Seems
like I’ve always been. My earliest memories are roaming around
in the East Texas woods, building forts, playing hide-and-seek,
catching frogs and snakes. As a teenager on the Gulf Coast, I lived
to prowl the coast and bays, fishing and exploring.
Today, often with good reason, parents are loath to let their youngsters
out of their sight, much less roaming out in the woods and wilds.
That’s a big loss of early bonding with Nature.
Ben &
Matt looking for "whitewater"
©Clyde Nicely |
"Being
on this stretch of river again brings back memories. When
Ben and Matt were young, in the summer we would have someone
take us into Pittsburg, just the three of us. I remember
one time we took along an IK. They wanted to run it together
and they dumped it in a little rapid. It scared them a bit
but it was a good lesson in respecting the river. One of
them, I think it was Matt, lost his cap in the spill. Later
that day we found a cap on a beach; I’ve still got
it in the ‘spare hat’ stash."
|
Outdoor pursuits, like boating, hiking and backpacking help me keep
in shape. This compels me to do the weight training, calisthenics,
and stretches that I hate to do and would endlessly put off if I
didn’t have to do them to stay in shape for these outdoor
pursuits!
"To
do these 47 slow-water miles in three days (so I can have
a layover day) I’ll have to row the whole way. That’s
alright, I can row all day, trading off between forward and
back strokes."
"I can still wear these wool pants I bought 35 years
ago. They’re snugger, mind you, but I can still wear
them. Damn moths."
|
The mouth
of the mighty Salmon River
©Clyde Nicely |
The outdoors is a place of endless fascination and variety. You
never know what you’ll see, hear, smell, feel. Wildlife observation,
bird watching, learning the plants never grows old.
Fall colors
at Cherry Creek
©Clyde
Nicely
|
"No
human tracks on the first camp’s beach. There are large
and small deer tracks, must be a doe and fawn. Also coyote
tracks and those of some smaller mammal – weasel, mink?"
"The kingfishers and blue herons are still fishing, but
the canyon wrens have left for the winter; I do miss their
company."
"Just above Cherry Creek, I spot two bighorn sheep silhouetted
against the sky, high above on a ridgeline. There has been
some disease in this herd, it’s good to see them in
this area."
|
There’s so much country out there to explore. An irresistible
tug draws me to see what’s around the bend and up the trail.
It’s impossible to see it all in one person’s lifetime.
"It’s
my layover day. I’ve had a decent breakfast, made some
excellent coffee with my AeroPress
and read a bit in the memoir of a WWII German colonel. I climb
high above the river to the summit. I find it’s just
the shoulder of a summit, which when reached is, of course,
a shoulder of several more summits. They’ll have to
be climbed another day. I lie down in the sun, at the base
of a rock outcrop. Likely no other human has ever set foot
here. I doze, waking to the pungent odor of crushed yarrow."
Part of the experience is testing myself against the challenges
Nature offers. I’m safety conscious, but any activity
involves some risk. The trick is to know enough about my abilities
and my equipment to push the limits safely. I don’t
necessarily enjoy being outside my comfort zone, but it’s
where I learn and I’m usually glad I went there.
|
Pittsburg
Landing is 18
miles thataway
©Clyde Nicely |
Just a
peaceful, easy feeling
©Clyde Nicely |
"The
waves on this stretch aren’t big, but I have to keep
in mind that this little boat is much narrower than my E-150.
Stuff I dumb-wallow through in the 150 can roll this puppy."
"Running solo definitely sharpens my focus. There’s
no one right here to back me up and pick up the floaties.
The plus side is I get to set my own pace, don’t have
to agree on campsites or listen to snoring."
Others may say about the outdoor experience, “It fills
my cup” or “I feel at home here.” For me,
a spiritual renewal takes place when I take a trek outdoors.
I feel the cares of my everyday world dissolve. Coping with
that world leads me to block out a lot, to dampen the overload,
to shut down some of the receptors. Outdoors my horizon expands,
literally and figuratively.
|
"What
is there that makes me feel happy and a tad smug when crawling
out of a tent with a heavy rime of ice on the rainfly and
shivering while trying to warm my hands over the heating coffee
water? Is it a harkening back to an earlier time, an ‘I’m
here in this beautiful country and they’re back there
staring at four walls,’ I’m nuts, what? Something
to think about."
"The sound of moving water soothes the soul. It’s
why folks buy the tabletop water fountains and build garden
waterfalls. Out here, gravity, not electricity, powers the
sound."
|
Bouquet
outside the door, but no room service
©Clyde Nicely
|
"Miles and miles of miles and miles. Out west, we’re
so fortunate to have these large swaths of preserved land. When
I see those ‘Wilderness, Land of No Use’ bumper stickers,
I think ‘Man, have you ever floated down a wild river, marveled
at the stars on a clear mountain night, laughed at the antics of
a river otter, heard a wolf howl?"
So, why am I an outdoor person? Nature or Nurture? Excellent exercise,
lure of far horizons, challenge, renewal? All of the above, something
else entirely? It’s fun to think about, but in the end, it’s
purely academic. I am an OP, glad of it and wouldn’t have
it any other way.
Feel like sharing your thoughts? Drop me an email at editor@nrsweb.com.
Boat Often & Boat Safe,
Clyde
|
|
