Rooted Palate

written by Clarissa Johnson

Gaining Community Through Conservation, Climbing, & Local Sustainable Agriculture

Rissa with guard dog Hey Hey - *Photo Tariq Malik*

An indisputable understanding of human beings is how much we need & want to feel a sense of belonging. This struggle of finding community in a world that creates so many spaces for isolation has been a significant underlying theme throughout life, whether it be my own experiences or of those around me. The boxes you’re put into and the pressures to stay in them seem to never end, especially in an ever-growing age of technology and convenience. It only makes sense that returning to the Earth, in either work or play, would provide a grounding environment that helps us grow alongside our rooted friends.

Connection & Conservation

There’s something about conservation work that brings you closer to your most authentic self. There’s no hiding who you are when you are covered in dirt and bug bites, looking for the best spot to pee behind a tree. You must face yourself and others in a way that is avoided in most societal norms, right down to the loopy part of yourself that comes out from a long week of working in the sun and unforeseen circumstances. You come to realize, you’re all out in the world together, no one knows what’s going on and it’s fine to figure it out along the way. The thing is, people find conservation through so many different avenues and meet each other in various stages of each other’s lives, but no matter your differences the impactful work you experience with each other creates these lasting friendships through hardships and discovering what feels like your low points. You understand more about the effort it takes to make sure a trail properly drains and suffers less from water damage, as well as how every person who builds a retaining wall to keep a trail stable was probably handling some heavy personal stress on top of quarrying large stones from various parts of the land around them. The inner and outer works of life are so important and yet sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in our own inner monologue that we don’t stop and think about how much we’ve gone through to get where we are now. One of the main goals in conservation work is to do work that goes unnoticed, your work should be so good it looks like nature itself intended it that way. It’s in that same sentiment that you realize, all those seemingly insignificant moments that you consciously make the effort to do good are encompassing a massive impact on the world around you. No one needs to notice that you picked up litter on your hike to the lake, just the act of doing so has a rippling effect on yourself and the environment. Everything matters, all the actions you take no matter how small. Through it all, it’s vital to be grateful for the past, mindful of the present, and zealous for the future.

Climbing Mountains: Literally & Metaphorically

I found rock climbing later in my years, on an “off days” trip with the conservation trail crew I worked with, and it was by mere chance that I accepted the invitation. I hadn’t ever really given rock climbing much thought and did not take myself for too much of an organized goal sports person. However, almost immediately, I found myself pushing my beliefs in what I was capable of. Suddenly I didn’t want to cower in the ‘what ifs’ of life and instead, I wanted to make anything & everything happen. I’ve felt discouraged by walls, but I came to realize it’s never a fear of heights, it’s a fear that I will give up when it gets too hard. That fear came from deep within me and I was able to ignore it for so long that when rock climbing brought it out, I felt a new kind of height where I suddenly felt more myself than ever before. It’s the raw nature of it, where you can’t be anything other than a person on a rock, trying your best. It’s in those moments where you find closeness with others, you see people in a natural state of being. Tired and hungry and eager for more. Sharing the ‘will to continue’ despite it all, brings you closer. You find folks of all sorts wanting to be there in those moments with you. Cheering you on and struggling with you while barely knowing a thing about you. No one at the crag knows the troubles I have, but by golly, if they don’t also struggle with the beta for that route. How humbling it is to acknowledge we all blunder about, both in life and on a rock. There’s a magnificence of understanding the strife we all overcome to be where we are.

Farm to Crag to Heart

When I met up with the Farm to Crag volunteers, I had very little knowledge about the organization and their mission. So, when I spent the day with all these individuals from various backgrounds and experiences, I was overwhelmed with the feeling I had forgotten about. You don’t need to know your neighbor to care, you don’t have to start a friendship with every little detail about a person, you just have to be welcoming and accepting. The rest falls into place as soon as you share a meal together. I grew up with my grandmother always in the kitchen cooking and baking for those she cared so deeply about, and most of her produce she grew herself in the yard. This sincerity of hers has been carried with me my whole life, even now that she’s gone. Knowing you can share moments with others and cultivate a healthy life both nutritionally and emotionally, is one of the most special aspects of locally sustainable agriculture. It’s the act of community, the moments you are building that trust and camaraderie, literally from the ground up. On a farm, in the glow of the fairy lights, I saw all these people laughing and conversing while passing dishes of delicious food prepared with the idea that there is plenty to go around. I felt the sort of home that I’d been missing, in a place I had barely known for a few hours with acquaintances I had just met that day, and I didn’t want to leave.

When I think of community, I remember what I’ve strived for and what so many others have as well, a sense of belonging. It is your found family, the people who surround you and support you through all seasons. It’s knowing your neighbor and lending a cup of sugar because you can. It’s the strangers at the crag laughing and cheering with you when you finally send a project. It’s being mindful of your environment, and nurturing everything & everyone that lives in it. It’s your home on this planet no matter where you are.