Whose Mountain #1

Outdoor Kids In An Indoor World, government and health

Hey everyone,

I’m already missing Write of Passage, and it’s only been a week. Cohort 10 can’t come soon enough. In other news, I spent time with my 93-year-old grandmother this weekend, and my company is starting to plan our next cooking event for kids.

🙇 Small Thoughts

Flying airplanes as a metaphor for life

When flying airplanes onto an aircraft carrier, being on glideslope is the difference between life and death. 

So what do you do if you’re exactly on glideslope? 

You add power. 

If you go high, you can correct back. But if you don’t, you were under power and didn’t know it yet. 

Where else in your life can you proactively add a little bit of power?

The government will never solve our health

The US government has a Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, and National Institute of Health. They’re all, at their core, solving for the same thing.

Until we stop separating them, we’ll never make real change.

Reading and Doing

I published my essay on what I learned from Ryan Holiday. If you missed it, go check it out here.

I finished reading Outdoor Kids in an Inside World by Steve Rinella of MeatEater fame.

Latham Turner @lathamht

1. Get them outdoors. They need to play in the dirt, roll around in the grass, and swim in the water. Stop protecting them from the natural world. 2. Feed them a healthy diet. Stop feeding your kids sugary, processed junk. Real food makes real kids.

I’m pre-disposed to want to be outdoors anyways, so this book felt like a natural fit. I’d much rather be backpacking far away from another soul than sitting in a coffee shop surrounded by people. No one looks at you funny if you strip into your undies and scream fuck at the top of your lungs in the outdoors. Try doing that in a coffee shop and see what happens.

Reading it, I was reminded that I want to spend more time outdoors with my kids than I currently am. I spend too much time stressed and anxious about how to have good experiences with them and too little time just being outdoors with them. 

In hopes of learning from Steve, this is my list of things to do with my kids in 2023.

1. Take them fly fishing. We’re in the mecca of fly fishing here in MT, and they’ve never been. Time to fix that.

2. Start our garden. This is the year, and I want the kids to help me pick out what to plant and harvest.

3. Inspired by Steve’s fish cabin, I want to take them to a secluded beach, probably up in Washington or Oregon. I’m going to try and book a beach cabin and get them outside exploring the entire time. They’re not quite old enough to be unsupervised, but maybe I can let the older one go to the edge of my sight.

4. Forage for at least one meal. I’m already thinking about morel mushrooms, wild raspberries, blueberries, and huckleberries. But maybe some dandelion leaves could end up on the menu. Let them experience guerilla food acquisition.

5. Backpack in Glacier National park. My kids are old enough to go backpacking, so this year I’m going to take them out.

What else do you recommend for a 4 and 7 year old to get closer to nature?

Find that’s bringing me joy

I picked this up at a used bookstore this weekend in Tulsa, OK. I’m giddy to start reading it. 

Letters to my kids

Before my son was born, I started writing letters to him in a notebook. My hope was to give it to him when he turned 18. I did the same with my daughter in her notebook. They were mostly just observations about daily life, but they helped me reflect on who I wanted to be as a father.

When I was in LA earlier this year, my bag was stolen with both notebooks. I haven’t had the energy to start new ones yet. This week, I started writing digital letters to them. If you are curious or want to do the same, check out Letters To My Children.

I wrote two this week.

Things I could use help with

1. I’m interested in grassroots activism as my company looks to change food for neurodiverse kids. What are the best resources to learn about grassroots activism? Books, videos, speakers, etc.

2. What are the best outdoor adventures you’ve done with kids?

3. I’m looking for resources on indigenous foods for a project I’m ruminating on. Resources seem sparse, so I’d appreciate it if you know of anything or anyone.

Have a wonderful and prosperous week.

Latham