Let me introduce myself.
My name is Jackie Lucero and I’m the Director for Programming in
Elko. I got into the outdoors
accidentally. I grew up in Montana running cross-country, and hiking just
happened to be a natural progression from the sport. As a high schooler, I was
involved in cross-country not because of the competition, but because of the
teamwork and the cooperation. Anyone who
never ran long distance would assume that it is an individual sport. In the way
that it is scored individually it is, but it is also a cooperative
venture. Even if you don’t know the
person who you are running alongside you are cheering for them. Sometimes with a gesture, but also sometimes
with a friendly word of encouragement.
It is a place where athletes acknowledge the common struggle and the
common desire for accomplishment. And
because of that which we hold in common, we acknowledge our shared
humanity. The outdoors is another place
where humanity comes together.
Many of us go to the woods, to the desert, to the lake to
get away from the rush of everyday life and commune with nature. We go to see the fawn take its first few
steps, to see the salmon reach its spawning grounds, to see the sage grouse do
its funny little dance. And in the
process, we shake off the chaos and speed that fills our everyday lives. In the outdoors we are at peace, and for
whatever reason when we find that peace we also find our humanity. I could count the number of random
conversations that I’ve had with people in Elko when I’m at the grocery store or
doing my errands around town- hardly any.
Perhaps I chat with my checker or bagger at the grocery store, but other
than that, the conversations I share with strangers is minimal. When I am out cross-country skiing,
snowshoeing, or hiking I talk with everyone.
Everyone is out having fun, enjoying their day and we all want to share
our joy with others. We talk about
places we’ve been, and where we hope to go.
We share campsites and campfires with strangers. And when we are in
trouble we help each other out. It is
just what we do; it is our outdoor ethic.
Unfortunately, that ethic slowly slips away when get back in the bubble
of our individual cars. So how do we
hold onto it? Some of that ethic we can keep simply by choosing to be open
people, but it also requires practice to maintain that good habit.
It gets difficult to get out this time of year, but we all
must try in order to keep hold of our humanity.
Please pay attention to the “upcoming events” section of the calendar
for snowshoe and general hikes that will be taking place in both Elko and
Winnemucca over the next few months. It
is a great opportunity to get outside, meet some new people, and soak up the
Vitamin D your body is lacking. In
addition to NOS, there are a number of other outdoor groups sponsoring events
in both communities where you can get involved. Even if it is just you and your
family taking a walk after work in your neighborhood, chances are you will run
into another soul taking a similar walk basking in the truth of the beautiful
place where we live and in that connection, ignite your humanity once
again.
Happy trails.
-Jackie
