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| Sign at the international border |
The USA appears to have gone mad, or at least its rulers Trump and Musk have. Aside from everything else (and there’s a great deal of that) they seem to have decided that insulting, bullying, and threatening long-time allies is the way to advance the USA’s interests (or at least their own interest’s, I’m not sure either of them really cares about the US). Trump seems to regard every country as a rival to be defeated or taken over. His insistence that Canada should become the 51st state of the USA is astounding. Why ever would Canada want to do that? Give up its independence, its health care system, its gun control, and much more?
Worrying about what the USA will do next is something many
of us are doing at present. Trump’s plans threaten to destabilise the whole
world. Particularly worrying is his ending action on climate change and his
plan to use more oil and coal. This will affect us all.
I feel for the people of the USA who will suffer greatly if
Trump gets his way. I have friends and relatives there. I am concerned for
them. I’m also concerned for the country as a whole, for its nature and wild
places. Trump wants to get rid of environmental regulations and drill and mine
and log anywhere it might make money.
Dwelling on these issues, which seem to dominate life at
present, I’ve been thinking of all my trips to the USA and Canada and how
wonderful they’ve been and how friendly the people of both countries have been.
I’ve spent around three years of my life in the USA on walks and ski tours and have many favourite places - the High Sierra, the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Glacier Peak Wilderness, Death Valley, and many more. Some of the most glorious and powerful experiences of my life have been when hiking the country’s wonderful long-distance trails. It would be heartbreaking to see anything happen to the USA’s wild places.
Canada is also dear to me. I’ve spent less time there, maybe a year in total, but I’ve had similar experiences walking the length of the Canadian Rockies and south to north through the Yukon Territory.
Borders between countries are arbitrary lines on the map. The
easier it is to cross them the better the relations between the countries. I’ve
crossed many on long walks. In the Alps I’ve gone from France to Switzerland
and back, and France to Italy and back. In Scandinavia I’ve crossed the borders
between Norway, Sweden and Finland many times and twice visited the Three
Country Cairn where you can go between each country by walking round it.
The longest international border in the world is between Canada
and the USA with a length of 8,891 km (5,525 mi), of which
6,416 km (3,987 mi) is between Canada and the lower 48 states, and
2,475 km (1,538 mi) between Canada and Alaska. Much of it is in
wilderness and marked by over 8000 monuments. No wall, no fence, no barrier.
Just a strip cleared in the forest.
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| Monument 78 in the rain |
During my long walks I crossed the US/Canada border three times and visited it another two times to start walks in each country. The first occasion was when I crossed the border into Canada at Monument 78 on the Pacific Crest Trail. It was pouring with rain and I never got a photograph of myself there, something I’ve always regretted.
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| At the start of the Continental Divide Trail |
Goat Haunt on the border in Waterton-Glacier International Park is a place I’ve walked to three times though I only crossed the border on one of them. That was on the Continental Divide Trail which I began in Canada, walking alongside Upper Waterton Lake to the border and then continuing south to Mexico.
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| At the start of my Canadian Rockies walk |
Three years later I walked to Goat Haunt beside the lake again, then turned round and headed back as this was the start of my walk the length of the Canadian Rockies.
My third visit was
after another twenty-two years on the Pacific Northwest Trail. Tightened
security after the 911 terrorist atrocity meant I couldn’t legally walk into
the US from Canada at Goat Haunt anymore so I arrived from the east. On that
occasion I didn’t take a photo of myself by the monument but I did take the photograph of the sign at the top of this post..
At the Chilkoot Pass on the Alaska/British Columbia border
In between the
Canadian Rockies and Pacific Northwest Trail walks I’d crossed the border
again, this time between Alaska and Canada on the Chilkoot Trail at the start
of my walk through the Yukon Territory.
That there should
be friction between the USA and Canada is very sad. Trump is responsible for
this. His actions are deplorable and potentially disastrous. The
Waterton-Glacier Peace Park was established in 1932 “not just to promote
peace and goodwill between nations, but also to underscore the international
nature of wilderness and the co-operation required in its protection”. Those
aims are even more important today.
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| On the USA/Mexico border at the start of the Arizona Trail |
Of course it’s not just Canada Trump is having a go at. In time it could be virtually the whole world. As well as Canada with allies he’s started with Mexico, Panama and Greenland. I’ve never been to the first two, though I have stood at the border looking in to Mexico three times, but I have been to Greenland once, leading a ski tour. Trump wants to buy Greenland from Denmark. The arrogance is astounding. He’s treating Greenland as if it’s a product in a shop, not a country with a population who might like some say in the matter.
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| A Greenland landscape |
How all this will work out I have no more idea than anyone else. It feels a dangerous time, for people and nature. All I can do is support those trying to achieve the best they can and oppose those who would destroy. Little though there is that I can achieve myself staying silent feels irresponsible. Perhaps if enough of us speak out there can be change for the better.
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