Читать книгу The Outdoor Citizen. Get Out, Give Back, Get Active онлайн

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Verne was forty-eight when the Appalachian Mountain Club opened in 1876. Given his fantastic appreciation for outdoor journeys, I think if he’d been living in the United States, he would have been drawn to it. Maybe his imagination would have been sparked by the thought of hiking through unadulterated mountain passes. Maybe he would have been drawn into the AMC by its alpine zone conservation science; maybe by its trail building, phenological or astronomical studies, or landscape painting; or, perhaps, the pure exhilaration of rock climbing or snowshoeing. I can imagine a group of summer hikers getting ready for bed, each lying on hay covered with a wool blanket. They look up at the stars and discuss the cosmos, and Verne delights them with tales of rocketing into space, visiting the moon, or discovering new life in the deepest reaches of the ocean.

It’s easy to romanticize the joy and curiosity that the founders and early members of the AMC must have carried with them as they explored. Today, too, visionaries, creatives, scientists, and inventors look to the natural world for inspiration and innovation. Humans have never before been more capable of fulfilling the dreams, imaginations, and fantasies that were science fiction in Verne’s day and seemed impossible even just a few years ago. Given our advances, I have to wonder if Verne would look at us today and say, “Get on with it! You’ve got the goods, so go explore—let nature inspire and excite you! What are you waiting for?”