"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, as vital to our lives as water and good bread." Edward Abbey

This quote accurately describes a fact; a fact that, in this day and age, is obscured by the flashiness of videogames, computers, and electronics. Unfortunately the way Abbey portrays this can be interpreted to signify being in the wilderness is a chore. This is not true, as being in the wilderness can be a wonderful revitalizing experience. Electronics can easily cause a sensory overload. When in the wilderness, the lack of this overload allows us more time and a better environment for inward self- reflection. People should spend more time outdoors. If they did they would slowly begin to realize how wonderful it is.

The wilderness is, after all, an immense fantastic place. However when compared with television and mp3s seems rather primitive and primordial. Many humans across the globe have become so accustomed to the electronic stimulus, that if you take it away, these people would feel somehow empty or void. This is because they are blocking out their natural self, their ability to see a place teeming with life and enjoy it. The wilderness is the place where all life comes together. It is the root of life, where everything lives and dies.

Unfortunately in this technologic era, city dwellers experience little to naught about the wonders of the mountains, trees, plains, rivers, and forests. This makes it easy for one to push the thought of the wilderness to the back of ones mind. As one of Americas great nature writers, Sigurd Olson said:

Wilderness to the American people is a spiritual necessity, an antidote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium.

This is absolutely true, and demonstrates that it is necessary for people to take some time away from cell phones and pdas, and spend time outdoors, if they wish to remain spiritually balanced. In order to counteract the high intensity work environment of this time, people need to spend some time outdoors. However this does not just mean to go tanning on the beach, this means to really experience it for yourself by getting out there and interacting with nature in any number of different ways, including hiking, or climbing.

The nature of modern-days ever-advancing technology leads humans to become more and more dependant on it. We need to severe this link of dependence and make it one not of necessity, but one that is only used for luxury and productivity. This way we would be able to more fully appreciate the wilderness. After all what would happen if a meteor struck? What about a hurricane or tornado, where people would need to start all over? Would any body have the necessary skills to survive?

The wilderness is full of variety. How people can become bored of it, I do not comprehend. It can be dry or wet, hot or cold, full or empty, vivid or dull, complex or simple, colorful or bleak, and most all the time mathematical. Mother Nature is the worlds best architect. She inputs the many principles of science, math, architecture, engineering, and more into her work. Nonetheless the name Mother Nature is misleading. Nature is not one thing nor another or even a mother. It is an element that is in all living objects. It is the element that shapes us, and nurtures us from the inside. A tree grows because of its very nature, a flower buds by its own element of nature. Even a boy only matures into a man because of this force. This force many people mistake to be unseen, but in reality is all around us. The force can be seen by a simple trip into the woods. With the right perspective one can view into the plants and animals and really get to know them, simply because of this one life element we share.

Even though we share our natural being, all living things are different. Humans like one, are fundamentally different from one another, and so are plants. Though they share characteristics, no two are the same. This is one thing many people mistake. They go hiking in lets say the Goat Rocks Nat. Wilderness. Next year someone offers them to go hiking in Glacier Nat. Wilderness and they refuse on the bases that youve seen one, seen em all. When it comes to the wilderness however, this notion is totally untrue. By experiencing the wilderness for yourself, you slowly develop your own way of looking at it. With this perspective, all wildernesses are different and immense pleasure can be gained by climbing a mountain, or kayaking the Puget Sound, even going bird watching.

Another factor to take into consideration when promoting the wilderness is self-gain. One thing about climbing mountains is that no matter how big your ascent party is, when it comes down to it, the challenge is just between you and the peak. It becomes a struggle for a different type of personal salvation, a salvation that you only feel when breathing the fresh sweet air gusting down through a valley, or the limited oxygen light headiness you experience at the summit. However its all about setting goals. When someone says I want to hike 11 miles today, they do it for personal betterment. Although it may not seem like that at the time, they will hopefully realize that they have just strengthened the bond between themselves and nature. Also by being in the wilderness you strengthen yourself physically and mentally. One really gets to know their self and there limits by experiencing nature in the outdoors.

Another reason to spend more time outdoors is the simply the sheer beauty of the wilderness and its occupants. As Jules H. Poincare said: If nature were not beautiful, it would not be worth knowing, and if nature were not worth knowing, life would not be worth living. Everything in the wilderness is constantly growing and that makes for an always-changing everlasting beauty. Some people may doubt that seeing a dead tree is beautiful, however with a different perspective, it can be. In the dead tree you can see the beginning of new life and the circle of life so promoted by the childs movie Lion King.

I encourage all readers not to totally reform their lives around the wilderness but rather conform your schedule to allow time to enjoy life. Not just your own but all around. Nature is full of exciting things if you take the time to look for them. Its taken me 15 years to figure this out, and I hope that you have or will find this out soon. Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life! John Muir