Illustration by Les Kouba From The New Way of the Wilderness — a beautiful little book from the 50's that covers the basics of backcountry camping. Author Calvin Rutstrum wrote 15 books, mainly how-tos and personal narratives based on his experiences growing up in Minnesota and spending time outdoors. As the outdoor world continues to embrace the benefits of technology and innovation, there's something to be said for an awareness of how things were done "back then"—even only 60 years ago. An understanding of this kind of history allows those principles and practices to still have an influence in our modern outdoor experiences and ideally remove some of the cruft that makes it harder to disconnect when we are out seeking for something deeper. Perhaps...
There still are rushing rivers in my dreams;There still are grinding boulders in the streams; There still is mountain madness, Thund’ring down in reckless gladness—Tho I’m safely in my bed in town, it seems. There is still a shining world of ice and snow;There still are steps to slog and miles to go; There still are fragile bridges, And windy fearsome ridges,—Tho the city sounds about me all say “No…” There is still a threat’ning avalanche to round;There still are blinding fog banks, summit bound; I can find no safe belay Yet the suns ays “Do not stay”…—Then I wake to find I’m home on level ground. I’ll be toiling up sublime eternal heights,I’ll be threading huge seracs by candle lights, I will pause where none may...
Having lived now in Wyoming and Montana for nearly 8 years, I've come to really appreciate and love the climbing history that surrounds me. I recently finished a wonderful book called "Teton Tales and Other Petzoldt Anecdotes", which is a brief memoir of sorts from Paul Petzoldt. It was a quick read, but only because the stories were so close to home, and so comfortably shared by the man who lived them. Petzoldt started climbing pretty early and had a good common sense approach to safety and order which manifested itself in the climbing commands still in use by climbers today around the world ("On belay!"). He pretty much set the standards known today as minimum-impact camping, and taught those principles...
"Get a bunch of kids. Let them walk over a big hill, eat outside, run a bit wild, jump in a river, toast marshmallows and sleep under the stars in their clothes."
That's the recipe adventurer Alastair Humphrey pulls together for a classroom of kids, and the results? Pretty inspiring.
Two years later, the same class is ready to do it again as a celebration of their completion of "year 6". See what you've started, Alastair? Nice work.
Find out more about microadventures by clicking through the image below to Alastair's site, and tell him we sent you.
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