I crushed a duckling with my car yesterday. At least, I’m pretty sure I did.
Driving the two-lane freeway past Clear Lake on my way from Nevada City to Mendocino, the car in front of me swerved right. The car in the opposite lane swerved left. Between them was a terrified duck. You could see her confusion as she was caught between the two vehicles.
Geese at Donner Lake.
No problem, I thought. The road wasn’t busy. As soon as I passed, she’d complete her trek.
I swerved right too. And that’s when I saw the trail of ducklings behind her. I tried to pass over them, but there were too many. A quick glance in my side mirror left me fairly confident that at least one had been killed.
I was devastated. My first impulse was to turn back. Clearly there’s nothing I could have done. I spent 30 minutes on the verge of tears. I calmed down as I wrote this blog post in my head. Hours later at the Mendocino Botanical Garden, I welled up and called a friend to discuss my feelings.
I know. I know. It’s just a duck.
It’s hard for me to think in those terms any more. Just an hour earlier, I saw two deer grazing in rolling yellow hills. The day before, I swam with geese in Donner Lake. At Yosemite, I pulled over to watch deer and marmots and a coyote and I swam with trout in the Tuolumne River. In Big Sur, I delighted as I watched the silhouette of a sea lion darting past in the blue-green surf.
These were all beautiful incarnations of life. Just as my duckling was. Just as much of our food is.
Coyote at Glacier Point.
For me, vegetarianism is a personal moral choice. It is not a moral absolute. I do not judge meat eaters, just as I’d ask that vegans don’t judge my consumption of eggs and dairy. However, I do challenge those who eat meat to go kill an animal or at least watch an animal be killed.
Many of us are so far removed from our food sources that we’re incapable of making a conscious decision about our diets. Instead, we hide its animal nature by frying it, or cooking it well done, or covering it in seasoning or cheese or ranch. (And don’t get me started on KFC’s chilling “I ate the bone” campaign.)
Deer at Tuolumne Meadow.
My old coworker Casey is one of the most voracious carnivores I know. He’s also an avid hunter. He knows exactly what he’s doing. My parents have hunted and fished and raised animals throughout their lives. They’ve made a fully-informed choice to eat meat and that’s fine by me.
In 2011, Mark Zuckerberg recently made a yearlong pledge to only eat meat he personally killed. As he told Fortune, “I think many people forget that a living being has to die for you to eat meat. So my goal revolves around not letting myself forget that and being thankful for what I have.”
Bravo, Zuck.
I too have been close to the source of my food. I’ve wounded dove and then finished the job by removing their heads with my hands. I’ve had animals in my backyard one week and on my plate the next. For me, today, meat cannot be an option.
That said, tuna has been a bit of a staple on this trip. It’s an easy source of protein on the go. I have six cans of tuna in my car right now. The next time I meet a group of backpackers, I’m giving the cans to them. I’m finally fully forgoing fish to go all in with my vegetarianism.
The tuna are beautiful manifestations of life too. Just like my duckling.
Got a question about my trip? I’m compiling a mailbag to commemorate one month on the road. Leave your question in the comments!
Sorry you had to endure that 🙁 and welcome to full-scale vegetarianism.
Exactly! As mother hen, how would you feel if Rebecca was crushed by my Subaur? Sooooooo sad ….
Tru dat. Don’t crush Rebecca. Please.
So sorry that happened to you. I respect your choice and thank you for giving me something more to think about when I sit down for my next meal. Miss ya 🙂
Thought is all I ask for. 🙂
The fact you honor the event with these thoughts makes all the difference. Thank you for putting into words what we all should feel. I believe that momma duck knows that. Hang in there!
Thank you, my mentor!
Mailbag questions:
What’s the one item you wished you had brought with you?
What’s an item you thought that you would need but now realize was completely unnecessary?
What’s the best/worst parts of traveling alone?
What’s surprised you most about the trip?
Excellent, provocative questions. I’ll give these some thought and include in the mailbag!
BTW, 4 NPUs in the next 10 days. Crater Lake, Lava Beds, Lassen, and Oregon Caves. Get some!
Matt – I read each of your posts with a big smile on my face, because I know you are living your dream and being transformed by it, one mile at a time. Your writing is rich, deep, highly descriptive and exquisitely vulnerable – I am learning, too, so thank you. I would love to know if you have yet had any meaningful chance connections with people. Take care!
Thanks Wendy! I’ve had some great interactions with people. I’m working really hard to be open and connect with strangers. Very important since I haven’t seen a familiar face since Memorial Day! I’ll include some anecdotes in the mailbag or write as a separate post.
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