Thread: A Day in the Ozark National Forest

A new day begins. The morning sun splashes across the cloudy sky, bathing the forest in fresh light. Mountains, witnesses to the countless cycle of the sun and moon, stand seemingly immutable on the horizon. As the morning dew settles and the mountain mists waft in a light breeze, a quiet, powerful peace is present. Even if men, too busy with status updates, gadgets and professional sports, don’t notice. Curious as it is, man’s will appears to keep striving against its part in nature.

Going camping allows the typically busy person a true feeling of timelessness. The only obligation is survival. Freedom from self-designed restrictions is not only plausible, but easy to accomplish. With so much less expected of you, it’s very easy to actually sit and think. Without the constant jostling of advertisements jockeying for your attention, money, and time it becomes appropriate to turn your insight in new directions. Henry David Thoreau said, “In wildness is the preservation of the world.”

Waking to wild bird songs with the barky, smoky smell of the previous night’s fire, now charred and smoldering, brings a profound sense of resilience. Self-reliance and preparedness are hallmarks of outdoor excursions. Christopher McCandless indicated how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong. Nothing brings peace of mind like the freedom to rest anywhere, explore your surroundings, and happily coexist without presumption or judgment.

The sun settles in behind the horizon, and the ever-busy woods make a shift as a different feeling emerges. The sounds of day diminish and the music of the night, made obvious by the lack of light, begins to echo through the forest. As some creatures make ready for sleep others awaken and begin their nocturnal routines, ignorant of man and his obsession with time. Here the stars, unpolluted by cities throwing waves of light into the night sky, shed their ancient light onto the rock faces and creeks. Dark clouds part and beams of cold moonlight briefly lift the deep shadows cast by trees overhead. Even as the coming dawn approaches, it feels not so much a passage of time as it does the reinvigoration of the woods and nature itself.

Lovely word picture. I have gone camping all over, and have been a nature lover all my life, so I can relate. Refreshing read.

Thank you! As an avid backpacker I really found the topic easy to write about.

Overall, I really like your imagery. A caution, though. Most people either have no clue who Christopher McCandless is, or have to think really hard. I'd suggest either giving a few words introducing him, or pick another example to show your point.

Originally Posted by watergal

Overall, I really like your imagery. A caution, though. Most people either have no clue who Christopher McCandless is, or have to think really hard. I'd suggest either giving a few words introducing him, or pick another example to show your point.

Thank you! Perhaps you are right, but if that fact made one person search McCandless, who had not known about him, then maybe I did a good thing. I appreciate the input, watergal.

I love nature and all things natural and in particular I love hiking so can relate to the sentiment in your writing, you clearly love it too and observe everything around you in detail. I can feel your appreciation of the natural world, I like the style you write about it and again is something I can relate to and mirrors my own feelings on the same topic. Thanks for sharing it.

watergal - In a printed book the writer would need to provide information about the person, but in a Web forum that information is just a few clicks away. A Google search for Christopher McCandless provides his life story from the point of view of admirers as well as detractors.

I enjoyed reading this. It is well written and as a nature lover, I could follow it easily as if I were right there too. I find it easy to write about things I love and am passionate about and this really comes through in your writing. I agree somewhat with the comments here about McCandless as I too am not familiar with the name. But I looked him up and now I know more about him, so yes, it is a good thing.