Don't let cell phones ruin America's national parks

As John Muir wrote, "Only by going alone in silence ... can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness"

Mountain selfie?
(Image credit: iStock)

When John Muir wrote to his wife, Louie, in 1888 to say that "only by going alone in silence, without baggage, can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness," he could have in no way imagined the beeping, ringing, clicking, buzzing distractions we would carry with us everywhere in our pockets some 120-odd years later.

But at some point in the last two decades, the experience of being in the woods changed utterly and irrevocably. In addition to searching for wildlife or solace or peace in the untouched wilds of America, adventurers had a new quest to keep them occupied — the search for cell reception.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.