Instead of going to parks to camp and hike, my childhood vacations were primarily limited to once-a-year trips visiting family in Baltimore, Md. Fortunately, we had woods behind our house, so I have fond memories of experiencing nature while growing up, imagining all sorts of outdoor adventures.
Jumping to mid-life, I was partway through my career, trying to impress my bosses to net larger bonuses and occasional promotions, at times working 80-hour weeks. Eventually the realization hit me that I wasn’t having much fun at work or in life.
A friend introduced me to the Oklahoma chapter of the Sierra Club, which was based on outdoor adventures and protecting the natural environment. I was hooked and started spending less time in the office and more time backpacking, camping, hiking, and volunteering on trail-maintenance trips in national forests just a few hours away.
Today I’m retired and live 3 miles from a national park. And for the past almost 20 years, I have continued to volunteer; this time at the Blue Ridge Parkway performing various tasks related to interpretive, maintenance and natural resource activities, most of which take place outdoors in nature. And I’m still hooked.
Later this year I will be 70. If you’re scrutinizing the numbers mentioned so far, yes, I retired fairly early. I am certain that volunteering in natural surroundings in a national park has kept me feeling young and in better physical condition than other options might have. Volunteering in a national park environment provides me as many benefits as I provide the park.
‘Deploying wildlife cameras far from roads or trails for the natural resources department sometimes stretches my physical abilities.’
One clear benefit is staying socially and mentally active. Volunteering at a park visitor center keeps me in contact with a variety of people as I share information about the park’s offerings. Developing and presenting interpretive talks, demonstrations and programs keeps my mind alert. Constantly expanding my knowledge to stay up-to-date on the parkway and its surrounding communities requires continuous learning.
Another benefit is staying physically fit. I probably spend more time maintaining hiking trails than I do in any other volunteer activity. That means lots of hiking as I monitor my adopted trails and return with the proper tools to perform repairs as needed. The leisure hikes while checking on the status of trails allows time for thinking, reminiscing, and just experiencing the visual and audible cues of nature.
Leading visitors on interpretive hikes involves physical and mental exercise. Deploying wildlife cameras far from roads or trails for the natural resources department sometimes stretches my physical abilities.
Being socially, mentally and physically active improves one’s emotional state. And I find that participating in these activities in nature, especially in a national park, makes volunteering even more beneficial. National park visitors, based on my experience, are almost always in a good mood, which is contagious and reduces stress. They arrive ready to learn about the natural, historical and cultural resources we have to offer and are eager to participate.
Leading an interpretive hike gives me the opportunity to share the importance of nature, not just for human inspiration, but also for the success of wildlife, which increases the visitors’ knowledge of the benefits of protecting flora and fauna, which in turn benefits us. A full circle.
And hiking in preparation for a volunteer-led visitor experience gives me another chance to stop, listen, observe, and appreciate nature. That lifts my spirit, making me want to return over and over to regenerate my enthusiasm for nature. Recently I was honored by receiving a National Park Service volunteer award. Being recognized by others is always uplifting. But even without the award, I would continue volunteering out in nature in the national park site because of all the benefits I receive for my efforts—physical, social, mental and emotional.
And I hope anyone who reads this will be convinced of the benefits being outdoors in nature often provide. And if you are near a national park, consider volunteering for yourself and for all those visitors you will encounter and influence.
Aubrey Arrington is a National Park Service volunteer at the Blue Ridge Parkway, which runs 469 miles through the mountains of Southwest Virginia and Northwest North Carolina.
Photo caption: Aubrey Arrington on chainsaw duty in the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Photo credit: Courtesy the National Park Service.
