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Calendar: Saturday, Sept. 13 ... Police Reports ... Calendar: Friday, Sept. 12 ... COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTOR: WILD SIDE Getting away from — and back into — it all Ashland area blessed with number of wilderness areas where we can lose — and find — ourselves By Joseph Vaile For the Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joseph Vaile For the Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Sep. 9, 2014 @ 3:33 pm Updated Sep 9, 2014 at 3:34 PM By Joseph Vaile For the Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Sep. 9, 2014 @ 3:33 pm Updated Sep 9, 2014 at 3:34 PM » Social News Walking away from our car up the steep trail, I had second thoughts. This would be my first overnight camping trip in a wild area with my 3-year-old son. We’d be away from roads, away from cars. No more cell phones — wait, I still had reception. I texted his mom a confident — "We R OK!" — and turned it off. As executive director of the local conservation nonprofit group Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center (KS Wild), I work for wilderness everyday. The Klamath-Siskiyou region of southern Oregon and northern California is a treasure trove of craggy peaks, wild rivers and ancient forests. Most everyone agrees the region has some of the last, best wilderness landscapes remaining on the West Coast of the U.S. It was 50 years ago that President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Wilderness Act into law. On Sept. 3, 1964, after 60 drafts and more than eight years of work, the president said: "If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it." The Klamath-Siskiyou region has many glimpses into the world as it was in the beginning. Much of our planet and our country is compromised, built up by roads and development. But we are surrounded by something special right here in our own backyard. Portions of several local river basins and mountain ranges have been designated as Wilderness: the Red Buttes, Kalmiopsis, Trinity Alps, Marble Mountains, Siskiyou, Wild Rogue, Copper Salmon and Soda Mountain Wilderness Areas — to name a few. After 50 years, we understand why preserving wilderness is so important. Recreation. Clean water. Beautiful scenery. Wilderness is a refuge. It is critical to have a place to get away. In wilderness there is the essence of all life. Wilderness is a place where forests and rivers continue to function — at least as close as any place — to the way they have for tens thousands of years. Nature reigns. This might sound dramatic, but saving what remains of this wild essence is a part our duty for the continuation of life on the planet. As we headed up that trail, I thought, "what if he freaks out in the middle of the night with an epic meltdowns? What if he hates it and thinks that nature is boring? What about bears or cougars? Will his mother hate me forever? Normal dads are probably heading to a Putt-Putt Golf center or a city park right now." Just then I remembered how wilderness makes me feel and nearly everyone I know. The sights, sounds and smells are so pleasing they must be hardwired into all humans. As we hiked up that steep trail — me with everything on my back for a 185-pound man and a 35-pound child — my reluctance drifted away. We started to see big trees. Just then a lizard crossed the trail and the wind whispered through the trees. You could feel the adventure ahead. Our destination, our prize, was a high elevation lake. I had heard there were Darlingtonia pitcher plants along the way — carnivorous plants that live off of bugs. This was going to be a wilderness adventure! His first time. And I was beside myself with joy. And so was he. Editor's note: This is the first in a series of columns by Joseph Vaile of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center (KS Wild). A second will appear in three weeks. For more on the organization, go to www.kswild.org.   By Joseph Vaile For the Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joseph Vaile For the Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Sep. 9, 2014 @ 3:33 pm Updated Sep 9, 2014 at 3:34 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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