"I wish to speak a word for Nature, for absolute freedom and wildness, as contrasted with a freedom and culture merely civil -- to regard man as an inhabitant, or a part and parcel of Nature, rather than a member of society...

I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits, unless I spend four hours a day at least -- and it is commonly more than that -- sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements...

I confess that I am astonished at the power of endurance, to say nothing of the moral insensibility, of my neighbors who confine themselves to shops and offices the whole day for weeks and months, aye, and years almost together...

I am alarmed when it happens that I have walked a mile into the woods bodily, without getting there in spirit. In my afternoon walk I would fain forget all my morning occupations and my obligations to Society. But it sometimes happens that I cannot easily shake off the village. The thought of some work will run in my head and I am not where my body is -- I am out of my senses. In my walks I would fain return to my senses...

I can easily walk ten, fifteen, twenty, any number of miles, commencing at my own door, without going by any house, without crossing a road except where the fox and the mink do: first along by the river, and then the brook, and then the meadow and the woodside. There are square miles in my vicinity which have no inhabitant. From many a hill I can see civilization and the abodes of man afar...

The West of which I speak is but another name for the Wild; and what I have been preparing to say is, that in Wildness is the preservation of the World. Every tree sends its fibers forth in search of the Wild. The cities import it at any price. Men plow and sail for it. From the forest and wilderness come the tonics and barks which brace mankind...

I believe in the forest, and in the meadow, and in the night in which the corn grows. We require an infusion of hemlock, spruce or arbor vitae in our tea...

Life consists with wildness. The most alive is the wildest. Not yet subdued to man, its presence refreshes him...

Hope and the future for me are not in lawns and cultivated fields, not in towns and cities, but in the impervious and quaking swamps. When, formerly, I have analyzed my partiality for some farm which I had contemplated purchasing, I have frequently found that I was attracted solely by a few square rods of impermeable and unfathomable bog -- a natural sink in one corner of it. That was the jewel which dazzled me...

Yes, though you may think me perverse, if it were proposed to me to dwell in the neighborhood of the most beautiful garden that ever human art contrived, or else of a Dismal Swamp, I should certainly decide for the swamp...

Give me the ocean, the desert, or the wilderness! In the desert, pure air and solitude compensate for want of moisture and fertility. The traveler Burton says of it: "Your morale improves; you become frank and cordial, hospitable and single-minded...

When I would recreate myself, I seek the darkest woods, the thickest and most interminable and, to the citizen, most dismal, swamp. I enter a swamp as a sacred place, a sanctum sanctorum. There is the strength, the marrow, of Nature. The wildwood covers the virgin mould, and the same soil is good for men and for trees...

In literature it is only the wild that attracts us. Dullness is but another name for tameness. It is the uncivilized free and wild thinking in Hamlet and the Iliad, in all the scriptures and mythologies, not learned in the schools, that delights us. As the wild duck is more swift and beautiful than the tame, so is the wild -- the mallard -- thought, which 'mid falling dews wings its way above the fens. A truly good book is something as natural, and as unexpectedly and unaccountably fair and perfect, as a wild-flower discovered on the prairies of the West or in the jungles of the East...

In short, all good things are wild and free."

-- from "Walking," Henry David Thoreau, published in The Atlantic, June 1, 1862.

               *   *   *   *   *

Spring is a time of year when many of us feel a strong longing to reconnect with nature and wilderness. Thoreau lived in a very different world, and yet his words excerpted above, published 155 years ago, have by no means lost their relevance.

Today’s “civilization” is obviously a vastly more complex and more demanding one than in Thoreau’s time, and yet peoples’ problems aren’t altogether different.

Especially the problems of indoor living, wherein we’re almost totally separated from the natural world and from so much in nature that can bring balance to our lives.

For some of us, the obvious solution is to hike and otherwise spend as much time as we can in natural surroundings. Which isn’t always easy to accomplish.

Given the endless demands made on us by work and other responsibilities of everyday life, this may only happen if we give “time in nature” an especially high priority.

If we do, of course, we’re almost certain to experience a huge reduction in stress, to sleep better at night, and to feel a greater sense of fulfillment and contentment.

Summer is a season when many people plan annual vacations. But right now is an ideal time to respond to the countless refreshments and enticements of spring, when the natural world is at its most gloriously and memorably beautiful.

-- Charlie Cook

 
Taking a little food, a light walking-stick,

I wander up to my home in quiet mystery,

 
the path along streams winding far away

onto ridgetops, no end to this wonder at

 
slow waters silent in their frozen beauty

and bamboo glistening at heart with frost,

 
cascades scattering a confusion of spray

and broad forests crowding distant cliffs.

 
Thinking it’s moonrise I see in the west

and sunset I’m watching ablaze in the east,

 
I hike on until dark, then linger out night

sheltered away in deep expanses of shadow.

 
Immune to high importance: that’s renown.

Walk humbly and it’s all promise in beauty,

 
for in quiet mystery the way runs smooth,

ascending remote heights beyond compare.

 
Utter tranquility, the distinction between

yes this and no that lost, I embrace primal

 
unity, thought and silence woven together,

that deep healing where we venture forth.

 
-- Hsieh Ling-yun (385-433), from Mountain Home: The Wilderness Poetry of Ancient China, David Hinton, translator, New Directions Books (2005)

               *      *      *      *      *

Is there any liquid more delicious to drink than clear, clean mountain water? In the view of many of us, not likely. If there’s an elixir of life, that could easily be it.

The quality and taste of tap water can vary greatly, and piped water sometimes has traces of toxic chemicals and other undesirable ingredients that aren’t tested for.

The best tap water comes from natural sources, but it doesn’t stay pure on its way to our faucets. It can’t rival spring water that comes directly from pristine sources.

Granted that most of us don’t live in a location where we can readily imbibe such unadulterated water -- except when we’re out hiking or camping, of course.

Claims are often made for the healing powers of mountain water. This may seem a bit of a stretch, but anyone who has soaked their feet in a wild stream, or immersed themselves in a mountain lake, knows that it can feel unexplainably wonderful.

There was a time, as recently as the 1970s, when many hikers -- including yours truly -- frequently drank directly from mountain streams when we crossed them.

Unfortunately, in recent decades the incidence of parasites and unhealthy bacteria in streams has increased, primarily -- you guessed it -- for human-related reasons.

On hikes we sometimes drink directly from springs, where the water emerges from a mountainside. Once water flows above ground there’s a risk of contamination.

On our camping trips we use “water purifiers” (filter pumps and other devices) which effectively remove any bacteria or parasites, making the water 100% safe and not affecting the taste (boiling is another option, but it creates a “flatter” taste).

Mountain water often has an especially high mineral content, which adds to the potential health benefits of drinking it. That holds for some expensive bottled waters as well, but these have the unhealthy drawback of being stored in plastic for weeks or months (meaning minute amounts of plastic are likely to leach into the water).

Although there are water shortages elsewhere in the US and the world, thankfully in the mountain areas where we hike and camp there’s a super-abundance of pure, free-flowing water.

And it’s no secret that wilderness waters -- in the form of streams, rivers, and waterfalls -- also happen to offer some of nature’s loveliest sights and sounds.
​
-- Charlie Cook

 
“The trail leads beside the clear-running brook and a chain of emerald pools, some of them big enough to go swimming in, with the water so transparent I can see the shadows of the schools of minnows passing over the grains of sand in the bottom of the basins. Along the canyon walls are the seeps and springs that feed the stream, each with the characteristic clinging gardens of mosses, ferns and wildflowers. Above and beyond the rimrock, blue in shadow and amber-gold in light, are alcoves, domes and royal arches, part of the sandstone flanks of Navaho Mountain.

A hot day. Delicate, wind-whipped clouds flow across the burning blue, moving in perfect unison like the fish in the pools below. I stop at one of the largest of these pools, undress and plunge in. Happily I flounder about, terrifying the minnows, and float on my back and spout cheekfuls of water at the sun.”

               *      *      *      *      *

“For the time being, around my place at least, the air is untroubled, and I become aware for the first time today of the immense silence in which I am lost. Not a silence so much a great stillness -- for there are a few sounds: the creak of some bird in a juniper tree, an eddy of wind which passes and fades like a sigh, the ticking of the watch on my wrist -- slight noises which break the sensation of absolute silence but at the same time exaggerate my sense of the surrounding, overwhelming peace. A suspension of time, a continuous present...”

Dark clouds sailing overhead across the fields of the stars. Stars which are usually bold and close, with an icy glitter in their light -- glints of blue, emerald, gold. Out there, spread before me to the south, east, and north, the arches and cliffs and pinnacles and balanced rocks of sandstone (now entrusted to my care) have lost the rosy glow of sunset and become soft, intangible, in unnamed unnameable shades of violet, colors that seem to radiate from -- not overlay -- their surfaces.

A yellow planet floats on the west, brightest object in the sky. Venus. I listen closely for the call of an owl, a dove, a nighthawk, but can hear only the crackle of my fire, a breath of wind...

I wait. Now the night flows back, the mighty stillness embraces and includes me... I am twenty miles or more from the nearest fellow human, but instead of loneliness I feel loveliness. Loveliness and a quiet exaltation.”

-- Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire (Ballentine Books, 1968)

               *      *      *      *      *

Camping in the wild may not be for everyone, but some of you who have learned to love it -- including many of our members -- become life-long enthusiasts.

While it’s possible to camp at any time of year, spring through fall are the most popular seasons, of course, since warm weather makes it especially easy to enjoy.

Others of you who are long-time hikers resist trying wilderness camping. But those who “take the plunge” each year often get totally hooked and return every year.

There are probably many reasons why some people think camping isn’t for them, including concerns about being uncomfortable, supposed “inconveniences,” etc.

Yes, camping in the wild requires adjusting our everyday and nighttime habits somewhat, but discomforts tend to be minimal, and the pleasures can be countless.

The main daytime activity on our camping trips is hiking, of course, similar to what we do on day hikes year-round. The difference is that instead of heading home after a hike, we have a relaxing meal and bed down in our tents near a lovely stream or lake, and often drift off to sleep to the soothing sounds of flowing water, or lapping waves, or the hiss of wind through pine needles, or the calls of loons.

It’s no surprise that some of us sleep much better in the wilderness (“in nature’s embrace”) than at home, given the absence of stress and the prevalence of peaceful sounds. Plus a day of exercise in ultra-fresh air is especially conducive to sleep.

Beginners are welcome on our camping trips – as well as those of you who haven’t camped since childhood -- although it’s important to have some hiking experience.

The only “bad news” this spring, for those of you who have considered reserving for our first two camping trips but hadn’t yet acted, is that both trips are now FULL!

Yes, our Memorial Day weekend trip to Shenandoah National Park (5/26-29) actually filled up in January this year, and our July 4th trip (7/1-4) filled at the end of April.

It wouldn’t hurt to get on a waiting list for either trip, since we often do get cancellations prior to camping trips, meaning spaces could open up anytime.

Our other camping trips do still have space available. The Columbus Day weekend trip in October (10/6-9) is also likely to fill extra early (we now have 3 spaces left).

The remaining trips currently have more spaces available. In any case, NOW would be an excellent time to reserve for trips – or call if you have questions!

Then prepare to share with us some of the joys of immersing ourselves in a  spectacular wilderness area for several days, one of the most peaceful and relaxing places imaginable. For some people it can even become a life-changing experience.

Here’s a link to the page which lists this year’s overnight trips
​
-- Charlie Cook

 “There’s no denying that standing in the garden and picking your first summer tomato gives you a good feeling. Even in an urban environment a small pot of basil on the windowsill can brighten your day. But is there a scientific reason that getting our hands dirty makes us feel good?

In 2007, Christopher Lowry, associate professor in the Department of Integrative Physiology and Center for Neuroscience at Universtiy of Colorado Boulder, and a team of researchers published an article in Neuroscience that had people wondering if dirt was the new Prozac. The study examined a specific soil bacterium, Mycobacterium vaccae, and its potential role in the regulation of   emotional behavior. In other words: did the bacteria have antidepressant qualities?

“Soil, especially soil with abundant organic matter, contains saprophytic bacteria, meaning that they live off of dead and decaying organic matter, such as leaves,” says Lowry. “Humans coevolved with these bacteria over millennia and they have been shown to affect the immune system in a way that suppresses inflammation. This means that these bacteria may be helpful in preventing or treating diseases with excess inflammation.”

So what are exactly, are diseases with “inflammation?”

“This includes conditions like asthma, but also, perhaps, stress-related psychiatric disorders characterized by elevated inflammation, such as major depressive disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder,” says Lowry.

It’s not so surprising that we may benefit from microorganisms in the soil, given that we need them to live.

The regulation of the immune system is indeed connected to the biodiversity of the natural environment. We benefit from being outdoors and exposed to things like soil and animals, because of the fact that we’re exposed to microorganisms.

“A human is not an individual. We are ecosystems. At least 90% of the cells in a human body are microbes, most of them living in the gut,” says Graham Rook, professor at the Centre for Clinical Microbiology at the University College London. “ These organisms constitute the ‘microbiota,’ and the microbiota should be regarded as an organ, just like your liver or your brain.”

While the organisms that make up that microbiota are inherited -- like we inherit genes -- there is a proportion of the organisms that come from elsewhere, and that’s where things get interesting.

“An unknown proportion of the organisms that constitute the microbiota come from the environment,” says Rock. “It now seems that the most likely explanation for the health benefits of exposure to farms, dogs in the home, and green space is that the natural environment (including the animals in it) is a resource that provides organisms as we need them.”

Just last year Rook published an article that explored those connections, concluding that the regulation of the immune system is indeed connected to the biodiversity of the natural environment. We benefit from being outdoors and exposed to things like soil and animals, because of the fact that we’re exposed to microorganisms.

The psychological benefit of nature has been well documented. When it comes to being happy or not, many studies show that psychiatric problems are more common in urban than in rural communities. That makes Lowry’s and Rook’s research interesting, as it gives us a better understanding of exactly why being outside, in a garden or on a farm, makes us feel good.

“People usually assume that the health benefits of exposure to green space are due to exercise. In fact two large studies now demonstrate that although exercise is definitely good for you, it does not explain the beneficial effect of green space,” says Rook. “Contact with microbial biodiversity is looking like the most probable explanation for the green space effect.”

So if microorganisms are good for you, how much exposure do you need to have in order to reap the benefits? How many days in the garden do you need to commit to?

That’s what’s still unclear.

“We don’t yet know how much exposure to environmental bacteria (for example, through activities that involve contact with the soil) is enough to confer health benefits,” says Lowry. “It is clear, however, that exposure through breathing or consuming specific types of environmental organisms has the capacity to reduce inflammation and confer health benefits.”

Which means that you now have another reason to go outside and get your hands dirty.”

-- Anna Brones, “Does Dirt Make You Happy?,” from Modern Farmer,  August 27, 2014

               *      *      *     *      *

What’s more unglamorous than dirt? It’s a word with many more negative than positive connotations. Is that another sign of our separation from the natural world?

Soil isn’t an especially attractive word either, although it’s a bit more respectable, particularly in relation to farming and the growing of plants and vegetables.

But what could be more fundamental to life than the dirt or soil in which vegetation grows? Without it, we wouldn’t have food. Or a functioning ecosystem.

Air and water are two elements most essential to human life. Surely right behind them is the soil, one of Mother Earth’s most indispensable ingredients.

When we hike, we traverse a world where dirt and organic earth (and rocks) cover the ground, often overlaid by a layer of sometimes dense green vegetation.

On hikes we often walk in dirt, occasionally sit in it, and when the trail is wet, get our boots muddy. That’s no big deal, of course, since mud washes off pretty easily.

Getting a little dirty (with “healthy dirt”, not with civilization’s often hazardous wastes) isn’t much of a price to pay for the many pleasures of communing with nature, is it? Especially since it actually offer us unexpected health benefits!

-- Charlie Cook