When asked who has had the greatest impact on their connection to nature, many people mention a parent or grandparent. For the author, however, it was their spouse, who grew up backcountry camping. Unlike many with immigrant parents who find sleeping on the ground uncomfortable, the author was persuaded—humorously credited to an “old-stock Canadian”—that paddling to a quiet, motor-free place, like a family trip to Kawartha Lakes, is one of summer’s greatest joys. Winter camping, though, remains a firm “no.”
The author’s spouse is a cisgender man who never had to face the challenges of menstruating while camping, but the author took years to accept and learn how to manage periods in the outdoors. Now, the first thing they pack is a lack of shame, recognizing that about half the world menstruates and that pretending otherwise is exhausting. This led to a collaboration with outdoor enthusiast Canice Leung, who wrote a helpful and fun guide to camping with your period, including surprising tips like DIY bidets.
The Narwhal encourages everyone to get outside and reflect on what that means. Recently, senior editor Michelle Cyca covered First Nations communities working with the British Columbia government to temporarily close parks on their ancestral lands. These closures offer a chance to reconnect with culture and give the land a rest from human impact. Despite one closure lasting only 24 hours, there was intense backlash, with some non-Indigenous people unfairly labeling the closures as racist, ignoring the fact that many of Canada’s parks were originally created by displacing Indigenous nations to create an illusion of untouched wilderness for settlers.
Indigenous stewardship, which includes hunting, fishing, and harvesting, is not what harms the environment. Instead, it is uneducated or entitled visitors who feed wildlife, ignore trail rules, and leave trash behind. Overuse is a growing problem; park visits in B.C. increased from about 21 million in 2013–2014 to over 27 million a decade later. Just like humans, lands and waters need time to recover to remain healthy.
Nature doesn’t always require grand adventures far away; it can be part of everyday life close to home. Freelancer Vanessa Chiasson explores this in her story on urban swimming, highlighting how cities like Halifax, Ottawa, and St. John’s are encouraging people to swim in local waters by cleaning pollution and building docks and beaches. One swimmer from Oakville, Ontario, expressed frustration that many neighbors prefer to drive hours to distant spots rather than dive into Lake Ontario nearby. He believes that swimming locally, especially as temperatures rise, would inspire people to care more for one of the world’s largest freshwater lakes.
While the author enjoys quiet spots, they also appreciate living just a short bike ride from the Great Lake that provides their drinking, cooking, and cleaning water. This summer, whether venturing far or staying close, the message is to pause and consider how to protect the natural places we visit—and to acknowledge those already working to safeguard them.
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