By Sean Fagan
Enjoying a sunset on the shores of Lough Leine (Photo: Sean Fagan, southwest Ireland).
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"Get to Know the Essence of a Landscape" ~ Werner Herzog
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First off, a very happy new year to all.
May you have many great and small outdoor adventures in 2020.
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It's all about connection...
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Last year, one of the first things I did when scouting around for a campsite in a dense, Portuguese wood was to cut down a long, straight branch to enable myself to bash a way through dense, thorny vegetation.
I was pleasantly surprised to have found a nearby willow tree with many straight branches - ideal for making a sturdy, bashing staff.
Willow trees also occur in my home country of Ireland.
It was nice to have a moment of connection with a familiar tree species in a foreign land.
And it's simple moments like these often make my day in wild places.
Plants and trees become far more than just plants and trees when you have to rely on them.
In a strange way, they become good friends – when you need them most, they are often there for you.
You might think that developing an emotional bond with plants and trees is sentimental - bordering on sloppy romanticism.
But remember, since time immemorial - human hunting and gathering societies across the globe developed a very special relationship with nature.
Personally, I think it's very normal to admire and respect nature.
I also think it's beneficial for bushcrafters...
My trusty willow staff proved to be an excellent trail-maker in dense woods (Photo: Sean Fagan, Portugal).
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As I’ve often stated before, bushcraft is far more than technical expertise and the latest, greatest gear.
I believe it’s also about developing an emotional bond with a wild landscape.
That bond often develops organically from being outdoors.
Whether that bond is spiritual, artistic, therapeutic or recreational...or a combination thereof - the essential point is to open yourself to the landscape.
And I believe that bushcraft is one of the best, most honest ways of engaging with nature.
Bushcraft mostly works if you bend your will to nature - and when you have to rely on what nature provides - you can develop a deep respect for nature. It's a natural progression.
Also, with bushcraft you have to earn your place in nature - mostly through hard work, guile, experience and skill.
Very little is handed to you on a plate. Complacency and laziness are their own forms of punishment in the wild with minimal gear.
But it's very honest work, and it's a great way of getting to know a wild place with your hands, head and dare I state, your heart.
So, in 2020, I urge you to take a leaf from film director, Werner Herzog, who once advised...“get to know the essence of a landscape”.
And that’s pretty much similar to what I would say - get to know wild places with an open mind - and just as importantly, with an open heart.
The year of 2020 is already taking hold - I urge you, implore you...beg you even - to maintain your connection to nature or to make it even stronger.
For those new to nature - throw yourself in, immerse yourself.
It will do you a tremendous amount of good...
...and I still maintain - bushcaft is one of the best ways to connect to nature.
"Yosemite Valley, to me , is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space" ~ Ansel Adams
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