Emily Pennington: Yeah. Thank you so much for having me.
MC: So the outdoors has served an important purpose throughout the pandemic helping us get outside safely and decompress when things have been tough. And now that we're returning to a sense of normalcy, why do you think that being in nature and continuing that dedication to being outside is going to remain so important to everyone's wellbeing?
EP: I feel like even though the pandemic often feels like it's "over" or things are opening up, which they are, logistically, I think that we lack the privilege of hindsight that comes from having gone through a major generational trauma. And I think that one of the key things that the outdoors has shown us during the pandemic is the immense power of the outdoors to not only keep us fit and healthy and in the sunshine but also to quite literally decrease the levels of anxiety and depression that the pandemic itself has caused.
And so my guess is that in the next two or three years, we're going to look back at this time period as a deep transition time period in which we're really learning how to resocialize ourselves and how to be in the world again. And the world might not be the same world that it was before. In fact, it probably won't be. And I think that creating these safe outdoor spaces where you can feel strong and you can have solitude and you can move your body and get some of those good endorphins flowing are exactly what we're going to need to make it through this transition period with good mental health.
MS: I think for me, part of it is that I've always loved the outdoors but I think I do a lot of different kinds of travel. And the beauty of having spent more time in national parks or camping over the past couple years is that I remembered why I love it so much and that I want to prioritize it with the travel I plan. I also think friends of mine that I hadn't had the chance to do that with in the past also realized that was something they were into and that they want to do more camping trips or prioritize national parks trips we do throughout the year. So I think for me, it just was an underscoring of how those are such nice spaces to be in—and even friends of mine who didn't consider themselves like outdoorsy people before have found how they can enjoy that too.
So I think we all came to appreciate these spaces. And so even as travel changes, I'll be going to them. And Emily me, to your point, the pandemic isn't over and it feels like every time I have a big trip booked that involves planes and hotels that have been paid for, I realize how a little COVID scare could just throw everything off. And that makes me continue to see the outdoors as such an easy type of trip where I can book a campsite for 30 bucks. If I end up not being able to make it, it's not a big deal. The risk feels less for getting exposed when I have other trips coming up after, so those benefits haven't gone away.
