I am often asked why I go off on my own in remote areas far from anywhere.
Ever since I can remember, I have loved to explore.
It is nourishment for body and soul.
I find it impossible to look at a map of remote areas and not dream.
What is on the other side of the hill, the river, the lake?
Wilderness provides ...
- clean air, pure water, fresh food for the taking
- big vistas of beautiful landscapes, waterways and sky
- clear, clear night sky packed full of stars
- awesome sights, sounds and smells in the natural world around me
- sound without noise
- the ability to step in places untouched by man
- the resources required to live comfortably
- lots of natural exercise
- the capability to provide all needs for myself
- the honing of senses and skills underutilized in the modern world
- simplicity, the peace of solitude
- the enjoyment of things taken for granted on the Outside - hot water, a bath, warm fire, a hearty appetite for basic food, a change of clean clothes, a comfortable bed after a tiring day, reading a good novel, the satisfaction of doing something from start to finish on my own, shelter from wind, rain, sun, snow, cold, bugs
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I’ve watched the big, husky sun wallow
In crimson and gold, and grow dim,
Till the moon set the pearly peaks gleaming,
And the stars tumbled out, neck and crop;
And I’ve thought that I surely was dreaming,
With the peace o’ the world piled on top.
In crimson and gold, and grow dim,
Till the moon set the pearly peaks gleaming,
And the stars tumbled out, neck and crop;
And I’ve thought that I surely was dreaming,
With the peace o’ the world piled on top.
The freshness, the freedom, the farness--
O God! how I’m stuck on it all.
O God! how I’m stuck on it all.
There's a land--oh, it beckons and beckons,
And I want to go back--and I will.
It's the great, big, broad land 'way up yonder,
It's the forests where silence has lease;
It's the beauty that thrills me with wonder,
It's the stillness that fills me with peace.
And I want to go back--and I will.
It's the great, big, broad land 'way up yonder,
It's the forests where silence has lease;
It's the beauty that thrills me with wonder,
It's the stillness that fills me with peace.
- From "The Spell of the Yukon" by Robert Service, 1907
This poem symbolizes my love for the remote northern areas that are always on my mind. The words bring a lump to my throat every time I read them.