For those of you who have never experienced the magic, never fallen under the spell...of a northwoods canoe trip...and even if you have...
Chris Loomis of Tenzing's Adventures has captured and documented the experience well in a short film he made called Saint Regis Reflections, about a trip he made in his home waters in the Adirondacks in New York State. Visually, the landscape in the film is really indistinguishable from my beloved Boundary Waters here in Minnesota, or any of the vast tracts of "canoe wilderness" of the Canadian Shield from Saskatchewan to Quebec. I have posted parts 1 and 2 below. They run a little under seven minutes each. I hope you will sit back and take a few minutes and enjoy them, and let them weave just a little bit of the spell....
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I really hope to join you for a cup of tea or a nice long walk in the Boundary Waters....
ReplyDeleteI hope you will too Molly. :)
ReplyDeleteAlthough...in the Boundary Waters (or other wilderness regions of more water than land where travel is primarily by canoe or kayak, the walking bits are called portaging and usually involve carrying heavy loads. They tend to be avoided if at all possible for staying on the water in the canoe if one can. In canoe country, the "trails" (portages) are relatively short, and if you venture away from them you can be doing some pretty serious bushwhacking pronto through the thick forest. I had to learn a bit of a different mindset in canoeing from what I had been used to as a backpacker in California....
Anyway, however you can and however it works out, I do hope we can have that cup of tea one day and preferably in a wilderness setting....
Peace to you.
Wow, thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteHaving read a few of your posts on your blog, I realize that you have a deep respect and passion for the wild places, especially the northern forests that I love so much. Your blog has been a wonderful find.
Thank you very much for posting my film on your site.
Chris
I'm glad you stopped by Chris. You are welcome and thank you for the wonderful film.
ReplyDeleteWow. I'm under the spell...
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Chris' work with us. A trip that I would aspire to make myself someday (albeit in Wisconsin and on a bike). Truly an inspirtation. And thank you Chris for making this, I'm hitting your blog next.
ReplyDeleteVal,
ReplyDeleteCool. :)
Craigers,
So glad to have introduced you. Thanks. :)
Why are chores that are routinely put off at home, so fascinating out in the wild? I've been wondering about this question for the past couple of days.
ReplyDeletePerhaps textures, scents, and sounds all play a role in making each outdoor task more sensual and complete in itself. 'Doing' the dishes becomes more important than getting the dishes done. This is especially helpful to those of us who tend to be more results-oriented.
I was also wondering how I could apply this focus on 'pursuit' to my daily life... I don't have a dishwasher, so this gives me an opportunity to be more aware while doing the dishes at the sink... open the window, enjoy the breeze, listen to the birds... take my time filling up the sink... smell the soap and reflect on the task at hand. Forget about everything else. Dry each dish and utensil with care. Put them away. Repeat after the next meal.
Flandrumhill,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great question and thank you for putting that out here in the comments box.
I think your answer comes pretty close to hitting the proverbial nail on the head. It's an awareness thing. In the "simplicity" of the wild, we have space that has been cleared in our beings to be able to just focus mindfully on the tasks...just as you describe your dishwashing. And in so doing they become activities of fullfillment and joy and not "chores."
Of course, this kind of mindfulness can be achieved with effort in our daily civilized lives, as you have illustrated forn us...we just may have to work at it a bit harder. :) I have found that it comes much more naturally in the wild...one of the reasons I need it like food, sleep, medicine....
Thanks for once again stimulating my thinking. :)
Peace