Bison in Lamar Valley
Edison joined us on June18th at 3:58 PM. It was the most emotional moment of my life. Elisa and I were practically frozen in amazement. I didn’t cry then (I did when we got home and looked at Edison and Elisa). I figure it was a bit of shock. It was nothing I had ever experienced. Maybe it was the purest moment of wonder.
Before Edison joined us, my perspective on writing was beginning to change. The main questions become, what do I want Edison to learn from Humble Adventures? What do I want to share with him on our first trips to camp and hike?
I shared in the Ultimate Outdoor Dream a comparison of two men and how they approached being in the wild. One gave in to ego as his guide and the other gratitude.
Those are really the two ways we operate in nature and on adventures. The ego drives the goal. Get to a certain point on the mountain. Push yourself harder than you have before. Not all necessarily bad choices. But that is really more confidence in your mission. The decisions that have to be avoided are things like risking your life and others. Being so driven to accomplish a feat that you take away the opportunity to experience gratitude.
The first step we have to take when entering the wilderness is to go anywhere in the first place. Determining the purpose of the action. When I have started with what I want I to do before having a clear purpose why the following traps of ego tend to happen:
Pursuing a particular spot for the photo.
Seeking this trail because of the length and difficulty.
Finding this location to feed perception as a hardened adventurer.
Those are just some examples. They tend to make for a worse time for you and the people you are with. I have gone too hard and upset people trying to have a more grateful experience. I have caused myself physical and mental pain because of storming into situations without preparation.
This is not the whole story all the time. Let us discuss what makes an experience of gratitude in the wilderness. I will share examples from nature’s heroes and some humble ones from myself.
John Muir is the role model of gratitude in nature. Muir’s ultimate appreciation is always for life and its beauty. The first example I will share is from his essay on Twenty Hill Hollow. It is a mile long hollow with twenty round hills. Muir starts this essay saying most people will not find Twenty Hill Hollow as impressive as Yosemite. In his view, they are each part of the same wilderness story. He goes on to describe the small Twenty Hill Hollow through every season. The little gift of life that most will miss on their way to the “big” thing. A metaphor for all our moments in life.
Muir clearly has a lack of ego. He can enjoy some hills as much as the mountains. He can look at all things and see them as equal gifts. That is something I have struggled with and am sure others have too. I have felt worse, not being able to conquer the big hike. Luckily, if we can let go of the ego, like Muir, we can appreciate the little things.
When Edison and I are climbing a mountain and sitting by a fire, both need similar gratitude. Appreciate the excitement as much as the quiet. The first step has to be me living that way. I have to enter the wilderness, welcoming gratitude and not ego, something to attempt for all moments in life.