Day 271 - The Wilderness

July 06, 2024

The Importance of Wilderness: The Wilderness Act protects millions of acres of land for preservation. Time spent in nature fosters self-discovery and a "profound pragmatism." It allows you to confront reality and basic needs for survival. Benefits of Wilderness Exploration: Escape from societal pressures and constant external influences. Disconnect to reconnect with your true self and thought processes. Develop practical skills and resourcefulness. Guy Reams' Wilderness Adventure: He emphasizes exploring permit-free wilderness areas in the US. This year's trip focuses on the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. Limited communication via satellite radio for short, themed articles. The Takeaway: Consider spending time in nature to reconnect with yourself and nature. Wilderness experiences can be transformative and promote self-reliance. There's value in disconnecting to gain perspective and clarity. Follow-up: Look out for Guy Reams' upcoming articles based on his wilderness trip. They will explore themes of living and thriving in a natural environment.

Episode Transcript

Guy Reams (00:02.094)
This is day 271, the wilderness.

In 1964, the United States passed legislation called the Wilderness Act. This formalized a wilderness preservation system that has been in place since 1924. The act formalized the preservation of several land areas and also paved the way for further acts by states, tribal governments, and other entities to pass similar legislation to set aside large areas of land to be kept away from human inhabitation.

Today there are 757 of these designated wilderness areas, or about 110 million acres. I'm not sure you could visit them all in a single lifetime, although I am certain some people have tried. There is a bit of controversy about the government stepping in and taking lands on such a large scale. I'm not gonna weigh in on that discussion. What I will weigh on is how valuable it is to spend time in the wilderness. Being alone,

Isolated and free from constant input is an amazing way to reconnect with a profound pragmatism that you can only find when you are hiking in the wilderness, living on only what you can carry on your back. The Wilderness. A place to find your real mind. What are you really like? How do you really think when there is nothing going on to influence you? This is an important, very real question that you can only discover away from the world.

away from the beeps and blips of commercial society. When you are in the wilderness, you are also forced to deal with reality, which brings you to an about -face moment with how things are as they really are. All the fancy notions and pretense quickly melt away as you are forced to handle the day -to -day aspects of survival, shelter, and navigation. Once a year, I try to go to the basement, which is a phrase that I use to disappear for a while.

Guy Reams (01:56.846)
I think I'm borrowing that from Jim Rome, a famous radio personality from my neck of the woods. For the last few years, I've decided to take my kids and others who are coming out to the wilderness areas of the United States. I'm focused on the permit -free ones. Last year it was Wyoming, this year it is New Mexico. I'm heading this week into the Gia Wilderness and navigating some of the rivers and plateaus there.

taking a giant loop through the wilderness area and seeing how far we can make it as we traverse through an area of the world not frequently inhabited by our human species. So my articles are going to be short this week as my only form of communication is satellite transmission on a handheld radio. They will be themed, however, and focused on observations and considerations about living and thriving by taking a dip on occasion into the wilderness

wherever your wilderness may be.