Nature's Healing Power on Appalachian Trail
2021-06-22
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1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
2On a recent sunny day, hikers stood at an entry point on the Appalachian Trail near Hawk Mountain in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
3Some rested and drank water as they prepared to continue hiking on the 3,508-kilometer walking path.
4The Appalachian Trail stretches from Maine in the north to Georgia in the south.
5One of the hikers is Mario Kovach, a war veteran.
6On his right arm are the last names of many soldiers permanently written, or tattooed -- Solesbee, Bell, Schwartz, Seidler, Miller, Moss -- just to name a few.
7They were all members of the U.S. Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit.
8And they all died in battle.
9They had the dangerous job of defusing bombs.
10That was also Kovach's job for 20 years in the Air Force.
11Kovach retired in 2018.
12He served five tours of duty in Afghanistan without serious injury to his body.
13However, his mental health suffered.
14So, he has been treating his mental health on the trail and in other places in nature.
15He shared his experiences of healing on the trails with a reporter from the Associated Press.
16"Nature is nothing that man controls," Kovach said.
17He added that it is both the natural environment and the peace and quiet that has helped him heal.
18Cindy Ross is a writer and lifelong hiker.
19Her latest book is Walking Toward Peace - Veterans Healing on America's Trails.
20It is about the veterans Ross serves through the nonprofit organization called River House PA.
21Her experience with some veterans who thru-hiked the trail in 2013 led her to start the organization.
22"Thru-hiked" means they walked the whole 3,508 kilometers.
23Ross describes the organization and its surrounding natural environment as places where veterans and others suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, can heal.
24PTSD is a condition affecting soldiers who have experienced extreme conditions in war.
25But it develops in anyone who has experienced a shocking, scary or dangerous event.
26PTSD involves reliving the trauma over and over.
27It includes physical responses like a fast heartbeat.
28People suffering from PTSD may have bad dreams and frightening thoughts.
29They can also be easily surprised, feel tense, have trouble sleeping and have angry outbursts
30One study suggests that as many as 30 percent of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from PTSD.
31Many Vietnam veterans are still affected.
32Veterans also take their own lives in greater numbers than the general population.
33Suicides in the military have been called an epidemic.
34The Department of Veterans Affairs says in 2018, nearly 18 veterans committed suicide every day.
35The number of those who have killed themselves has gone down among veterans who have received care through the department.
36However, experts say much work remains to be done.
37Kovach is among the veterans Ross wrote about in her book.
38The men and women had extreme experiences.
39In many cases, they were close to suicide before discovering the healing power of nature.
40Ross worked with the veterans agency and word spread about the program.
41Besides hiking the trails, activities include different types of boating.
42Paralyzed veterans can ride specialized mountain bikes on the trails.
43And at the end of the day's activities, they all meet to have dinner together around a fire.
44"At least a few of them would start to cry and say, 'It was the best day of my life,'" Ross said.
45They also say to Ross that they need to do this with their family and children.
46The veterans often tell her a day in nature was what saved their lives.
47Last fall, Kovach helped start "Project Felix" .
48It is a nonprofit group for soldiers who are dealing with survivor's guilt and other conditions.
49He said the goal is to reduce military suicides.
50He said there are other ways to heal.
51But, a day in the woods - or a week, or a month - is among the best.
52"It doesn't cost anything," he said.
53"You're not putting medications into you. And you can do it anytime."
54And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.
1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. 2On a recent sunny day, hikers stood at an entry point on the Appalachian Trail near Hawk Mountain in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Some rested and drank water as they prepared to continue hiking on the 3,508-kilometer walking path. The Appalachian Trail stretches from Maine in the north to Georgia in the south. 3One of the hikers is Mario Kovach, a war veteran. On his right arm are the last names of many soldiers permanently written, or tattooed -- Solesbee, Bell, Schwartz, Seidler, Miller, Moss -- just to name a few. 4They were all members of the U.S. Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit. And they all died in battle. They had the dangerous job of defusing bombs. That was also Kovach's job for 20 years in the Air Force. Kovach retired in 2018. He served five tours of duty in Afghanistan without serious injury to his body. However, his mental health suffered. 5So, he has been treating his mental health on the trail and in other places in nature. He shared his experiences of healing on the trails with a reporter from the Associated Press. 6"Nature is nothing that man controls," Kovach said. He added that it is both the natural environment and the peace and quiet that has helped him heal. 7Cindy Ross is a writer and lifelong hiker. Her latest book is Walking Toward Peace - Veterans Healing on America's Trails. It is about the veterans Ross serves through the nonprofit organization called River House PA. Her experience with some veterans who thru-hiked the trail in 2013 led her to start the organization. "Thru-hiked" means they walked the whole 3,508 kilometers. 8Ross describes the organization and its surrounding natural environment as places where veterans and others suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, can heal. 9PTSD is a condition affecting soldiers who have experienced extreme conditions in war. But it develops in anyone who has experienced a shocking, scary or dangerous event. 10PTSD involves reliving the trauma over and over. It includes physical responses like a fast heartbeat. People suffering from PTSD may have bad dreams and frightening thoughts. They can also be easily surprised, feel tense, have trouble sleeping and have angry outbursts 11One study suggests that as many as 30 percent of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from PTSD. Many Vietnam veterans are still affected. 12Veterans also take their own lives in greater numbers than the general population. Suicides in the military have been called an epidemic. The Department of Veterans Affairs says in 2018, nearly 18 veterans committed suicide every day. 13The number of those who have killed themselves has gone down among veterans who have received care through the department. However, experts say much work remains to be done. 14Kovach is among the veterans Ross wrote about in her book. The men and women had extreme experiences. In many cases, they were close to suicide before discovering the healing power of nature. 15Ross worked with the veterans agency and word spread about the program. Besides hiking the trails, activities include different types of boating. 16Paralyzed veterans can ride specialized mountain bikes on the trails. And at the end of the day's activities, they all meet to have dinner together around a fire. 17"At least a few of them would start to cry and say, 'It was the best day of my life,'" Ross said. They also say to Ross that they need to do this with their family and children. The veterans often tell her a day in nature was what saved their lives. 18Last fall, Kovach helped start "Project Felix" . It is a nonprofit group for soldiers who are dealing with survivor's guilt and other conditions. He said the goal is to reduce military suicides. 19He said there are other ways to heal. But, a day in the woods - or a week, or a month - is among the best. 20"It doesn't cost anything," he said. "You're not putting medications into you. And you can do it anytime." 21And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo. 22Daniel Patrick Sheehan reported this story for the Associated Press. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 23__________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25hiker -n. a person who walks a long distance for pleasure and exercise 26stress -n. to cause or experience physical or emotional tension 27trail -n. a walking path, usually in nature 28defuse -v. to remove part of an explosive device so that it is no longer harmful 29traumatic -adj. causing someone to become very upset in a way that can lead to serious mental and emotional problems : trauma -n. a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury 30tense -adj. nervous and not able to relax 31outburst -n. a violent expression of feeling 32epidemic -n. the sudden quick spread of something harmful or unwanted 33paralyzed -adj. unable to move part of the body such as arms or legs 34We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.