Thank you for this piece! How complex it is to live in a time where we have to exist withing so many contradictions and wounds, as the quote says. I loved, however, to read about the rock and the water, the wind and the sunset as those minimal but resilient presences of the wild.
Great adventure! The knowledge and history add a deep complexity to the land. The areas I backpack through seem wild and remote, but almost all of it was logged and clear cut just 100 years ago. Many of the trails follow defunct logging roads.
Thanks Erik! It’s true - a knowledge of the history of the landscape adds another level of complexity and interest. It’s amazing how much of the landscape we think is natural is actually heavily influenced by the hand of humankind.
Your question in the post really has me thinking. I still consider these areas 'wilderness' even with the history of human activity. But how far in the past does the activity have to be in order to draw the line? Or maybe the line itself is a human construct?!?
Great point - for me it is not about getting back to some arbitrary point in time, but rather wishing that there were intact / functioning ecosystems and habitats in the places we expect to find them. I think that's why I talk about wildness as opposed to wilderness - there can still be wild things in places where humans have been. The sad thing about the landscape in question in my post is that nearly all plants, trees and associated wildlife were eradicated many years ago but prevented from returning by overgrazing which continues to this very day. It is a lot to unravel!
There are a few tiny fragments left that are protected. The whole area is a national park, but our national park system is different from how I perceive it to be in the US in that here they tend to focusing on preserving culture and human history over nature and habitats. There are a few places where habitat restoration projects are returning life to the hills which shows there is hope!
Great piece. It’s true that habitats for wildness on the moors and fells have declined because of man made manipulations of the landscape. I hold on to the resilience in nature to renew and recover (as evidenced by your precious wood anemone find) so I try to remain optimistic about the possibility of wildness returning one day.
Lovely piece today Andrew, thank you. I recently heard Craig Foster (My Octopus Teacher) on the Tim Ferris podcast talking about the wildness available to us everywhere, even in cities. I recommend it as a beacon of hope.
Thank you Lucy, much appreciated! I will check that out - really enjoyed My Octopus Teacher. Indeed there is wildness to be found in unexpected places, but it is shame it is missing in places where we should expect to find it.
Thank you for this piece! How complex it is to live in a time where we have to exist withing so many contradictions and wounds, as the quote says. I loved, however, to read about the rock and the water, the wind and the sunset as those minimal but resilient presences of the wild.
Great adventure! The knowledge and history add a deep complexity to the land. The areas I backpack through seem wild and remote, but almost all of it was logged and clear cut just 100 years ago. Many of the trails follow defunct logging roads.
Thanks Erik! It’s true - a knowledge of the history of the landscape adds another level of complexity and interest. It’s amazing how much of the landscape we think is natural is actually heavily influenced by the hand of humankind.
Your question in the post really has me thinking. I still consider these areas 'wilderness' even with the history of human activity. But how far in the past does the activity have to be in order to draw the line? Or maybe the line itself is a human construct?!?
Great point - for me it is not about getting back to some arbitrary point in time, but rather wishing that there were intact / functioning ecosystems and habitats in the places we expect to find them. I think that's why I talk about wildness as opposed to wilderness - there can still be wild things in places where humans have been. The sad thing about the landscape in question in my post is that nearly all plants, trees and associated wildlife were eradicated many years ago but prevented from returning by overgrazing which continues to this very day. It is a lot to unravel!
Ah, I see now. Are there any protected areas in the region that still contain the original ecosystem?
There are a few tiny fragments left that are protected. The whole area is a national park, but our national park system is different from how I perceive it to be in the US in that here they tend to focusing on preserving culture and human history over nature and habitats. There are a few places where habitat restoration projects are returning life to the hills which shows there is hope!
Great piece. It’s true that habitats for wildness on the moors and fells have declined because of man made manipulations of the landscape. I hold on to the resilience in nature to renew and recover (as evidenced by your precious wood anemone find) so I try to remain optimistic about the possibility of wildness returning one day.
Lovely piece today Andrew, thank you. I recently heard Craig Foster (My Octopus Teacher) on the Tim Ferris podcast talking about the wildness available to us everywhere, even in cities. I recommend it as a beacon of hope.
Thank you Lucy, much appreciated! I will check that out - really enjoyed My Octopus Teacher. Indeed there is wildness to be found in unexpected places, but it is shame it is missing in places where we should expect to find it.
Lovely piece and I empathize with you regarding the degradation of nature in these islands.
Thanks Ken, I appreciate the comment. Perhaps there is hope that we can reverse some of the decline if enough of us notice.