Sometimes I find myself in perplexing conversations:
Me: I really love backpacking in (Lesser Known Park).
Other: I’ve been there, but (Well Known Park) is so much better.
Me: (silent, because I value the relationship)
I’ve backpacked and visited a bunch of places in the Western U.S., including the Well Known Park above, but I keep returning to a few locations that I really like. Why does it need to be a competition?
And as you touched on, there’s much more human history in most U.S. parks, forests, and wilderness areas than we’re taught in school. “Wil-der-ness: an uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region.” A convenient concept probably invented by colonizers.
Looks like a very interesting book, thanks for the review.
— Rex
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