wilderness Rhythm

July 11, 2006

Wilderness makes life better. Experiencing wilderness helps complete a person. I have believed this for a long time. I am still being completed.

Hinchinbrook Island is wilderness. Hook Point where we camped is wilderness, and wilderness demands its rhythm. We must be aware of the tide; land the plane at low tide; make sure we are around Hook Point before high tide; look for clams at low tide; keep the toys above the high tide line. Clouds, wind, rain, sun and bugs determine fashion, change plans, schedule activities, and ignore our desires and hopes. We have no computer access. Cell phones do not work; no TV, no electricity, no restaurants, no grocery stores; none of the “necessities” of western lifestyle. Our feet transport us.

We have no choice. We must accept the tempo of the wilderness. And that tempo is in part responsible for the impact of wilderness on the human. We are reminded of what is important in life and what is not. We are reminded of what gives us joy and how absurd are most irritations and frustrations. We realize how little we really control and how little difference that lack of control makes. Wilderness is where beauty lives, beauty that thrills and fills our souls with joy.

We are not in charge of wilderness. We have only two choices; protect it or destroy it. Humans are in fact wilderness. When we destroy wilderness, we destroy ourselves.