Unpacking my Backpack of Experiences with Nature

I would consider myself an enthusiastic outdoors woman. However, no one starts life with thinking about the importance of the environment like I do. How I came to the conclusions I have about the outdoors was no simple path. Growing up in New Hampshire put a certain level of importance on the outdoors. Family weekends as a child were mainly hiking trips and nature walks. Like many young kids, I found myself playing outside until it was too dark in the summer. As I got older I chose a boarding high school that placed emphasis on sustainability and environmental change. Now, I am in college and an environmental studies major. I recognize the importance of getting outside and appreciating the environment and what it can teach us.

I believe that outdoor play and just simply getting outside is helpful for child development and can help aid in teaching moments. Through my years of being a YMCA camp counselor during the summer, my opinion has been formed by the interactions I have had with campers and staff. Outdoor play has the capability of teaching children about noble personal qualities. I have also worked in schools and seen the importance of rest and play that helps with attention and behavioral issues. Often times at camp being outside and learning gives education a new setting to tackle new topics. I think that although creativity can be taught in an art classroom at school, being creative and quick thinking on a hiking trip is a completely different type of creativity.  However, this does not mean that you have to go out into the field every time you want inspiration or education from the wilderness.

Wilderness literature is not something you can explore, but rather something you commit to reading and finding inspiration. My first interaction with wilderness literature actually stemmed from watching the film interpretation of the book Into the Wild. I was shocked and horrified by the story so much so I felt impelled to go to my library the next day to check out the book. Although the story of Chris McCandless in Into the Wild should support the idea that the environment is a inconsistent and dangerous place, I found myself thinking a bit differently.

I wondered how someone like Chris McCandless took so little precautions when traveling and camping. What inspired him to be careless with planning? Although the reckless and dangerous stories are the ones that can demand attention from readers, myself included, I went out to find more wilderness themed books. What I found changed how I went from a simple reader of these dangerous stories, to an interpreter of what these books could really teach us. I found that through others stories you can derive your own inspiration of how to use your environment. Wilderness literature can be a very powerful tool for making people interested in getting outdoors more and evoking a sense of wonder and need for exploring. Any piece that can inspire someone to get outside more is a piece that I would support. Especially after reading a few books I wanted to go on more trips. The pages of a book have the capability of physically moving people to become more in touch with nature.

So while I have had my awaking with wilderness literature and outdoor skills, there is always more to learn and formulate. Inspiration and education can be done with any starting point on these topics. If you consider yourself an avid outdoors man or woman like me, there are alway more books to read and trips to take. If you're a stranger to the woods the smallest bit of inspiration can act as a spark to hopefully light the fire in this topic.  We all have more to learn and I know I want to learn more, especially with all of you!

Happy Trails!
Daisy