Photo courtesy Bureau of Land Management
A few years ago, I was lost. I was working in my first civilian job since leaving the military. I was searching everywhere for a sense of purpose and a new identity, since I felt that I had lost both after getting out of uniform. I was in terrible physical shape. I was in and out of counseling, but more the latter than the former. Survivor’s guilt and moral injury colored most of my days. I was miserable.
I was fortunate enough to be in a position where I could quit my job. I hopped on the Appalachian Trail for six weeks. It was exactly what I needed. I came back from that trip with a sense of calm and peace that I hadn’t known in years. I knew to take that trip because when I was getting out of the military a few years earlier, I had the opportunity to go on a weeklong Outward Bound for Veterans expedition in the Colorado Rockies.
After this trip, spending time outdoors would forever be a part of my self-care plan.
That trip was life-changing, both because I was able to spend a week in nature and because I did so with a group of my peers. This was my first time spending more than a few hours outdoors for a reason unrelated to military training. I appreciated the simplicity of it all—how my daily routine consisted of walking from one point to the next, eating some good snacks along the way, and trying to stay warm at night. It allowed my brain to focus on the things I’d been ignoring. The physical intensity of the trip created an environment where the group quickly felt comfortable being vulnerable with each other. These two dynamics led to honest and raw conversations throughout the trip, especially around the campfire each night. After this trip, spending time outdoors would forever be a part of my self-care plan.
All veterans, members of the military, and their families should also be able to experience nature’s ability to heal us. Yet not all veterans can quit their jobs or take a weeklong trip that’s a plane ride away, which is why the Sierra Club’s Military Outdoors program is partnering with the YMCA to bring outdoor opportunities to veterans in their communities.
The goal of the partnership is to improve the lives of veterans, members of the military, and their families through connections with the outdoors and inspire them to become outspoken champions for environmental conservation and justice within their communities. By partnering with the YMCA and Sierra Club volunteers across the country, our Military Outdoors program will be able to connect more members of the military and veteran community with nature—and with each other—than our staff ever could on our own.
Video courtesy of First Coast YMCA
Thanks to the hard work of the YMCA staff members and Sierra Club staff and volunteers, the partnership is off to a great start. Our first activities have been planned for four cities around the country: Detroit, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, and San Antonio. This past April, Military Outdoors, the Sierra Club’s Northeast Florida Group, and First Coast YMCA team, hosted our pilot outing, which led a group of veterans on the YMCA staff on a 3.6 mile hike through Jennings State Forest near Jacksonville, Florida. This 2-minute video testimonial from one of the participants underscores the outing’s success. And as Sierra Club starts to reopen, we’ll be ramping up outings throughout the fall. For example, this month, the YMCA of Metro Detroit will host a local canoeing trip with support from Sierra Club staff and volunteers. The YMCA of Greater San Antonio and First Coast YMCA, along with their Sierra Club counterparts, are each hosting day hikes for military families and veterans.
We’re planning to expand our partnership with the YMCA to additional locations in 2022 and beyond, bringing these essential resources to more veterans and their families. Through this partnership, veterans and their families will be able to heal on the lands they served to protect—the land they call home.
If you or your chapter or group might be interested in joining our efforts to connect more veterans, members of the military, and their families with the lands they swore an oath to protect, please get in touch.