Wilderness Questions

When I sit on the side of a mountain and watch clouds journey across the sky, thoughts come to mind that I like to ponder. Some are whimsical, but others, I’m sure, have profound implications.

Skyscrapers have been compared to mountain peaks because they’re both tall and massive. When we first see them, we are gob-smacked with awe and admiration. But if we put them side by side, the buildings begin to seem one-dimensional and uninteresting. We can hike into mountains, and they also have forests, rivers, and alpine meadows. And deer, birds, and coyotes, and bears, moose, and squirrels.

Can the great city parks like Central Park in New York City and Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, both designed by Frederick Law Olmsted who was a big fan of Yosemite, ever be a replacement for natural forests? A temporary substitute, maybe. A slice of heaven for people stuck in the city, perhaps. But a replacement? No.

Why do wilderness landscapes that are untouched by humans feel like sacred places? Do we think of them as remnants of the original Eden?

Is any tree as impressive as a giant sequoia? (Don’t answer if you have never stood beneath one.)

Do people need the wilderness to keep their wild spirit alive?

The wilderness was formerly thought of as a forsaken place. Why? Because no humans were around to assign it value? Because the wilderness had no material value that humans could exploit? Because any humans that were there were insignificant specks in comparison to something enormous, beautiful, and perfect?

What unfulfilled needs do national parks address? Did national parks only become good when humans needed to escape from what cities had become?

Today many people find spirituality in nature. Is this because of something that is found in nature, or something that is lacking at home? 

Does affinity for the wilderness come from the landscape in which one was born?

Are people who played outdoors as children more likely to fight to protect the environment?

Do people who grow up with four distinct seasons like to camp more than, say, people from San Diego?

If an environment can kill you, does that make it more real?

Does cooking over a campfire, waiting for the sun to rise over the mountains, and watching the stars at midnight make you dream of matters more ancient than your birth?

When you stand alone on the bank of a river when it’s raining, do you feel lonely, thoughtful, or renewed?