"The Woods Are Lovely, Dark & Deep"...

By Sean Fagan

A haven for the adventurous, outdoor soul - the northern woods are one of the great tracts of wilderness left on our planet (Photo: Cian Fagan).

The Northern Woods

The above quote is from a poem by Robert Frost (Link to poem at end of article).

It's a quote that pretty much captures what I feel when I'm surrounded by the forest wilderness of the north.

The northern woods are a huge, almost continuous swathe of coniferous tree forest that span the more northerly latitudes of the northern hemisphere (known as the Taiga in Northern Russia).

And what a place they are...

During the time I lived in the northern woods of Maine of 2009 - lynx, bald eagles, bears, osprey, deer and coyotes were some of my companions.

Near my woodland shelter, an autumnal meadow of goldenrod flowers swayed a glorious, rich yellow whenever a breeze stirred.

When dusk fell - a northern harrier quartered the meadow for prey – floating above the yellow flowers with a mesmerising grace that often stalled me in admiration on my evening walks.

During the night, the stove would gently purr - radiating heat - as a deep, silent contentment filled my warm shelter.

Outside, night sounds filled the air – the hoot of an owl, a creaking tree, aspen leaves rustling, coyotes letting loose their amazing wild howls into the night air…

Wondrous, connecting moments like these sustained me - enabled me to live in such basic conditions.

The separation between myself and this vast, dense, mysterious wood was thin - like the thin, plastic shelter covering that separated me from the daunting Northern Woods each night I slept in my bed.

Wild places like these have the ability to seep into a person’s heart – and make the heart a richer, happier place.

“How could I live in such a place?”

Quite easily.

Where is your place of contentment, your place of inspiration?

If you haven’t found it yet – maybe you will join me, in spirit, in some wild and remote place - like the Northern Woods.

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