journal

January 21, 2010 - Reflections On Haiti
I'm not in Haiti, and I've never been through what those people are going through, but I
do have to ask the question; How would a native tribe living off the land respond if they
were hit with a similar earthquake?

In Haiti the looting and stealing is rampant. People are just trying to survive. I would add
that they need to survive, because like most modern peoples, they don't know how to
live with the world, or one another.

If our own country were hit by a similar force, would we react any different? The looting
(vs. working together) reminds me of Wal-Mart on Thanksgiving friday. There is a
certain "frenzy" that we as humans are succeptible too, much like a pack of dogs is
succeptible too.

Many environmentalists say that cities are the way to go as far as focusing impact in one
area rather than speading out across the landscape. I can see the point of saving what
open tracts of land we have left, but unfortunately living in a city teaches one nothing
about living the way our basic human nature is intended, and so the current mentality
perpetuates. "fear frenzies" such as what is happening in Haiti will continue.

Overpopulation doesn't jut pertain to the earth as a whole, but to local areas as well. In
Haiti the big news is focused on the larger population centers, where people are most
effected. And people are most effected where they are the most out of balance
population-to-landscape. I'd like to see some reporting on what's happening in the rural
areas, as well as some reflection on the differences.

December 8, 2009 - Nessmuk and our inner outdoorsman
I've just been reading about "Nessmuk", the pen name of Gearge Washington Sears
(1821-1890), outdoorsman and author of the book Woodcraft. It always amazes me to
read the words of these long ago spokespeople, because though it is undeniable that our
human world has changed much in the last 150 years, our human-ness has not.

"We do not go to the green woods and crystal water to rough it, we go to smooth
it. We get it rough enough at home." Nessmuk

In his book Nessmuk describes a 60-mile trek through the wilderness of central Michigan
at a time when "the indians had left and the whites had not yet got in." For meat he shot
deer, taking what he could use, and "leaving the balance to the wolves, who never failed
to take possesion before I was out of earshot."

Nessmuk made his bed out of Hemlock boughs, stuffed his pillows with the same, and
used axe and hatchet to build a camp. How many modern "outdoorspeople" could
skillfully do the same? As it becomes illegal in many areas to practice the tradition of
camp-craft, or even to build a simple fire, only the outlaws within us will be willing to
follow in Nessmuks' foot-steps. I feel sorry for these modern "timid" outdoorspeople,
who are relegated to becoming only skillful purchasers of the latest outdoor equipment.

Nessmuk was a true "woodsman" of days old, which there are still, and probably always
will be, so long as there are adventurous spirits left in the world.

May 31, 2009 - First night out
I just met with Steve Lange, editor of Rochester Magazine. I put him out in the woods
alone without food, water, or shelter to spend two nights, "roughing it" as they say, in
order to come back and write about his experiences of survival. It's been raining all day,
petering off just in time for a nice, cool sunset. It'll be down in the 30's tonight for sure.
Hope he's not too wet. Tommorow I'm supposed to head out and see;

1. If he's still alive, and
2. Do a little instructing on things he might want to improve upon for his second night.

You'll be able to read about his experiences in http://rochestermagazine.com soon.