4. Item #185: Hug a National Forest

Item #185: Hug a National Forest! Grab as many friend as you can and go to your favorite national forest or park and be tree huggers. Set the camera up so we can see all of the tree hugging action clearly.

This year’s hunt had a special interest in forest conservation and preservation, as each GISHWHES registration cost went toward saving one acre of the Nepalese forest. As a surprise to gishers in the top tier of points, an additional acre was donated in the name of each qualifying participant. Altogether, GISHWHES helped preserve over forty thousand acres of the Nepalese forest, ensuring the protection of endangered animals like Chinese pangolins, snow leopards, and red pandas.

Kids, don’t try this at home. Team The Luscious Lucifers set out to Tonto National Forest to hug some… cacti. Risking life and limb to get the perfect shot, teammates braved the sharp bits of the cacti to create this interpretation of forest-hugging. They were scolded by their team captain for recklessness and then promptly praised for how well the photo came out.