Madeleine Sone

The absolute perfection in places untouched by man is probably the most valuable experience I can have in life. These places are ever harder to find, and I have to travel far.

I love to spend the night at Sonora Pass; it is absolutely quiet there, only the wind rustles in the ancient bristlecone pines. I imagine how they spend the winter in severe weather and I feel so much respect for them. In the morning I go on the wilderness trail and greet all these wildflowers that have been under the snow so long. These little beings are my best friends, the more you look at them the more beautiful they become. So fragile and so strong at the same time.

Yes, nature and wilderness is immeasurably important in our lives. I feel very grateful to Senator Boxer for introducing the wilderness bill SB 2535. It is indeed our last chance to protect these places. It is important that people should be able to visit them and receive healing that is out there. We should not leave traces behind and should be as quiet as we can when we visit these lands.

So many young people are made to believe that they need "sports equipment" to go out in nature. Thrill sports. All these noisy, polluting gadgets. As if nature was dangerous and needed to be overcome, captured or conquered, and in the process we are destroying it.