Lessons From A Woodlot

The whole experience was invigorating…the smell of my small tuna fish can “buddy burner” warming the leftover spiced cider I had saved from an MRE eaten during the summer months, the flicker of the flame against the darkening scenery and the chill of a cool night setting in. The fresh snow was falling just in front of me, the moisture from my breath was swirling out of my mouth like a mini tornado and a small tea light candle provided just enough light for me to look out into the woods and admire the way the snow drifts had piled up against fallen logs and bare trees. It was cold, and yet I was reasonably comfortable on my foam pad under the half dome tarp shelter I had put up a half hour before.

I have long held the belief that one of nature’s greatest tricks, used to capture the hearts of those drawn to the outdoors, is her amazing ability to engage all of our senses. Sight, touch, smell, taste, hearing and even the occasional “6^th sense” are all enhanced as one takes a moment to enjoy the woods. And yet, as I sat there engulfed by the experience I was having practicing my winter outdoor skills, I could hear the distinct metallic sound of cars…and then a plane…and then the 8pm train passing by!

You see, for this trip, I had traveled only a short distance to a local woodlot for a quick two hour retreat. In my discussions with fellow outdoorsmen, I have often heard that in order to practice bushcraft, survival or wilderness skills, you must devote a weekend or even an entire vacation to hike to a remote location and “truly become engulfed in nature”. Unfortunately, the attitude behind such a statement is typically one of inaction instead of action. Believing that you must be miles removed from civilization in order to practice core skills or have a deeply moving outdoor experience, is just as silly as claiming that baseball players should only practice on game day in a professional baseball stadium. Ask any professional baseball player about their childhood and your are likely to hear that they gained their skills over hours of playing catch in the yard or baseball in the street with whatever ratty gear they could wrangle up!

Weightlifters will tell you that you will loose muscle if you don’t exercise daily. Professional athletes will tell you that daily and weekly practice is what takes you to the championship. Gifted academics will tell you that studying is the key to acing the final exam, and yet the average woodsman believes that without practice they can walk into the woods, produce fire, create shelter and command the elements…and have fun doing it! Unfortunate but true, the ability to escape to nature is becoming less and less of a reality, leaving the average outdoorsman to say “I’ll get around to it someday”. I once heard a very educated man state “the problem with someday, is that someday isn’t today”.

So there I was, in the middle of a woodlot, in the middle of a city, miles and miles away from the “perfect” natural setting, but completely engaged and happy. My joy that day had come from a realization that I didn’t need to wait for large windows of time to practice my skills, but that I could learn to make do with my situation and utilize the many small windows of time I do have to escape to my woodlot. For you, it might be your backyard, the park (ask permission!) or a friend’s farmland…but for everyone that makes the effort, they can enjoy the peace and confidence that follows these short but positive outdoor experiences.