Dangerous Animal Encounters – Introduction
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I have spent some of the most memorable moments of my life in wild places. I’m not sure exactly what it is that draws me in, perhaps it is the sense of peace I feel, the beauty of wild landscapes, the bird songs which always seem to uplift my mind, or maybe it is deeper than that…
Over the course of my life I have come to understand that there is an innate and deep connection between humans and nature. A universal connection that is deeply rooted in our DNA, passed down from our ancestors since the beginning of time. This might actually sound strange, but when I’m in wild places I gain comfort from the fact that I am unimportant and somewhat insignificant, just another creature wandering the land on an even playing field with all of the other animals that call that place home. For me, that feeling pushes aside the stresses and problems that often loom so large in my daily life.
With that being said, though I truly love being in wild places, I do not romanticize the natural world, nor can I stand it when people who have never been off an improved hiking trail speak in this way. Yes nature is wonderful and beautiful, but it is also savagely brutal; it will freeze you to death, dehydrate you to the point of delirium, and/or savagely eat you up one bite at a time, and afterward it will not feel sorry for you. It’s not personal, when you are in nature there are rules, and if you do not follow the rules you will certainly perish. Some of the most prominent rules require that you remain alert, aware and in the moment, that you deeply understand the capabilities and intentions of the other creatures that surround you, and that you remain aware of and capable of obtaining the resources that you will need to keep yourself alive, i.e. safety, water, shelter, and food.
To be blind to these realities is reckless stupidity. To truly know them is intelligent peace.
I have spent my life in pursuit of self-reliance in the woods and a deeper understanding of the creatures that call it home. For it is only with empathy and knowledge that we are able to properly assess threats to keep ourselves out of harm, vanquish our fears, and truly understand the risks that we are undertaking.
I am a huge believer in constant solid honest and accurate risk assessment. I think the root of safety and security starts here. This means understanding yourself as much as it does understanding the world around you. In the internal journey of self-discovery, ego has no place, for overestimating one’s knowledge, skill, or capability in the woods can easily lead to serious harm or death.
I don’t just study self-reliance and survival skills, I live these things. They are always on my mind and I am constantly pushing myself to understand where the edges of my knowledge and skill are, working to root out false information, find blind spots in my thought process, and ruts that keep me from becoming a more capable human, man, father, and husband.
