Back to civilization (for the time being).

[Ascetic]

Hey all!

Well, I thought I'd take some time to update everyone on my trip. I packed up back in June and hit the road heading west. I ended up making my way to Wyoming, which is where I spent the majority of my time. I wanted to steer clear of the tourist areas like Yellowstone, so I opted for Bighorn National Forest near Buffalo instead. It was FANTASTIC!

Living in the wild was better than I could ever have expected. The people I met along the way were really nice to me. I camped out in a single person tent wherever I could find a decent spot. One night, I awoke to what I think was a bear or a wolf just outside my tent (I didn't actually see it, but it was making a low growling sound as it circled me). But that's as harrowing as things ever got.

The journey for me was spiritual in a sense. When you're alone, in the wilderness, pitted against the elements, you sort of have to put your faith in a higher power (I did anyway). I'm Catholic by religion, and it was a time for me to sort of reconnect with my faith.

Being in the wild also taught me a lot about myself. I'm stronger and braver than I ever thought I was. I'm also waaaaaay too dependent on modern technology. We are so pampered.

Oh, and being in the wild is extremely dirty business. I went days sometimes without showering, or getting the chance to bath. And I'm not used to walking around with dirt under my fingernails.

In the end, I decided to return to civilization. I know what you might be thinking: he couldn't handle it, so he quit. Not exactly. The trip crystallized a few things for me, particularly, that if I want to live in the wild, it's definitely doable, but it's also something that should be planned for a bit better. I'm a teacher by profession, so it was easy for me to come back to the Midwest, find a job, and fall right back into my old way of life. But every time I think of Bighorn, I get this deeply homesick feeling in the pit of my stomach. What I want to do now is plan a way to move back out west. With some financial planning, I think I could buy or lease some land in Wyoming, build a rustic cabin (my hermitage), and make a living by either writing, or publishing (ala Dan Price). Or, I can do something else.

The truth is, I had romanticized Chris' trip out west. And while being in the wild affected me profoundly, it was also really difficult. I spent a lot of time sun burned, hungry, and dirty. But I also saw some of the most beautiful places in North America. And I experienced the momentary freedom of a life without an itinerary.

I want to experience it again. My first trip was just my "baby steps." I've already grown a lot . . . next summer I'll be sprinting!

Ascetic.

[ianharlen]

I'm glad you spent some time in the wild, and especially that you want to return to do it again. As someone with a life-long passion for wilderness travel, I have never felt that I was "pitted against" nature in any way, even when clinging to rock walls by my finger-tips, or perched on steep glaciers, or when alone for ten days at a stretch. My ongoing goal is to feel myself "blending in" with nature and natural processes, and learning to do that as gracefully as I can; for example, by leaving little or no trace of my passage. It has been a great journey so far, and along the way I have never felt the need pray to or consult with any "supernatural," which are, of course, figments of one's imagination. Best of luck to you in the wild, Ian.