Living the Wilderness Way

Living the wilderness way is to be immersed in the wild that surrounds us. Its smells, sounds, song, wildlife. The trail that leads into the Wilderness Way offers us an experience of life that will never be found any other way.

Living the Wilderness Way

Becoming a human being

Imagine a hunting bow that you made yourself, out of wood, you harvested searching the forest. Looking for just the right stave to work. Imagine the process it takes to create a bow for the hunt. Passed down from father to son, grandfather to father. Mother to daughter.

Offer thanksgiving

Living the wilderness way, the way of becoming human. We pour our feelings into the stave we work. We ask that the Bow will be a strong bow. The arrow swift and true. We ask that we have the honor to feed the children and the elders. The keepers of the wisdom. In our heart we hold Deer in a sacred way and offer thanksgiving to its spirit. For we know without its flesh to eat the people face hunger.

Predator's Fang

A hunters way

You learn to walk softly and blend into nature. We track the habits and ways of the deer. In this way we touch the spirit of the deer. This honors the deer and honors our skills. The skills that have been passed down from generation to generation. We learn ourselves first.

Then teach the children. To respect the Way. To follow the track, the browse sign, to know the bed of the resting animal. We teach the children to skillfully dress the deer. To prepare the sacred food in a good way. And share the joy of the Give Away.

Wilderness Trails

A way to live

Living the wilderness way we learn that we have a duty to the wild. That we harvest only what we need. We have learned to balance our lives to reduce our wants and focus on simple needs. To honor the earth is to honor each other. To save the earth is to save each other.

The newness of material things that we purchase for status and power. Soon lose their luster and desire. However, when we create things with our imagination and our own hands. The feeling of accomplishment and goodness lives a lifetime.

And then is passed down to our children's children's children. For Seven generation we look to the future. This is The Way.

It is Living the Wilderness Way. The ancient way, that has been passed down from hunter to hunter from time immemorial.

Reflections of THE EDGE by Joshua Poole