Essay #21: Unseasonably Warm Days

I've already noted that we've had unseasonably warm weather the past couple months. We're fully into colloquial winter and will soon enter official winter, yet we've had a surprising share of days over 50 degrees, including this weekend. 

Yesterday was beautiful and sunny, but it was a busy day, so I only managed to squeeze in a 45-minute walk around the neighborhood. Today I knew I'd have a little more time, so I planned to hike in the morning, even though the forecast called for rain (not an issue, of course). Like often happens, it rained all night but was clear by this morning, and I was all too happy to settle for a grey, wet hike. Even in this I got lucky: by the time I was finishing my five-mile hike at East Fork, blue skies and fluffy white clouds were pushing away the gloom.

Both today and yesterday I got the benefit of crisp but but not cold air, the silence of the woods, and some bright sun. I couldn't be happier.

It's probably one of my cheesier beliefs, but each time I get pleasant hiking weather, it feels like a special gift to me from the world. This feeling is especially true in the winter, where I can easily succumb to frustration and ennui. Perhaps because of that, winter is one of my favorite times to hike. The bare trees mean you can see farther into the distance, and I don't have to worry about crowds or overheating.

On the other hand, I can't help thinking that my "gift" from the world might actually be global warming, and that the unseasonably warm weather is a harbinger of worse to come. At this point, it's hard to avoid the fact that so many of my joys--delicious foods, comfy clothing, vacations--come at the expense of the Earth. In my AP classes, we've spent the last few months reading essays from Wendell Berry's The World-Ending Fire, and many of his pieces criticize the global economy and our materialist culture. He would have nothing but disdain for dinner at a fancy restaurant, luxury joggers, and trips to Europe. After all, my choice to purchase any of these contributes to the depletion of our earth's resources, harms our ability to foster a local economy, and empowers multi-national corporations. 

But even if unseasonably warm days are caused by climate change, my enjoyment of them does no further harm. And I think Berry would argue that the earth is a gift worth savoring. Unlike the foods, clothing, and vacations, a beautiful day to hike is a gift humans can't make.