The Firewood 006: Lorem ipsum
There's just one thing for you to read this week, and it wasn't written by me.
Hello, friends.
There are going to be some weeks where a long, rambling essay about the wilderness does not materialize.
This is one of those weeks.
But, I have learned that once I start to slip on a commitment, I really slip on it, and typically ditch it altogether. So I decided that when this happens — and it will continue to happen — I’ll send you a link to something to read that I didn’t write but is much better than anything I would write.
I highly recommend everyone take a few minutes to read Latria Graham’s recent follow-up to her 2018 essay for Outside magazine about being a Black person who love the outdoors. I admit I had missed the first one, probably because I had unsubscribed from and unfollowed Outside years ago over how it seemed to cater exclusively to affluent white men. I wasn’t particularly offended, but rather, shrugged and was like, “Well, this isn’t for me.” (It was right around a time when, coincidentally, the #liveauthentic and #wanderlust culture of impossibly thin and sweat-free outdoors influencers began to take over Instagram, and even more coincidentally, I also had stopped hiking and meaningfully spending time outside myself.)
But anyway, through some course of action Outside managed to make itself a relevant read again, and finally people are paying attention to the absurd problems with access and perception that plague outdoor culture. Which I will write about more. When I have time. But this week, I don’t, and I’m not going to beat myself up over it. Especially when there are better things to read.
So I hope you find Graham’s essay eye-opening, and enjoy the fall foliage if you happen to live in a place with fall foliage this time of year.
Stay wild,
Caro