusing provisions of the Federal Swamp Land Act. 

Mather knew personally of the healing and calming effects of being in these wilderness areas. Years earlier, in 1904, he had discovered in a Sierra Club outing at Mount Rainier that hiking in the great outdoors seemed to calm his nervous system and renew his depleted energy. Mather was further inspired by listening to the talks of John Muir, as he described the threats to the wilderness from commercial interests and an uncaring government. So when Mather witnessed first hand the deterioration of Yosemite in 1914, after experiencing so much good in his healing time with nature, he was motivated to use his genius of promotion and publicity to save these wild lands. Mather, retired from his very successful business, went to Washington, D.C. as an assistant to the Secretary of the Interior, Franklin K Lane,  and there lobbied for the establishment of a bureau to better manage the national parks.

"Plaque at Tipsoo Lake trailhead." photo by Carol E Fairbanks  © 2014

Mather went on to become the National Park Service’s first director, when it was established in 1916, and as the bronze plaque says at Tipsoo Lake trailhead where I began my walk, “He laid the foundation of the National Park Service, defending and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved unimpaired for future generations.” Anticpating that those “future generations” would need to be educated in appreciating the value of wilderness areas, Mather and his assistant, Horace Albright, handpicked competent and educated park superintendents for each National Park, and hired a cadre of equally professional park rangers who would run the parks. Albright later said, “Mather had a special vision of what the rangers should be. He felt they must bring to the Service not only knowledge and skill, but an ability to relate to the public and a considerable measure of dedication. Mather’s grasp of a grassroots support system for the parks encouraged the rise of “nature study” and a modern interpretation of the necessity of wild places for our health and well being. It was because of Stephen Mather that I saw those park rangers on my hike at Mount Rainier National Park, guiding and educating those young people, while enthusiastically explaining the reasons for staying on the trail. And today, more than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 401 parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history, natural lands and recreational opportunities. 

"Mather Memorial Highway winds its way through Chinook Pass."  photo by Carol E Fairbanks  © 2014

Mather knew the value of attracting people to the parks, who would, he felt, become avid supporters of those parks and then would communicate their support to their elected officials. And it worked. With his preservation ethic, he articulated a policy that allowed for the provision of creative comfort and services connected with park development.  And to this day, this policy has encouraged a curious and supportive public of millions, like me and the teenagers, to visit the National Parks. On my hike up to Sourdough Gap, high on a ridge trail through the Chinook Pass, I saw in the distance a memorial to his contribution - the Stephen Mather Parkway.  From the summit I could see this impressive highway, winding its way through the hills of Chinook Pass and allowing many visitors greater access to this wilderness area.

"Sheep Lake and Mather Highway can be seen from the summit at Sourdough Gap." photo by Carol E Fairbanks © 2014

It is largely because of Stephen Mather, unbounded in his dedication and work in establishing the National Parks, that those natural areas have remained “unimpaired” for many generations, so that even today, we might continue to enjoy them. Because of his generosity and tireless efforts, we, like Mather, can come to these wild places and discover the “heart” of who we really are. We can finally see our place in the natural scheme of things and know that we truly belong to the Earth as a vital part of creation. With this awareness of our connection, we can better learn to live in harmony with one another.... including the teenagers.  As the bronze plaque at the trailhead of Tipsoo Lake at Mount Rainier, as well at many other National Parks, says, “There will never come an end to the good he has done.” And it is within that good that each one of us, young and old, can find our treasure.

"Finding a heart-shaped rock on the trail."  photo by Lee G Young  © 2014

                                                                     by Carol E Fairbanks, W.W.W.