It’s Essential to Our Survival: Reflections on our time in the wilderness

Photo by Chuck Hoffman © Genesis+Art

Photo by Chuck Hoffman © Genesis+Art

Alexandria, Minnesota

After almost six years living in the remote outpost of the Glacier Peak Wilderness, we experienced profound change on how we see the world in which we live. We begin an anthology of stories that may point to what we have learned and how we live on the earth. We are not visitors in the wild, we are part of the forest, and the forest is part of us. It is a sentiment that now resonates deep within us. It is a wisdom that we had forgotten, and one that we believe essential for our own survival and that of the natural world. Perhaps our curiosity and wonder of nature may prove to be one of our strongest assets in the race to save Earth’s biodiversity. What we come to know, we care about, and what we care about, we love and are willing to fight for. We will be forever curious about the world around us.

And, since curiosity and wonder often leads to understanding, we see our art and stories as a way to help change our lens of seeing our earth home and the creatures that inhabit it. How might our lens change see and recognize beauty in the place we call home. Perhaps we can learn to treat our surroundings with a new awareness, engagement and willingness to listen and be a voice to re-form our relationship with the earth. It’s essential to our survival as an earth community. 

See more conversation in EARTH.