I miss wilderness

The American West has one thing that I have never found anywhere else and do not plan to (except for maybe in Australia and Africa, if I ever get the chance to go--but even in these places I doubt that I could find what I am really missing). The thing I speak of is best described as wilderness. But it does not necessarily have to be completely wild. It does, however, require that the land has not been scaped or designed or greatly sculpted by human interference. In the west I bathed in these lands, they surrounded me. Even near Los Angeles exists a kind of naturalness that I cannot find near me in this region because I feel that even the mountains here do not go untouched in the way that matters. Not that Mt. Baldy is untouched, but it certainly has very old trees growing on its slopes, and a lot of naturally placed debris like rocks and streams.

I miss the feeling of freeness that I once found when, at a special few moments, I was alone on the Appalatian trail in Connecticut. With a Monday through Friday job I see my days disappear before my eyes as I sit and stand around indoors. Yes it's nice to have my weeknights and weekends mostly free, but there is very little daylight for me to explore during the week. Even so, I reckon that the landscapes here are of a completely different type than the ones that I miss.

If you have been to Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Chiricahua, Sequoia, Redwood, Glacier, or any other of the numerous national parks/monuments in the west, you know what I am talking about. If you have not, then I tell you a part of the soul of the world may be absent from your vision. I guess it also depends on how you experience these places as well.

Thus thus, here here. I can live without my American West for a while. But I recommend that you explore it if you have the chance. The 101 between Oregon and California is one of my favorites, as is the road from Eugene to Bend and back. Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Wyoming, and Colorado are full of good places, most of which I have yet to see, but I can feel them.

One thing about the wilderness that holds true for most people is that it has its place and time. It cannot be the only place of residence. Even the most gun-ho nomads need a little at least a break to be in civilization and see their friends, have a chat. But I will never deny that the deep worth of having ancient trees around, ancient rock-formations to explore or just to watch from afar, and clean lakes and rivers, etc, etc. Luckily I have a feeling that people will never ever be able to take them away. Luckily, even if they do share some important elements with us, they exist well beyond our reach (like most of the planets and starts even in our own galaxy) and that's why they are so wonderful.