NATURE AVOIDANCE

Recently, while reading a letter from the American River Parkway Foundation, I learned the staggering statistic that only 20% of the 1.6 million residents in the Sacramento region know the American River Parkway — the entire stretch of Lower American River surrounded by 50,000 acres and cutting right through the county, underneath 4-lane roads, and running parallel to Hwy 50 — exists!

I’ve been thinking a lot about the reasons my fellow Sacramentans aren’t out roaming the American River Parkway like me every day. Besides the daily grind (and why not grind some nature-bathing into the weekly schedule?), I have found a lot of folks mentioning their fear of the river and the solitude. In my years of experience and hundreds of days along the trails, I have yet to experience a scary encounter with another person or animal.

So, let’s debunk a few of the common reasons for nature-avoidance.

Fear of rattlesnakes
You may find a reptile sunning themselves on the trails, but they will likely hear you and skedattle long before you spot them. Each year, an estimated 7,000–8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States, and about 5 of those people die (CDC).

Fear of spiders
Although black widows (and other cute crawlers) may be seen, the threat of a bite is rare. They are not aggressive unless cornered and will likely flee at the sight of a human.

Fear of the unhoused
The Lower American is an urban river, which brings the joy of accessibility for all of us city dwellers. Families, college students, people living in tents and everyone in between enjoy the river for its solitude and beauty. Downriver from Watt Ave and closer to the grid, it is more common to find tents tucked in the brush. Most people living away from urban streets would like to avoid you just as much as you’d like to avoid them. If you are nervous about encountering a stranger during your adventures, bring along a friend or a pet.

Fear of drowning
Know your limits and the abilities of those swimming with you. Much of the river is shallow and slow-moving. Depending on the season or the river flow, however, the current can be swift and the river deep. Put the small ones in life jackets—many access points even have free ones to loan as part of the “Life Looks Good on You” initiative. Where possible, I’ve given a recommendation for ideal river flow.

Fear of finding utter tranquility
You should probably heed the warnings and the sensationalized depictions of natural spaces in the media and pop culture and just avoid the completely serene stretches of untouched beauty mere steps from your noisy house of screaming children and cranky neighbors.

So there ya go — fear the freeway, or the additives in your sports beverage, or the hours lost to social media… but don’t fear the nature.