Wild Places,
Lonesome Spaces
Adventures of a (Former) Firewatcher
The Lure of Wilderness
Wilderness areas attract people from all walks of life. Some come as tourists, filled with romantic notions about Nature, hungry to catch a glimpse of its unspoiled beauty. Others are fired by intellectual curiosity, seeking to unravel the mechanisms through which wildlife and landscape interact. Others seek out wild places to satisfy some primal craving in their soul; they don't feel complete without it.
Whatever brought us here, there is an innate peculiarity shared by people who regularly recreate and work in wilderness areas. It's embedded in our speech: We go into the back-country.
Other people go out when they go camping, hiking, trekking.
But we go in.
My life is irregular. I often vanish into places where I have no internet or phone access for months at a time. This blog will, of necessity, be equally irregular in nature. But I will post what I can, when I can. Don't be surprised if you don't see anything new for long periods of time. Just be patient and visit again in a few weeks.
Most of my articles will refer to Montana's Bob Marshall Wilderness, but don't be surprised by an unexpected detour to other parts of the state, or even other parts of the world.
Unless otherwise noted, all writing and photos are copyright Shelly Milburn.
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