That's not the experience *I* had. Worst thing I got out of it is that I talk to myself more.... A lot more. Even to the amusement of other people.

In all seriousness, I came out a much better man.

 

Poetic, but has not been my experience. I guess when you grew up in the wilds you are not overly impressed when you are in them later on. You seen one snow capped peak or wild river you've seen them all.

 

The difference is doing it alone, with no human contact for long periods. Example 40 days and 40 nights alone in the wilderness.

This "Wilderness can change a Man" was written about my 6 months alone in the wilderness near the headwater of the Susitna River, in the Clearwater country, of Alaska back in the early 70's.

 

Amen Brother 6.8spc.
Watching the super moon rise between two 13,000+ peaks, feeding a chipmunk sitting on my shoulder sunflower seeds. Listening to the wolves. Staying up all night just to watch the meteor shower in august. Basking naked on a rock in the sun at 11,000 feet. Topping out a 12,000 foot ridgeline to see a lake with absolutely no sign of human life anywhere in sight.

Yeah. I came away from this summer feeling pretty small and very much a humble man.
Solitude in the wilderness can be a little frightening at times but the utter self reliance is rewarding and more than worth it. It left me with a certain sort of pride with the humility too.

Bear Magnet out.

 

Extended periods ALONE in wilderness teaches you caution, humility and independence. The WISE learn to become one with that natural environment, a part of it, rather than a bumbling noisy stranger foreign to it.

 

The first lesson I was taught when I moved here was not to be scared. When you
learn about your neighbourhood, the animals, the weather, what to eat, and what
to watch, you start to understand. You never stop learning. I have been here now
for a little over 14 years, and it is still amazing.

 

Perhaps the fact that I was within 20 miles of civilization both times, gave me a "safety net" feeling about it, even though I had NO human contact. Very humbling feeling though. I'll give it that.

 

Shades of Jack London. :thumb:

 

I can relate.

I lived and worked in the same river drainage, about 100 miles away, for many years, up to 6 months at a time and some short spells in winter.

Environmental awareness encompasses your very being; I once woke up from the crackling of the Aurora Borealis ripping over the Alaska Range on a deathly cold and quiet winter night.

The fly hatches and calling in a big bull from the alders; it's man vs fish or beast, filling you with humility and awe. If you have never played tug-o-war with a martin over a piece of smoked salmon, then you haven't witnessed the very definition of tenacity.

I don't remember crying. . . except when I lost my tapes of Billy Joel playing piano and singing in our bar until 4am. . . and when I lost my first 30" rainbow trout as he rocketed 4 ft out of the crystal water.

I always loved the excitement of May; the scented air in my face, old friends to see again; the first fish and game soon to come. And the trip back in mid-October, just before the ice starts drifting, the empty coolers, a roll of hundreds, streaky beard, weathered face and worn body. . . and the sated contentment from a hard worked season of the most dangerous job in the world.

I like my softer life (and belly) now, but I do miss the smell of the river.

 

I found this quote by Thoreau (Walden Pond) on the bathroom wall of a hole in the wall motel near Tahoe a year ago. (It was written backward so to see it right you had to look into the mirror over the sink!) Expresses a lot of what I feel.

 

This is one of the few important threads on this forum. Thanks to 6.8SPC for starting it. The people that come out of the woodwork to contribute on a thread like this one are the guys I would trust in the bush.

MattB4 I am guessing is not good at expressing his emotions. But his admission that he does when he drinks a lot, tells me he still gets it.

Men like to pretend to be all macho and confident especially from the filter of the keyboard. Anyone that spends long periods solo in the bush knows more about elation, depression, loneliness, and fear than the average person. If you have hallucinations or carry on conversations on both sides of a discussion, it may be time to go find a town.

 

Hmm. I guess I'm confused.

Perhaps its because I have spent my life in the woods. From the time I was very young, 4-5 years old, I was expected to take care of myself on our ranch.

By the time I was 7, I spent all day away from the ranch house and on a horse.

By the time I was 12, I was packing further and further back, sometimes staying in the mountains for as long as 2 weeks.

By the time I was 16, I spent much of the summer living on horseback, camping each night, sometimes for over a month. My friends were chasing girls, I was chasing my dream. I had long learned I was the top predator in the woods.

By the time I was 19, I was married to the girl of my dreams. It became even better when she didn't mind my long sojourns into the wilderness, though after a few times with me, it was enough for her.

By the time I was 24, I had two small children so my time in the woods lessened.

By the time I was 40, my kids were graduated and moving out on their own and I started spending my time in the wilderness for longer periods of time.

By the time I was 45, I realized I needed to live in the woods so my wife and I purchased 10 acres in the middle of nowhere where we live in a tiny little cabin, and I can walk out my front door and into the wilderness within 10 seconds.

I mean no disrespect to anyone but I feel sorry for anyone who is at all interested in the outdoors and is only able to fantasize and talk about it, rather than do it.

 

Are you refering to the original post, or post #4, or maybe an other post, just curious.....???

I mean no disrespect to anyone but I feel sorry for anyone who is at all interested in the outdoors and is only able to fantasize and talk about it, rather than do it.

 

.44,
Don't get all dove chested. Plenty of people around here, especially on this thread have plenty of time out there. We are not fantasying and talking about time in the bush, we are talking about the effects it has on people. You may have missed the subtle difference.

 

Matt84,
You are the first person I have heard describe their upbringing in the outdoors, and then go on to describe their lack of passion about it. You've seen one you have seen them all is a very non-typical reaction to the life you have described.

Where did you spend all of this time in the outdoors? Where do you live now?

 

When I am in the wilderness I literally am a different man. I forget about the relentless quest for the daily dollar. The world expands to where I'm literally a mote of dust in the wind, insignificant beyond measurement. At night the stars hint at the vastness of creation, reducing the Earth and all around it to a mote of dust in a whirlwind. Very humbling.

The miseries and concerns of living in an urban environment disappear. They are replaced by the clouds in the sky, the wind in the trees, the babbling of a brook. Life gets reduced to basics, the grumbling in your belly, the sweat on your back or perhaps the cold bite of the wind. For entertainment there are the birds singing, the bees buzzing in a patch of flowers, squirrels and lizards skittering away at your approach and the ever changing scenery. This is interspersed with the less frequent rattling of a snake or the sight of deer on the horizon. Very relaxing and rejuvenating.

Instead of focusing on water cooler gossip or office politics or your personal demons, focus on your next meal or drink of water or staying warm. The next quarterly report or your statistical performance at work is irrelevant. What you need now is your only concern and the demands of others on you can be seen as the silliness that they are. The wild doesn't care about your color, your religion, your politics, your ethnicity, your good (or bad) looks, your age, your social status or your tax bracket. You are truly free to be you. There is no judgement passed on anything because "nature" isn't a conscious entity. "Success" is measured in staying alive and comfortable within your environment and nothing else. That's a very liberating feeling.

In the wild I can be humble, liberated and at peace with myself, while concerned only with the surrounding beauty and my immediate physical needs. If that doesn't make a profound change in you, either you can't be changed or you are already there.

 

What always amazes me is how time slows down.

Az

 

If you ever listen to music by Enya, she has an incredible song called Wild Child. You don't need a reason. Let the day go on and on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld6FlvslItI

 

Nature: its not what you think.

 

Still a good thread subject.

 

The original "Wilderness Can Change a Man" from 2008
The wilderness can change a man............ (wilderness-survival.net)