Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Not Quite Ready

I wish I could say that I'm not a materialistic person; that I could give all my belongings away and backpack through the wilderness. On page seven, Dillard says, "Today I sit on a dry grass at the end of the island by the slower side of the creek. I'm drawn to this spot. I come to it as to an oracle." Nature is Dillard's sanctuary, a place of spirituality and safety. When I need to get out and escape, I don't literally "get out." But instead go inside, either to a coffee shop with my Macbook or to Borders Book Store, these are my sanctuaries. I need the shelter, the books, the coffee, the Internet. I have a huge reliance on technology, what else could you expect when your father works at NASA as a rocket scientist?
At the same time, I have a great appreciation to nature and the environment. Before class everyday I check the room to make sure I am being green, I recycle, I don't smoke, and I rode my bike to work this summer. One of my best friends, Matt, is part of a camp called Keewaydin. For six week each summer he foes to northern Canada to portage and canoe through lakes and rivers. Seeing pictures of his journey and hearing about his struggles, baffle and intrigue me. My other best friend, Meredith, went to Alaska this past summer to work at a canary for a month. When the month was over she backpacked and hitchhiked from city to town. Hearing about her adventures gave me a new perspective on nature.
I am jealous that my friends are confident enough to give everything up for months and explore the unknown. But the thought of having no money, minimal supplies, no plan, hardly any food, water, and shelter scares me. I know that at this point in my life i would fail in a journey through the wilderness. I can only hope, I will soon be brave enough to try, not give up, survive, and grow from my own experiences instead of my friends. 
Cheers,
Aprille

1 comment:

Women's Wilderness Climbing Bus said...

Aprille, your post caught my eye with your title and the first line of your blog. Although I have had lots of experiences in nature and I do feel that I can go outside and feel like it is “my oracle” (Dillard 7), I too am constantly wanting and wishing to be more confident and secure enough to rid myself of materialistic things and explore the unknown. I too find myself sitting inside a local coffee shop on a beautiful day.

I mentioned in my post that even when I was in the Amazon in Ecuador, I would have the urge to call a friend or constantly snap pictures to show to family. As a kid, I hiked parts of the Appalachian trail and don’t ever remember having these urges. I don’t feel that I wasted my time in the Amazon or did not appreciate it as much as I could have, but I do feel that I should have done more exploring. I should have gone with the others when they went out on their own to explore new trails. I’m not sure what it was that kept me from going with them, but I am a very precautious person.

I guess the biggest thing holding me back was the lack of confidence to just go out on my own confident enough that I would come back without any problems. I can really relate to your post because I wish at times I could be as worry free as some of my friends and just have a journey through the wilderness without distractions.