Call of the Wild

Your mother was right: Playing outside really is good for you.

BY DEBRA BOKUR

MOUNTAIN CASCADE: Chosi Otaki Waterfall in the Oirasekeiryuu Stream, Towada- Hachimantai National Park, Japan

PHOTO:© EYEBLINK - DREAMSTIME.COM

Each year in the United States alone, more than 330 million travelers head to national parks and another 75 million more plan vacations to include botanic gardens. Expand those numbers to the world at large, and there’s no doubt a desire to witness what naturalist, author and explorer John Muir called the “grand show” is a real phenomenon, answering some deep call within the human psyche that longs to be immersed in the natural world.

It makes perfect sense: Study after study has shown the measurable health benefits, immune-boosting effects and powerful stress-relieving results of spending time in nature — exactly what legions of travelers specifically seek when planning a vacation. Many experts say the act of seeking out a patch of sky or a stretch of garden is a natural response to the time we spend staring at screens, looking for parking spaces and running for trains, a reaction to everyday life that leads seekers on quests to reconnect with the planet on the most basic of levels.

In Japan, the country’s health care system even recognizes a term for nature immersion: Shinrin-yoku, or forest therapy (also called forest bathing), seen as an antidote to stress, depression, feelings of disconnection and the myriad woes that so often accompany modern city living. Travelers to Japan can have their own forest therapy experience while wandering the stunning green pathways of Towada-Hachimantai National Park, Yanbaru National Park and Shimokita Hantō Quasi- National Park. Closer to home, travelers can slip beneath the boughs of the New York Botanical Garden, where regularly planned activities include tours and talks, or spend time at the Denver Botanic Gardens, where year-round programs include drawing classes at the School of Botanical Art & Illustration.

“When we enter into nature with an intent to notice the surrounding wildlife, aesthetics and varying soundscapes, our ancestral wiring quickly becomes triggered, bringing us back to a state of intense connection and belonging,” explains Linden Johanson, LPC, NCC, CCMHC.

Johanson, who provides eco-therapy as part of her practice at Multnomah Therapy in Portland, Oregon, explains when we feel securely connected, our minds become primed for accepting new ways of thinking that can bring about perspective shifts.

GREAT OUTDOORS: The Tepees in Petrified Forest National Park (top), and Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England (bottom)

PHOTO: © LARRY KNUPP - DREAMSTIME.COM

PHOTO: © ANTONEL - DREAMSTIME.COM

“It can become habit to assign exaggerated importance to our concerns, sometimes resulting in a loss of the creative and empathetic thinking that is necessary for repair and resolution,” she says. “Taking an aimless walk in nature can help us down-regulate our stress systems, thereby freeing up our ability to think more clearly and creatively, which in turn allows us to challenge rigid thoughts, balance perspectives and feel empowered to create effective change.”

There are so many types of national parks and botanical gardens around the world, there’s sure to be a space that speaks to you, whether that’s a seaside setting like India’s Marine National Park in the Gulf of Kutch; the abundance of flora that springs from the sandy surface of the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona; the verdant, palmed landscapes within Rio de Janeiro’s Jardim Botanico; the orchids and ferns of Thailand’s Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden; or Hawai’i’s Na ‘Aina Kai Botanical Gardens, where lotus blooms unfold and giant albatrosses strut in safety. Sydney’s Botanic Garden’s new Behind the Scenes Sensory Tours help visitors engage with nature on a deep level through sight, touch, scent — and even taste.

The wide and wild variety of national parks celebrates the staggering diversity of the planet’s landscapes. In England’s northwest, the Lake District National Park (now a UNESCO World Heritage site) allows visitors to indulge in settings that inspired some of the world’s greatest poetry and stories, from the charm of Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit tales to the nature writings of John Ruskin and the romantic works of William Wordsworth, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Modern scribes, too, are inspired and moved to write by their interaction with nature. Poet and writer Radha Marcum, author of Bloodline and winner of the 2018 New Mexico Book Award in Poetry, finds limitless inspiration in the National Park System of the United States.

GO WILD: Elephant in a river in Serengeti National Park

PHOTO: © ISSELEE - DREAMSTIME.COM

“Wild spaces are inseparable from my writing,” offers Marcum. “Being out in nature is the only reliable way for me to hear clearly what needs to be expressed. Landscapes, for me, are synonymous with voice. Because our planet’s remaining undomesticated landscapes are threatened or undergoing profound change right now, there is a sense of urgency to speak from/for these beautiful places.”

The parks comprising America’s National Park System offer a rich panoply of landscapes and opportunities, from the rocky wonders of Arches, Pinnacles, Badlands and Zion national parks to the fabulous wildlife species that make their home in Yellowstone; from the prehistoric, otherworldly sites at Petrified Forest National Park to the watery mysteries of Everglades National Park and Kenai Fjords National Park and the exciting range of terrains in parks including Acadia, Denali and Grand Teton.

Reestablishing vital connections to nature can even happen in the dark of night. A number of certified Dark Sky Reserves offer visitors a chance to observe and marvel at the astonishing display of stars and planets above us, highly visible thanks to a lack of light pollution interfering with the view. There are currently 12 Certified International Dark-Sky Association Dark Sky Reserves in the world, including the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, Kerry Dark Sky Reserve in Ireland, Pic du Midi in France, Snowdonia National Park and Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales, Westhavelland and Rhön in Germany, Aoraki Mackenzie in New Zealand and Mont- Mégantic in Québec.

While it’s not unusual for busy professionals to feel cut off or separated from the natural world, gardens and parks provide an antidote never too far out of reach. The desire to steep ourselves in nature is a common human compulsion and appears to be a growing draw for travelers of all ages, with a rise in this vacation choice within the 20- to 48-year-old age group.

For maximum impact, consider nudging yourself toward a park or garden setting completely out of your realm of experience. The numerous exotic choices on the African continent include the plains and rivers of South Luangwa Park in Zambia, the savannas and woodlands of Serengeti Park in Tanzania, and the marshes and teak forests of Chobe Park in Botswana. You also can explore the wetlands and wildlife of Hwange Park in Zimbabwe and the acaciadotted grasslands of the Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya where lions, leopards, zebras and elephants abound.

“Natural landscapes are scripted into our DNA,” says Marcum. “Almost any natural landscape has the power to open up our perceptions, refresh the senses, spark wonder, and instantly expand our notions and feelings about who we are. We crave that open experience. Natural landscapes are powerful contexts that free us to experience more of who we are. Nature offers a special kind of wholeness and healing.”

Regardless of whether you’re drawn to a destination on the far side of the planet or an address close to home, you’re sure to find a garden where you can allow yourself to bloom for a while or a path to stride along where the enormity of the landscape just may help you see the world with new eyes — and perhaps even enhance your physical and mental well-being in the process.