into the woods, but not too far
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - Unknown (commonly misattributed to John Muir)
I've often given thought to wandering off into the forest to live a solitary life. I'm addicted to shows like Life Below Zero and frequently imagine what it would be like to live in isolation -- no electricity, no internet, no worldly distractions. Just me, a small cabin, a wood burning stove, and a bunch of books. Oh, and the dog. Given turbulent times, it sounds especially appealing.
I just finished reading The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel. The book is about Christopher Knight, who at age twenty (in 1986) disappeared into the woods of Maine for twenty-seven years. Twenty-seven. I won't go into much detail (in case you want to read the book), but during that twenty-seven year span he briefly (like "Hi") interacted with people on only two occasions. The kicker? His camp was a mere three minute walk through the woods to the closest home. In fact, there was plenty of civilization all around him, but he chose to remain sequestered in his hidden camp.
The book got me thinking about the longest I have ever gone without human contact. I do a lot of camping, and have been on a number of solo trips for multiple days, but even when I'm isolated, I almost always encounter at least one other person. Perhaps, I've gone about forty-eight hours without seeing, or speaking, to another person? To remain sequestered from contact for twenty-seven years is nearly unfathomable.
I'm ready to move into the woods (it sounds more appealing if I don't have to sleep on the ground). I'm not ready to go to the "hermit" extreme. No matter how insane the world seems, I feel like that kind of isolation could chip away at a person's soul, and sanity.
Isolation can be beautiful thing, but I’ll take my solitude in small doses -- with Cubby, a good book, maybe a cot, and the knowledge that I can always find my way back to civilization. But, I'm not ruling out the cabin ;)