Enjoying the outdoors under your own power

When I was a little girl, my mother was always urging me to go

outside and play.

Our house was at the edge of suburban sprawl and was surrounded by

fields and woods. But books generally grabbed my attention, or

sometimes television. Being outdoors on hot, humid summer days in

Indiana held little appeal.

Beautiful summer days were often lost to me, as I had more books

to read than time to read them. But give me a rainy day, and I was in

heaven. I loved stomping and splashing in puddles, looking for worms.

Cool autumn days with blue skies and crisp, colorful leaves to

shuffle through were a delight.

In winter, I enjoyed making snowmen, snow angels and snow forts. A

snowball fight with my friends won out over books any time.

Best of all was going fishing or hunting in the woods with my dad.

He taught me to love the outdoors in ways that are often lost to

today’s children.

Vic was also a childhood bookworm, but his grandparents instilled

the same love of nature in him. Through our elders, who taught us to

value the natural world, we developed a lifetime love of nature. It

has shaped who we are and what we do.

Today, there are far more ways to enjoy the outdoors -- and more

equipment and clothing to make it enjoyable -- than ever before. But

there is also more competition for people’s attention. We had only

three channels on television when we were kids. Now there are

hundreds, plus distraction from videos, DVDs, iPods, CDs and a host

of other electronic time-fillers.

Today’s kids are shuttled between soccer, baseball, softball,

football, basketball, ballet lessons, music lessons, drama club and a

host of other organized activities. When do they get time to reflect

on a worm struggling in a mud puddle or watch a trail of ants

carrying food into the ground for winter? When do they get a chance

to marvel at a hawk diving after a finch, or to ponder tadpoles in a

pond?

Worse yet, outdoor recreation often involves some form of

gasolinepowered transportation. People rip noisily around the

landscape or waterways on ATVs, dirt bikes and motorboats. A family

vacation becomes just one more way to burn gas.

A new store in town would like to compete with all that. REI, a

recreational equipment and clothing store, opened a few weeks ago in

the new Bella Terra mall.

They promote human-powered enjoyment of the outdoors. They have

all the gear that you need to get started or, in our case, get

updated.

I’m drooling over a number of must-have items in their catalog,

although I’ll probably skip the ice cream maker that uses ice and

rock salt rather than electricity. Or maybe not. Wouldn’t it be cool

to have homemade ice cream on a summer camping trip?

We’re campers and hikers, but our primary use of the great

outdoors is birding and photography.

According to the Outdoor Industry Assn., 146 million Americans --

that’s 66% of us -- engaged in at least one human-powered outdoor

recreation activity in 2003. Frankly, we’re shocked and disappointed

that the percentage is that low. Let’s just hope the percent would be

higher had Huntington Beach residents been assessed.

According to the national survey, the most popular activities were

cycling, hiking, camping, trail-running, canoeing, birding and

backpacking, in that order. Kayaking, cross-country skiing, climbing

and snowshoeing followed.

My favorite winter outdoor activity -- throwing snowballs at Vic

-- wasn’t on the list. Fortunately for him, that sport has not gained

national popularity. Somehow, it just isn’t winter for us unless we

go some place where we can toss a few snowballs at one another.

REI is a co-op store where members receive a share of the profits,

based on their purchases the previous year. I’ve been a member of REI

since the mid-1980s.

But when I retired from Harbor/UCLA Medical Center in Torrance in

1991, it seemed too much trouble to drive all that way for outdoor

recreation purchases.

Their clothing is ideal for the kind of wetland and wild land

restoration work I do for a living, so I’m glad to have a store

that’s closer.

We’re thrilled REI has come to town, and not just because they

have great outdoor equipment and sportswear and are in the business

of getting people out into nature. The company has a strong volunteer

ethic for its employees and donates to environmental causes.

Last weekend, for example, some REI employees participated in the

kayak-powered coastal cleanup of Bolsa Chica. Normally, kayaks are

forbidden at Bolsa Chica, but on cleanup days, authorized volunteers

help remove the debris that accumulated in the wetlands over the

summer.

This weekend, the cleanup crew was faced with removing a huge

wooden dock with plastic foam and concrete footings that had somehow

drifted into the wetlands and become stuck.

We hope you will visit REI and let them help get you off your

rocker, away from the television and into the great outdoors. Take

your kids and grandkids too.

The only way the next generation will learn to love nature is if

someone teaches them. That someone is you!

* VIC LEIPZIG and LOU MURRAY are Huntington Beach residents and

environmentalists. They can be reached at [email protected].

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