A Day in the Wilderness.....
by mcg mcgdog

A few years ago my Wilderness training taught me to “speak for the land”. Here’s just a few words to share just a few bits of a day in a glorious and special place, a place we call Wilderness.

Yesterday my wife and I packed tools and a few cubitainers of water into the Wilderness, in preparation for next week’s project with the Wilderness Volunteers.

Our alarm went off at 2:30 am. We fed horses, loaded up and arrived at the trailhead at 5: 30 am. At the end of the day, we got back out to the trailhead at 5 pm, driving up to the the barn at 7 pm. As you horsemen know, it is always a big day, we rode out of the Wilderness tired to the bone ...... but as all of us that love Wilderness know.......it is always a GLORIOUS day.

The morning air was fresh, clean, and invigorating. As we rode in, the ground was still damp and the smell of the recent rains was still in the air ..... it was heaven!

Midday, the air was pretty warm, and the trail rocky, but that made us realize just how good a cup of water can taste, how important a shade tree can be, and how thankful we should be to have our good health to help us navigate these special places we call Wilderness. How thankful to have these devoted horses for helping us in our work.

On the ride out, the late afternoon air changed. It became cooler, and the light filtering through the big trees became softer, the shadows seemed longer, letting us know winter is not far away.

During the course of the day, Wilderness, just by being Wilderness, shared with us the precious treasures that only be found by a day spent in the Wilderness. We did not see another human being. Our values have been adjusted, our outlook on life refreshed, our stress level pressure released, our batteries are now recharged. Our minds, our hearts, our very insides, walked away yesterday with treasures that cannot be found in the civilized world.

Thank you Forest Service, for the opportunity you gave me, to serve the Wilderness, and the land. Your faith in me,over the years, resulted in the “Spirit Of The Wilderness” soaking deep inside me.

Someday, lying on my death bed, I’ll think back, and wish I could once again be riding that trail in the Wilderness.

Thank God for Wilderness.

.........mcg mcgdog