Great outdoors offers reboot
A
fter the duststorm my column caused last week and the opportunity afforded by a long weekend, I decided to head into the hills for some fresh air. I’ve recently purchased a new pair of hiking boots and it was about time to break them in. Of course, I might have tried something a little less challenging than scrambling up mountains and crossing marshland in untried footwear but I’m sure that what doesn’t kill me can only make me stronger – provided the blisters turn to callouses.
There’s a saying about Mount Everest: its not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. I find this statement to be eminently true. I’ve spent a great deal of my life on trails of all kinds in many different parts of this country and even a few in Europe. Whether I have simply been on a long walk with the dogs or attempting to scale the last bit of Viking ridge or cross-country biking swiftly to stay ahead of the storm, a large amount of self-conquest has certainly been necessary.
These exertions in fellowship with friends and family have bonded us together, teaching us that in a sudden storm or at the end of a long day, we can still depend on each other to pull through.
My adopted grandfather, right into his mid-seventies, remained a robust outdoorsman, always seeking adventure in nature wherever he could find it, despite his many brushes with animals or weatherrelated dangers. His stories were incredible; clearly, an investment in this lifestyle pays long-term dividends.
Furthermore, being confident in wilderness-related activities certainly opens up more of this country to us.
Canada has more to offer off the beaten track, far away from the rat-race; and as we approach our 150th anniversary as a nation, it’s worth remembering that there was very little access into places like Prince George and surrounding area until the post-war period.
I think this is important to contemplate because people made something of themselves and this land without the benefit of trucks and trailers for several generations.
Humans are truly capable of some incredible things when they put their mind and hands to it: “overlanders” rafted with livestock down the Fraser; explorers portaged to the Arctic; homesteaders and trappers survived our winters without propane; and right up to today, people continue to clamber all over river canyons panning for gold.
I know that in a certain sense, I’m preaching to the choir. Prince George has dozens of outdoor related clubs, groups, Facebook pages and activities.
But perhaps my point is simpler than even all these things: in our rather disembodied, alienated world, it is right and just to reconnect with ourselves through nature.
Having the knowledge and confidence to survive and thrive out in the B.C. bush is no small achievement. And spending time out there puts things back into perspective.
As I headed back home from the woods with a sore body but happy soul, I could definitely feel the world coming back into perspective. We can easily get caught up in the back and forth of negative discourse, even allowing another’s false narrative about us to start changing how we see ourselves. I’ll leave further comment on these issues for Aboriginal Day; but until then, I will heed that age-old advice about mountains and life generally – I can only conquer myself.
In our rather disembodied, alienated world, it is right and just to reconnect with ourselves through nature. And spending time out there puts things back into perspective.