Soulful Sundays, named for our Soul of the Lowcountry program which connects people to each other and to the land; and Sundays, the one day of the week we often come together around dinner tables to reconnect. This monthly blog series celebrates the people who do the work of the Land Trust and the people we do it for.
We hope you’ll join with us as we celebrate the people who put the soul in our mission.
Maggie’s Adventures Through Mexico
By: Maggie Gardner, Stewardship Associate
“HOOOWOOOO!” I strained my ears to figure out how far up the trail the howling of one of the group leaders was located. It didn’t seem too far, but sound can travel farther than you expect on the trails. Much like on a monitoring visit, distance can also be a little skewed when you are exhausted. But, I wasn’t in the Sea Islands monitoring LLT easements. Instead, I was further afield for a weeklong vacation.
I traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico, to do a trail running trip organized by Janji (one of my favorite running brands) and Aire Libre (a Mexican adventure travel company). Over my week long stay in Oaxaca, I couldn’t help but make some connections between Oaxaca and Charleston. The mountains are a little bit steeper in the High Sierras than the Ravenel Bridge. The temazcal (traditional sweat lodge) is slightly warmer than a hot field day in the Lowcountry. However, I still raced up wildlife observation towers and couldn’t help but get excited when I saw a restaurant that would not serve plastic straws.
Am I in Charleston or Oaxaca? It’s hard to tell with so much Spanish moss everywhere!
To top off the connections, most of my trail running was between the Sierra Norte’s “Pueblos Mancomunados” (jointly responsible villages). The eight villages joined together for an ecotourism venture (hence the trail running between them) and focus on environmentally responsible practices like sustainable forestry. Those kinds of ideals remind me of why I love Lowcountry Land Trust.
My trail running trip through Oaxaca came to an end too quickly even though my sore legs might disagree. I returned to work refreshed from a week of cool mountain air, beautiful views, delicious food, and new friends ready to get back to preserving this place we call home.
Cheers to sustainable communities, land preservation, and vacations filled with adventures!
