I emerged from the tent to a land blanketed in tiny crystals of ice shimmering in the sun’s first rays. I stood in the cold silence, waiting for the sun to rise high enough to warm my face. Breathing in the cold air, I watched the ice crystals on our axe handle slowly lose their brilliance and melt. Immersed in the silence of an untrammeled Wilderness like the Boundary Waters causes us to slow down and appreciate the minute natural wonders happening all around us. The sun is most certainly melting tiny ice crystals on windows, lampposts, street signs, asphalt, and car windshields, but in our hectic lives how often do we stop and observe this simple act that makes life on this planet possible? Could we live without clean, unfrozen water? I find that hard to imagine. The unique glimpses into our natural world that immersive Wilderness experiences promote are assets that can be hard to quantify. However, if we expect to leave a healthy planet where future generations can thrive, the clarity and direction these glimpses provide must not be underestimated.
This Wilderness is worth protecting. Please join us in our efforts to @savetheBWCA for future generations.
#wildernessyear #savetheBWCA #BoundaryWaters #BWCA #ice #winter #wilderness #simplicity #healthyplanet #keepitwild
