Six weeks, by any measure, is a long time to spend in the woods. Six weeks with no other humans, apart from those I observed when I resupplied, was making me wilder but, in a strange way, also more human. I looked at myself through a different lens, and I truly looked deep into my being.
I began to see all the ways I had gone wrong, the paths followed which were dead ends of a sort and the paths avoided which, perhaps, I should have stuck to. The more time I was out there, the deeper I went. Considerations of time and space, of self and others, of love and of hope.
The odd thing was, when I left the city behind I knew it was to give me a chance to think, to analyse and look at what had been, what was, and would could be—but the results were already proving surprising. With the power of hindsight, I think it was this sixth week which saw a pivotal change in this self-assessment. Something to do with the weather, my constant immersion in the natural, and the fact I was now living in my shelter, cooking on a fire and using it to keep me warm. I was now far enough away in time from my previous ‘normal’ life that I could begin to envisage different ways to be, with increasing clarity.
Read more at the introduction, and see Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, and Week Five, if you wish to catch up.
You can click on each of these Notes to read the full text and view any attached photographs, some of which might not show below. You might also have to open this email in a browser, as it is probably too long for some clients.
If you have anything you wish to ask, or add, please feel free to comment below, or use Notes to do so. I really appreciate the dialogue!
And if you enjoy this series, please do share it with a friend or family member, that would be wonderful—the more, the merrier. Or restack on Notes!
I have a few ideas of what to do with this project once it is complete, but I am still working on them (would you like to read an expanded version of this in book form? Perhaps with some practical skill descriptions mixed in?).
For now, there are still several more weeks of adventure to come.
Many thanks for reading.
Finally, if you are enjoying these posts and wish to support my work, but do not want to pay to subscribe, you can now also leave a tip of any amount.