The Call of The Wild

As a child growing up in suburban Minneapolis, I loved Fridays. Not just because it was the end of the school week, but it meant Saturday morning was coming up and that was fishing day with my dad. I would wake up without an alarm (much tougher as a teen), help hook the boat to the trailer, make sure everything was secured and head out to be on the water by 6am. My father always tried to be on the water before 7am, and not because the fishing was always the best, but because of the peace and tranquility. In a huge suburban area it’s hard to escape noise and commotion, but even on the dozens of house-lined lakes we fished, the sense of quiet in the early morning offered a taste of nature in the middle of the concrete jungle.

Like many others, I learned my love of the outdoors from my parents. We went car camping when my brother and I were four and two, went on countless bike rides in the river valleys, and cross-country skied at night with no headlamps and only the moon and stars to light up the trail. I thought this was all amazing until I turned 10 and we took a road trip west visiting Glacier, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. I was immediately in awe of the peaks around me and what lay on the other side. The curiosity carried me to Missoula, Montana for college and now to Spokane, Washington where I make my home. Once you get a taste of the west, there’s just no going back.

I feel badly for those who are scared of a little dirt, bugs, and would rather binge watch a TV show on their weekends than spend a night in the woods. While I enjoy the comforts of home as much as anyone else, to ignore all the outdoor opportunities around us is to miss out on feeling alive. I guess those of us that love the outdoors seek out a small sense of danger. I could slip on a rock crossing that stream, bump into a bear on a backcountry hike, or pop a tire on my bike far away from the nearest repair shop. We don’t want any of these problems to happen, but the fact that they could gives us a determination to conquer our outdoor adventure unscathed. Most avid outdoorsmen and women admit to being risk takers; it’s a character trait where the brain forces the body to do something it’s not comfortable with. The safe bet is to stay home, the risky play is to go explore.

Peace, quiet and tranquility are hard to find in our modern world. Think of the last time you were truly free of distraction; no cell phone, tablet, television, work, pick-up, drop-off, party planning, school shopping or appointment. When you enter the woods, all these things disappear and it is actually a very strange feeling being alone with your thoughts. Your brain is constantly trying to keep you entertained with thoughts during your day-to-day life, and when the distractions disappear, your body and mind tend to soak up the here and now of the present instead of the concern of the future. Images of nature from mountain peaks, rivers, streams, the colors of the trees, leaves, bushes and berries around you give you a sense of happiness in a world that revolves around negativity.

Senses are heightened in the woods as your eyes take in the stunning scenery around you. You pick up new smells in the clean air, and even a small breeze feels much more prominent. At night these senses can go overboard. I confess I never get much sleep when I’m camped deep in the woods as I’m always wondering what’s around me. Scattering noises in the bushes from your campsite might just be a squirrel, something you would pay no attention to back at home. But at night in the woods, every sound is amplified and your imagination can start to run wild. It goes back to that small sense of danger. Instead of reinforced and locked doors at home, we have nothing but a thin tent fabric between us and whatever is out there.

The call of the wild; some of us have it and some of us just haven’t heard it yet. You don’t have to go deep off the beaten path to experience the benefits of the great outdoors. For most of us, outdoor recreation is less than 30 minutes away and often right in our backyard. Millions of Americans save up a week’s vacation so one time in their life they can see the awe of Mount Rainier, the natural wonders of Glacier, and the bears of Yellowstone – all experiences that we can do in a weekend. The woods are a place for self-reflection and quiet, a place to explore and seek adventure, and a playground for the mind to unwind and an opportunity to focus on you and the company around you instead of social media channels and the politics of the day. Take some time and experience the outdoors and perhaps you’ll hear the call. Be careful it might change your life forever.

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