Finding True Love

Jacqueline Koch is a communications manager for the Northern Rockies, Prairies, and Pacific Regional Center at the National Wildlife Federation.

Sometimes, you get lucky in life. And that’s what happened to me when I traded Washington, DC for Washington state. I got hit-the-jackpot lucky the day I decided to swap the Beltway for the N. Cascades Highway. And I found true love…

Yes, true love often shows up where we least expect it: at a party, out with friends, attending a college course, on a blind date or a dating app. I found my heart’s desire in the great outdoors. From there, it’s been a rollicking ride of fun and wonder, of sheer adventure and discovery, of new perspective and getting grounded.

As it happened for me, having my heart stolen was a process, starting with a scramble through a tangle of wildflowers in the shadow of Mt. Baker. The warm and fuzzing feeling only grew as I picked my way through the old growth forest nestled in the deep mossy carpet of the Glacier Peak Wilderness. The demands of tackling 110 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail had me weak in the knees, but the head rush of diving into an alpine lake had me hooked. I think back on the moments that fed my soul: gathering morels within view of a black bear on a mountain side; listening to hooting owls from my tent by Baker Lake; and watching the meteor showers sprinkle stardust across the peaks of near Hart’s Pass.

I’ve spent more years than I can count gathering a treasure trove of unforgettable memories. But the real treasure, I now recognize, is our public lands.

And it’s about time I wrote my true love…a love note.

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We’d love to hear about the public lands you love! If you’re interested in writing a love note, please email us at OurPublicLands@nwf.org for guidelines. If you submit your entry before November 15th, you’ll be entered in a drawing to win one of two hoodies from Anetik.