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I know this is the title of a book by Guy & Laura Waterman. While I don’t agree with everything in the book, it certainly does bring up some though provoking topics. For those not familiar, its basically a glimpse into the authors philosophy about “keeping the spirit of the wilderness†alive during our recreation activities within them.
A recent -THREAD- (on anther site), based on a recent -EVENT- got me thinking about one such topic as it relates to kids (or new people) in the backcountry. Perhaps this is too weighty a topic for here (I guess I’ll find out by the responses, or lack thereof
) but here goes. Do any of you feel some a sense of additional responsibility when introducing children (or new hikers) to the backcountry?
Many of us have introduced children (either our own, nieces, nephews or neighbors), or even adults (girlfriends, boyfriends , coworkers, etc) that have little or NO outdoors experience. Our intentions are usually good, we want them to experience the things we fell love with (sweeping vista’s, babbling brooks, peaceful woods). Do we ever give thought to “the other thingsâ€that wilderness entails. And I don't beyond mean basic safety?
The article describes how a young kid basically got “scared to death†when he (and a counselor) unexpectidly confronted a (non agressive) bear in the woods during a camp outing. I’ll deliberately avoid talking about that situation to avoid being judgmental and I’ll make another relate.
Recently, my son was coming off Redfield at dusk several minutes ahead of the group. He came “face to face†(in his mind) with a foraging bear. The bear never acknowledged him and eventually lumbered off. Now, my son has been hiking since he was 7, is an advanced boy scout and is 3 mountains shy of the coveted 46. However, when the group caught up, he was just a wide-eyed, very scared and all alone 13 y/o clutching his 3’ pocketknife in the waning daylight. That's a lot of "wilderness" for some folks.
He did everything right and in time, he has come to look back on that incident as “totally kicking†(or whatever they say nowadays) but I (as an adult) understand the line between that and “Dad, I really don’t want to do this hiking thing anymore†is perilously thin. Have I done all I could to prepare them for everything "wilderness" means?
I guess I’m just curious what you all think, do YOU, as the “seasoned hiker†ever think about these things when you introduce new people (particularly kids) to the woods, or do you just hit the trailhead and hope for the best? Feel free to share any like-minded stories.
Interesting (to me) to think about.
A recent -THREAD- (on anther site), based on a recent -EVENT- got me thinking about one such topic as it relates to kids (or new people) in the backcountry. Perhaps this is too weighty a topic for here (I guess I’ll find out by the responses, or lack thereof
) but here goes. Do any of you feel some a sense of additional responsibility when introducing children (or new hikers) to the backcountry?Many of us have introduced children (either our own, nieces, nephews or neighbors), or even adults (girlfriends, boyfriends , coworkers, etc) that have little or NO outdoors experience. Our intentions are usually good, we want them to experience the things we fell love with (sweeping vista’s, babbling brooks, peaceful woods). Do we ever give thought to “the other thingsâ€that wilderness entails. And I don't beyond mean basic safety?
The article describes how a young kid basically got “scared to death†when he (and a counselor) unexpectidly confronted a (non agressive) bear in the woods during a camp outing. I’ll deliberately avoid talking about that situation to avoid being judgmental and I’ll make another relate.
Recently, my son was coming off Redfield at dusk several minutes ahead of the group. He came “face to face†(in his mind) with a foraging bear. The bear never acknowledged him and eventually lumbered off. Now, my son has been hiking since he was 7, is an advanced boy scout and is 3 mountains shy of the coveted 46. However, when the group caught up, he was just a wide-eyed, very scared and all alone 13 y/o clutching his 3’ pocketknife in the waning daylight. That's a lot of "wilderness" for some folks.
He did everything right and in time, he has come to look back on that incident as “totally kicking†(or whatever they say nowadays) but I (as an adult) understand the line between that and “Dad, I really don’t want to do this hiking thing anymore†is perilously thin. Have I done all I could to prepare them for everything "wilderness" means?
I guess I’m just curious what you all think, do YOU, as the “seasoned hiker†ever think about these things when you introduce new people (particularly kids) to the woods, or do you just hit the trailhead and hope for the best? Feel free to share any like-minded stories.
Interesting (to me) to think about.
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