Feel the Wild Read online

  What will happen to our bodies if we isolate and disconnect ourselves from the natural world? If the brain has evolved in the face of challenges to solve, if our capacity to learn exists only because of our necessity to adapt, then what will we become if we let technology do everything for us? If we forgo the sensuous realm of our senses, are we consequently setting the stage for their disappearance?

  Dusky dolphin, Patagonia, Argentina

  ISO 100, 10.5mm, É/2.8, 1/2500s

  Alone

  Isn’t

  Lonely

  The irony of our time is that, despite being constantly connected and surrounded, never really being “alone,” there is a deep loneliness that permeates our lives. It is a loneliness that is overshadowed by pride that isolates us and infringes on our need to deeply connect. A pride that is based on the fear of facing our inner silence and solitude, a vulnerable and intimate place where the beauty of being human is revealed.

  Experiencing the world through the lenses of humility, reciprocity and vulnerability opens the path to so many treasures and priceless discoveries. Transforming your struggles, challenges and pain into growth not only brings you happiness and peace but it also makes you celebrate what it is to be human. Life is not easy. Life is not fair. It is not meant to be fair. It is not meant to be perfect. It is meant to be lived, to be experienced and for us to learn and grow from it.

  Self Portrait, Pacific Coast, Washington

  ISO 320, 10mm, ƒ/6.7, 1/45s

  Self Portrait, Baja California, Mexico

  ISO 250, 18mm, ƒ/3.5, 1/500s

  Yerba Maté

  I am doing a ritual that has now become a daily morning routine. While the water is warming on the stove, I pour loose yerba into a gourd, cover the top with my hand, turn the gourd upside down and gently shake it several times. The goal is to bring to the surface the polvo (powder). Then I pour a little bit of cold water on one side, not too much, just enough to soak the leaves and keep the other side dry. As an old man said to me once: “You are not simply pouring water, you are feeding the yerba so that it can breathe.” Just before the kettle sings and the water boils, I turn off the stove. I take the kettle and delicately tilt it until water starts pouring out and into the gourd. It is imperative not to use boiling water when preparing maté. Too hot and the leaves will burn, too cold and they will shrivel. You want the water to be just hot enough so it induces the precious leaves to release their elixir.

  According to the Guarani legend, the goddesses of the moon and the cloud came to Earth one day to visit, but they instead found a yaguareté (a jaguar) that was going to attack them. An old man saved them, and, in compensation, the goddesses gave the old man a new kind of plant from which he could prepare a “drink of friendship.”

  Maté is more than a drink. Comparing it to tea or coffee would be a huge understatement; it would be an insult. It is more like wine; it is a lifestyle. One that says time and relationships matter; one that says speed and singularity are not a priority. It is a ritual that invites sharing and trust, a reminder from Indigenous cultures, passing the pipe around as a sign of welcome and humility. It is a ceremony that invites strangers and solidifies friendships. When offered to you, it is the deepest and most sincere gesture of hospitality.

  Taking a deep breath, I let the woody, toasty aroma fill my nose. A strong yet delicate fragrance, with a hint of fresh grass, tinged with roasted nuts. My memory neurons automatically recognize the scent and send my mind back in time, to that place in the jungle, where the soil is red and the trees are tall and green. Where the monkeys howl and the jaguar roams stealthily – the birthplace of yerba maté, the land of the Guarani people. Sipping on the bombilla, I bring the water to my lips, my taste buds delightfully connecting with the ancestral tea. Its potent tonic spreads through my bloodstream and invades my body, charging my senses.

  Drinking maté connects me to an old ritual that was born from a culture that believes nature is something bigger than it. Today, living in a world of convenience and technology, I need these moments to remind myself of things that truly matter: friendship, hospitality, taking the time to be in the moment and cherishing the simplest things.

  Conclusion

  I have lived in cities and enjoyed them. I still do, but in moderation. I love their convenience, their dynamics and their powerful energy. They are simply pure miracles of ingenuity, realities that defy any conception of what is possible. No wonder humankind can see God in itself.

  But at night in the city, when the sun has set and I close my eyes to seek my dreams, I long for the sound of wind sneaking through the cracks, rain tumbling on the roof or waves pounding on a beach. I close my eyes and retreat into my world where the wild conducts its own symphony – frogs croaking, birds tweeting, crickets chirping.

  I love the wilderness. I love being in it and feeling it. I love the humbling experience of feeling powerless against it.

  I have often felt like a tamed animal that started out in the wild, always looking to the horizon and wondering where I belonged. Torn between the comforts of a modern world and the raw and simple purity of the wilderness, where the beautiful and the merciful live side by side. A place that calms and scares me, that constantly reminds me of what is essential, where nothing is pretentious and everything is interconnected. There is something quite peaceful in accepting that the world doesn’t simply revolve around humans. Wilderness generates my sanity.

  I hope this book inspires you to stop, breathe, relax and listen, even if just for a moment. As much as I don’t mind the advantages of our modern lifestyle, we can greatly benefit when we regard Nature as a source of teachings and insights. It holds the power to restore our human spirit and brings mindfulness, health and balance to a society that in many ways yearns to reconnect with the natural world. Through my work and my efforts to provide youth with opportunities for wilderness immersion experiences, my message is always the same: our happiness lies in welcoming Nature back into our lives. Not by humanizing it, but by respecting it and accepting our place in it.

  Nature’s teachings hold the secrets to our survival and evolution. Its most precious gift: humility is the foundation of a peaceful and harmonious world.

  Get out there! Get lost and go feel the wild.

  Self portrait, Pemberton ice field, Whislter

  ISO 200, 25.7mm, ƒ/18, 1/160s

  Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

  ISO 200, 290.6mm, ƒ/7.1, 1/30s

  WILD.ECO

  Anyone I know who enjoys the outdoors or cares for the natural word can recall a time and place in their youth when they found themselves out there in Nature and felt that connection, that primal bond that unites us to this planet and to life. For me that connection was so strong that I simply never wanted to let it go. When I was a kid, I just loved to roam the woods, fish the lakes, explore the creeks or climb the trees. It is in these moments that I felt alive. My best childhood memories are from a great number of summer camps I attended. They were my definition of a candy store. And the things I learned during these magical summers still impact my life today.

  I love the work I do, but I have always felt something significant was missing. If these experiences when you are a kid are so important in the development of our appreciation of Nature, then what was I doing to make sure children experienced the wilderness like I did when I was young? The answer came during a paddle in the San Juan Islands.

  I believe that immersion in Nature is an important part of our development, especially during our formative years when it is so critical to discover who we are, develop strong self-esteem, adopt leadership skills, challenge our physical well-being and acquire the capacity to live a balanced life in a world dominated by technology.

  Knowing the importance of today’s youth in shaping the future, WILD.ECO (Wilderness Immersion for Leadership & Discovery through Education, Conse
rvation & Opportunities) is my way of making sure I reach out to them. My goals are twofold: offer committed mentorship based on the lessons learned from my time in Nature, and raise funds to give youth, especially disadvantaged students, the opportunity to experience first-hand the positive impact Nature can have on their lives through wilderness immersion camps. This immersion is a powerful first step that can help trigger a desire to explore and discover the natural world. It also helps in understanding how experiencing the beauty and ultimate challenges inherent in Nature can enhance self-confidence and develop valuable leadership skills.

  Find out how you can lend your support at www.wild.eco.

  Light Painting, Kodiak Island, Alaska

  ISO 320, 10mm, ƒ/6.7, 30s

  Thank You

  I have received over the years the help and support of many people. It is fair to say I wouldn’t be here today without them. The African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child,” can easily be applied to anyone who chooses to pursue a life that defies the normal cultural expectations. I will be forever grateful for their endless patience and understanding. The list of individuals and companies is long and, while I choose to keep the names private, I haven’t forgotten any of them.

  That said, I want to thank my wife. She has given my life a greater meaning and her love has made me a better person, stronger and more compassionate. Her joy and her vow to make me laugh at least once a day have brightened and continue to brighten my days.

  Also, I want to thank my mother. A lot of who I am today is because of her, even my love of nature. As a young boy, she always made sure I spent as much time as possible exploring the shores of the St. Lawrence River or roaming the local woods. I am greatly fortunate because of the values and skills she taught me.

  Lastly, I want to thank Nature. At different times, it has been my escape, my comfort, my confidant, my refuge, my teacher, my mentor, my playground and my inspiration. Call it a religion, but I call it something I look up to, something that is bigger than me.

  About

  the

  Author

  As an intellectual species, we love to define and categorize what surrounds us. It is one of the reasons why we have job titles. They define our responsibilities and where we stand in society. It helps by giving us a framework on how we can interact with each other. Personally, I have always felt that people would figure me out simply by meeting me and talking to me; that my work and actions would speak for themselves.

  But reality isn’t that simple. I am a complex person who can’t be defined by a single word. I have always walked the unbeaten path, unafraid of stepping outside the box and questioning the preconceived. One day, while driving back from Napa, California, my wife said something and the light went on. The clarity that came about presented me with a solution, something that would explain so much with only three letters and a small number. I am an A.P.E.2, literally and figuratively. Genetically, I belong to the Hominidae taxonomic family, the great apes. And beyond that I am an artist/author (A), photographer/philosopher (P), explorer/entrepreneur (E). Three letters and a number give me all the freedom to be what I want to be and do what I want to do. It is an acronym that connects me to my past while elevating my future.

  I thrive on creating and finding new ways to inspire and educate. Through my work, I seek to inspire experiencing Nature as a framework, mindset and mentor for personal transformation. I believe in the power of Nature to nurture, awaken, transcend, uplift, restore and elevate the human spirit.

  I am the founder of WILD.ECO, a nonprofit organization that mentors and raises funds to send disadvantaged students to wilderness immersion camps. Its mission is to foster resilient, empowered, adaptable, curious and empathetic students of life.

  I am extremely fortunate to be an ambassador for Lexus, Fujifilm, SanDisk, and Manfrotto.

  I live in Vancouver, British Columbia, with my wife, Tristan, and our dog, Kobe.

  Vancouver Island, British Columbia

  ISO 250, 10mm, ƒ/8, 1.4s

  Copyright © 2019 by Daniel Fox

  For information on purchasing bulk quantities of this book, or to obtain media excerpts or invite the author to speak at an event, please visit rmbooks.com and select the “Contact” tab.

  RMB | Rocky Mountain Books Ltd.

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  @rmbooks

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  Cataloguing data available from Library

  and Archives Canada

  ISBN 9781771603720 (electronic)

  Design: Lin Oosterhoff

  Cover photo: Powder Mountain, Utah

  ISO 200, 11.5mm, f/8, 1.8s

  We would like to also take this opportunity to acknowledge the traditional territories upon which we live and work. In Calgary, Alberta, we acknowledge the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Siksika, the Piikuni, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Stoney Nakoda First Nations, including Chiniki, Bearpaw, and Wesley First Nations. The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III. In Victoria, British Columbia, we acknowledge the traditional territories of the Lkwungen (Esquimalt, and Songhees), Malahat, Pacheedaht, Scia’new, T’Sou-ke and WSÁNEĆ (Pauquachin, Tsartlip, Tsawout, Tseycum) peoples.

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