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November 2020 - Take A Hike
Design notes from the artist: Chris Mackey
The fall is without a doubt my absolute favorite time to be outside. Crisp mornings, warm afternoons, cool evenings with dry air and the smell of campfires. Apparently, I'm not alone because every November 17th, it's National Hiking Day aka "Take A Hike" day. As an Alaskan, I never realized while growing up that being surrounded by stunning views in every direction wasn't the norm for everyone. When I moved the "lower 48s" I ended up in the Sierra Nevadas so other than going from cold and wet to hot and dry, not much changed for me. Not long after I moved to Fidalgo Island in the Puget Sound of Washington State. Ocean views, islands, incredible forests, and the Cascade Mountains kept me in good spirits for years longer. Life changes though and before long I was in college... in a city... in a concrete forest... and something felt wrong. Really wrong. I felt like a mental starvation was drawing the life out of me. It didn't take long to realize that getting back out onto forest trails either alone or with friends was the key to recharging my soul. Sadly, decades later that feeling of starvation has come back and it has a new name... Quarantine.
People started opening up right away on social media about what they missed most while in their self-imposed prisons. Restaurants, theaters, and bars were prominent among them, but for me... I missed the trails, fresh air and sunshine. What other people considered #essential didn't even register on my radar. I needed green leaves, grass brushing against my legs, tree limbs to climb, rocks to boulder and trails to wander. Sure, enough, even just fifteen minutes on a trail under the fire of the sun or a gentle rain, with breeze in my hair and the sound of water cascading down streams could completely change my perspective. When I examined it a bit more considerately, it became obvious that these benefits are more than just mental. Indeed, when I started looking around online, a simple search of health benefits to getting outside on the trail immediately resulted in more than 1.5 billion (yes, with a b) references to scientifically proven benefits to getting outdoors. Increased energy, better blood flow, less joint pain, less stress, improved immune systems, sharper focus, better eyesight, increased memory, longer life and in general a significant improvement in overall happiness were just a few benefits. People simply NEED to get outdoors.
This month's coin examines the most essential need for the human animal. From ancient times we've identified the basic elements of life such as Air, Earth, Fire and Water, but the fifth element... Spirit is the stuff that makes life work. Water falls from on high and runs down streams to mountain forests and eventually to the lower hills and fields where it soaks into the Earth. It's drawn up from the Earth and released into the air by all the green things that grow and it travels the trade winds around the globe over deep oceans, islands and continents before falling on land to once again be scorched by the Fire of the sun and return in the form of precipitation once more. These four elements together support life or Animus itself. Each of these elements depends on the other four in order for the cycle of life to continue and thrive. We, as humans, simply need each of those elements to thrive. It's #Essential for our spirits to be out in nature and to explore all it has to offer. Fall is the perfect time. The days are filled with life at it's most robust at the end of the growing season for plants and the beginning of the growing season for animals preparing the way for their progeny. It's time to get outside, explore the elements and recharge your spirit. It's time to Take A Hike.
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