“When We Go Hunting, Our Daily Routines and Activities Disappear”
Luke Strizich is a 10th grader at Jefferson High School in Boulder, Montana.
I am grateful for public lands because they allow the average person to go outside and enjoy the outdoors. Public lands allow me and my family to get out of the house and be active. We love backpacking in the summer and hunting in the fall. It let’s me spend time with my dad and now that my brother is old enough to hunt, I get to spend more time with him too.
When we go hunting, our daily routines and activities disappear and it’s only us and the wilderness. We hunt in many places including Deep Creek but my favorite place to go hunting is near Seeley Lake because it has beautiful views and my family has a cabin there. Having the opportunity of hunting creates many memories with my dad and brother.
If public lands didn’t exist, I would be sitting on the couch everyday with nothing to do. We spend lots of time at the lakes just hanging out, boating or fishing, mostly at Salmon Lake because it’s open and has amazing views. Spending time at the lake with my family is the best thing to do on a hot summer day. When we fish, we usually we don’t have very good luck but it is still fun spending time with my dad and brother. I feel that the reason we don’t have any good luck is because my brother doesn’t understand the concept of not throwing rocks in the water while me and my dad are fishing. But it is still fun because we are outside enjoying the fresh air and spending time together while we can before I go off to college.
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This essay was part of an assignment for students in Anne Jolliff’s outdoor literature class at Jefferson High School in Boulder, Montana. We’ll be featuring essays from her class all week.
Would you like to write about public lands that you cherish? Please email Mary Jo Brooks at brooksm@nwf.org for guidelines. You’ll get a cool “public lands lover” sticker as a thank you.
