CONNECTIONS
OCT 2024 VOL. 12 NO. 10
WINDOWS TO THE WILD RETURNS We’ve been hard at work on the new season of WINDOWS TO THE WILD, and I’m happy to report that our 19th season premieres October 3rd — and it’s a corker! Willem Lange Host | Windows to the Wild
In literature, man versus nature is considered one of the classic conflicts. While battling the elements can be invigorating, what I’ve learned as host of WINDOWS is that what most of us want from our time in the outdoors seems to be connection — with nature, with ourselves and, often, with other people. For me, a lot of the fun this season came from meeting the next generation of nature lovers. That includes a six-year-old spitfire named Scarlett. Remarkably, this little girl has already hiked all 48 of New Hampshire’s 4,000 footers with her grandparents.
Sometimes, despite our best intentions, this intergenerational exchange of knowledge can slow to a trickle, and we have to find unique ways to restore it. In one of the most epic stories in our 19 years of WINDOWS, we follow the 1500-mile journey of a crew of Native American paddlers who are retracing ancestral waterways from the Maine coast down to New York and up to the St. Lawrence Seaway. “There’s not a lot of written documentation by Penobscot people,” said Penobscot Tribal Historian James Francis. By re-tracing ancient routes on a modern journey, “it’s re-establishing that connection to the waterway and to the landscape and re-invigorating an older Penobscot sense of self.”
Scarlett’s grandfather, Mark Lesnewsk, said that for Scarlett, the appeal of hiking lies in “everything in the environment — the slugs, the moths, the trees — finding unique things that we adults just seem to overlook or take for granted.”
If you don’t have a team of skilled paddlers with you, or an enthusiastic mentor looking to share their knowledge, it can be intimidating to take those first steps into the wild. That’s why it was a special privilege to meet Mirna Valerio. also known as “The Mirnavator.” This social media star sees the immense value nature adds to our lives. Mirna first got outside as a kid at camp. “I grew friendships. People trusted me, I trusted other people...it was transformational.”
Sharing an appreciation of the wild with family is just one way to pass on the benefits of being outside. This season, we meet, once again, with our friend Chaya Harris, an educator based in Massachusetts. This year, she’s leading a group of students to a cranberry bog as part of the organization Elevate Youth.
As an adult, Mirna became more active after a health scare and found that her adventures in rediscovering running and other sports struck a chord. “When someone is motivated or inspired by seeing me out there on the trail, by seeing me on the slopes, by seeing me on a bike, I have done my job,” said Mirna.
Elevate Youth’s founder, Alec Griswold, said their goal is to give kids a sense of belonging in the outdoors. A trip to the bog isn’t just about cranberries, it’s about “giving them the skills, not only outdoor skills but life skills, to reach their full potential.”
Like Mirna, I intend to be outside for as long as I can be. I hope to see you out on trail, but in the meantime, you can see me and these inspiring people on New Hampshire PBS, where the 19th season of WINDOWS TO THE WILD will premiere on Thursday, October 3rd at 8 PM and online at nhpbs.org/windows.
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