Return from Wilderness: Three Pains

Abstract

After a sustained backpacking trip into the wilderness, the juxtaposition of return to contemporary society can feel particularly jarring. With a close look at what may initially feel like a rather amorphous and overwhelming response, we can separate out three levels of difficulty, or pain. Initially there is the dramatic shock of seeing with freshened eyes the contrast between the “backcountry” earth and the “frontcountry” earth. Secondarily, if the backpacking has been a group experience (as in the Sierra Institute quarter-long environmental studies field programs, used throughout in this essay as example), there is a pain in seeing how the day-to-day life of most humans has become rife with psychological and well-being challenges that are less prominent while in the simplicity of small-group camping. And finally, at the individual level, as we reaccommodate to “frontcountry” realities, we may notice over time the loss or deterioration of certain qualities of self that we had savored while in wilderness. However, it may be helpful to self and society if the pains are not adhered to as a final position, but rather each one is allowed to be buoyed by its corresponding gratitude.