The Wilderness thing.

I feel like I'm on a roller coaster, high one minute, low the next. On top of the world in the morning, at the bottom in the afternoon. I'm not talking about my emotions (surprisingly), I'm referring to the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Quite possibly the most majestic, awe inspiring, breath taking piece of landscape that was ever created. Apart from the Lake District, Wales and Scotland obviously.

This section of the PCT, roughly 250 miles in length, is regarded as the most scenic of the whole trail. It's certainly one of the most demanding. I have spent the last 8 days on trail with no town stops. 8 days in the wilderness, miles from anywhere. Some people would regard this as scary, intimidating. Dangerous? Possibly, if it all goes wrong out here then you're in trouble. You don't call the emergency services out here and get an ambulance in 10 minutes. Out here, you don't even get mobile reception.

I was pondering this whilst coming down the north side of Muir Pass a few days ago. The wilderness thing that is. There are numerous reasons for being out here, the wilderness factor occupies one of the top few places. For me, to be miles from anywhere, miles from the nearest road even, is a huge draw. I offer one of my favourite quotes:

‘The whole point of (Desert) travel is solitude. As our ever multiplying human numbers crowd the globe, a few of us who can take it no longer break free and run for the mountains, the oceans, the deserts. I am enthralled by many of the attractions of metropolitan life, but in the corner of my heart I keep the image of a silent place. A space, perhaps like this…’

Grains of Sand by Martin Buckley.

What is it about wilderness? Don't get me wrong, I love getting into town. The simple act of getting a shower and eating a proper breakfast does wonders for my morale. However, there is something about being out here that amazes me. We are meant to be out in the wild. Human beings have spent the vast proportion of their existence in the wild. The vast proportion. Towns and cities are a creation we invented only recently. Our bodies are still becoming used to them, we are not actually meant to be there. This is why myself, my friends I walk with, and most of the people I meet out here revel in the experience.

It's the same for a solitary canoeist paddling around Newfoundland. The same for a climber setting foot on top of Everest. A person in a hand glider soaring over the Pyrenees experiences this feeling too, as does a sailor rounding Cape Horn. Yes, it's about the adventure, the challenge. It is, however, primarily because our bodies realise this is where we were nurtured, where we spent our infancy, this is where we were raised.

We were meant to be out here, it's is embedded in us, it is comforting, it is natural to be out here. This is why it feels so right.