| Mason Lien |
The adventures and experiences that Sigurd F. Olson attains on his trip to the Boundary Waters could not be replaced by any other
experience. A place he calls home. It was in this place where Olson was able to hear the singing wilderness. The ability to want
something more than what modern life offers, the places the wilderness offers to hear the singing and what the singing wilderness really
means will affect the outcome of how we hear the singing wilderness.
experience. A place he calls home. It was in this place where Olson was able to hear the singing wilderness. The ability to want
something more than what modern life offers, the places the wilderness offers to hear the singing and what the singing wilderness really
means will affect the outcome of how we hear the singing wilderness.
The Necessity of Wilderness
A picture of me during the 480 Rod Portage!
The portage was on the last day of our trip and
was from Lake Zenith to Lake Sawbill.
The portage was on the last day of our trip and
was from Lake Zenith to Lake Sawbill.
In Every person, Olson describes a want or desire for something far
greater than what modern life offers, he describes that in some men, there is a
need of untouched country, primitive conditions, and an intimate contact with
the Earth. “Because of our almost forgotten past there is restlessness within
us, impatience with things as they are which modern life with its comforts and
distractions does not seem to satisfy" (p.6). I would have to agree with Olson
that people are always searching for something that modern life cannot offer. It
is an empty space yet to be filled by something that is wild. It is in the
wilderness where I was met by such a humbling experience, where I to was
looking for what the singing wilderness sounds like. Modern life has the ability
to make a fictional world of what the wilderness offers, but it is the want for
something that is real, something pure, and yet as wild and rugged of what
true, pristine nature offers. “We sense intuitively that there must be something
more, search for panaceas we hope will give us a sense of reality, fill our days
and nights with such activity and our minds with such busyness that there is
little time to think (p. 6).” Even though we may not know what we are searching
for, what to listen for, but we are always looking for opportunities and places
where we can experience the singing of the wilderness.
greater than what modern life offers, he describes that in some men, there is a
need of untouched country, primitive conditions, and an intimate contact with
the Earth. “Because of our almost forgotten past there is restlessness within
us, impatience with things as they are which modern life with its comforts and
distractions does not seem to satisfy" (p.6). I would have to agree with Olson
that people are always searching for something that modern life cannot offer. It
is an empty space yet to be filled by something that is wild. It is in the
wilderness where I was met by such a humbling experience, where I to was
looking for what the singing wilderness sounds like. Modern life has the ability
to make a fictional world of what the wilderness offers, but it is the want for
something that is real, something pure, and yet as wild and rugged of what
true, pristine nature offers. “We sense intuitively that there must be something
more, search for panaceas we hope will give us a sense of reality, fill our days
and nights with such activity and our minds with such busyness that there is
little time to think (p. 6).” Even though we may not know what we are searching
for, what to listen for, but we are always looking for opportunities and places
where we can experience the singing of the wilderness.
Without having places where we could hear and experience the singing of the
wilderness, we could never really understand what it means. I understand that
the singing can come in various forms of sounds, pictures, and feelings and by
the way we express these things. The night we spent at Lake Zenith gave me a
better idea of what the signing really means. That night we took our canoes out
on the lake and for almost two hours we sat out on the lake, listening, waiting
for the moment the singing would come to us. But then I realized this was the
singing. The silence of the night, and everything was still. This was the
moment where I felt I have found the singing. The feeling I captured at that time
can never be replaced by any other memory. This was what I think Olson was
trying to describe in his journeys through the wilderness.
Without the ability to want more than what modern life offers, to know the places
of where the singing of the wilderness can be found, and what the singing truly
means, I could never really understand what Olson was trying to describe in his
book. In the beginning the wilderness was foreign to me almost like a different
language, but as I began to realize what the singing meant. Now that I have
heard the singing I always catch myself trying to find a place where I can better
understand the singing of the wilderness.
wilderness, we could never really understand what it means. I understand that
the singing can come in various forms of sounds, pictures, and feelings and by
the way we express these things. The night we spent at Lake Zenith gave me a
better idea of what the signing really means. That night we took our canoes out
on the lake and for almost two hours we sat out on the lake, listening, waiting
for the moment the singing would come to us. But then I realized this was the
singing. The silence of the night, and everything was still. This was the
moment where I felt I have found the singing. The feeling I captured at that time
can never be replaced by any other memory. This was what I think Olson was
trying to describe in his journeys through the wilderness.
Without the ability to want more than what modern life offers, to know the places
of where the singing of the wilderness can be found, and what the singing truly
means, I could never really understand what Olson was trying to describe in his
book. In the beginning the wilderness was foreign to me almost like a different
language, but as I began to realize what the singing meant. Now that I have
heard the singing I always catch myself trying to find a place where I can better
understand the singing of the wilderness.
This is a picture on one of the rivers that
connected two lakes. In this picture a tree fell
onto another and made a cross. Began to
think of this place becoming more spiritual,
and in the presence of God.
connected two lakes. In this picture a tree fell
onto another and made a cross. Began to
think of this place becoming more spiritual,
and in the presence of God.
Even though we are always looking for more than what modern life offers, we can
always find places where we can hear the singing of the wilderness. My experience
of the singing wilderness was at Lake Zenith. In the wilderness with only a canoe
and a tent, the sun making its final escape into the west, I was truly in the presence
of the singing wilderness. The lake was calm, the faint call of the loon in the
distance. This was a place of magic and wonder to the mind. My impressions were
my own and uninfluenced. Never have I felt like this, like I could just let go of
everything, and forget. Time was non-existent in this place. Here in this place there
was no such thing as terrorism, or the state of being afraid. It was comforting in a
way, and yet it changed my whole outlook on what it really means to live. There is
something truly spiritual about this place. I really did feel like I was in the presence
of God. This place made me realize that the wilderness surrounds us, and
somehow it is apart of all of our lives. Even after the trip, sitting on my front porch on
my swing, I could hear the singing, and the memories began to flow back to me, as if
I have never left. I could hear the rustle of the leaves, the chattering of a red squirrel
preparing for the coming winter, a cardinal sitting in the tree next to me, singing. To
me, the singing of the wilderness consists of becoming one with your surroundings
in nature, and recognizing your feelings towards the singing of the wilderness.
always find places where we can hear the singing of the wilderness. My experience
of the singing wilderness was at Lake Zenith. In the wilderness with only a canoe
and a tent, the sun making its final escape into the west, I was truly in the presence
of the singing wilderness. The lake was calm, the faint call of the loon in the
distance. This was a place of magic and wonder to the mind. My impressions were
my own and uninfluenced. Never have I felt like this, like I could just let go of
everything, and forget. Time was non-existent in this place. Here in this place there
was no such thing as terrorism, or the state of being afraid. It was comforting in a
way, and yet it changed my whole outlook on what it really means to live. There is
something truly spiritual about this place. I really did feel like I was in the presence
of God. This place made me realize that the wilderness surrounds us, and
somehow it is apart of all of our lives. Even after the trip, sitting on my front porch on
my swing, I could hear the singing, and the memories began to flow back to me, as if
I have never left. I could hear the rustle of the leaves, the chattering of a red squirrel
preparing for the coming winter, a cardinal sitting in the tree next to me, singing. To
me, the singing of the wilderness consists of becoming one with your surroundings
in nature, and recognizing your feelings towards the singing of the wilderness.
A sunset overlooking Sawbill Lake.