The Importance of Wilderness in American History and My Life

Andrew
Andrew
Aug 31, 2018 · 19 min read

This story explores the concept of wilderness as it has evolved through Westward Expansion, American Romanticism, The Roaring 20’s, and into the Modern Era. The author eventually hones in on his own life, and his formative experiences in wilderness. This article was written by a GoPeer tutor passionate about the outdoors, conservation, history, and psychology.

“A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” On September 3, 1964, while speaking from the Rose Garden of the White House, President Lyndon B. Johnson affirmed this definition of wilderness with the signing of The Wilderness Act. This seminal decree, proclaimed by Johnson as the “most far-reaching conservation measure that a farsighted nation has ever coped with,” immediately reserved nine million acres of United States wilderness as protected federal land and established the National Wilderness Preservation System. The Act, however, was not merely a construct of the eighty-eighth Congress (Johnson). Rather, it was the consummation of many longstanding “trends” which had been deeply rooted in the American culture since the inception of our country (Ziser 1251).

President Lyndon B. Johnson signing of The Wilderness Act on September 3, 1964

In the late eighteenth century, many citizens considered their connection with the wilderness as a defining factor of the American identity. In Letters from an American Farmer (1782), Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur, an American settler, considered the strong tie between his nationality and the expansive, unexplored American frontier. Received by the public with immense fervor, St. John de Crèvecoeur’s rhetoric defined the American identity: “to be American meant to have a privileged knowledge of and relation to the wild” (Ziser 1253).

Modernization of the West

After Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase in 1803, American economic and social interest in the New Frontier galvanized a deeper connection between the public and the unsettled territory of the nation. While not officially coined until 1845 by John O’Sullivan, the doctrine Manifest Destiny, or the god-given right to expand, characterized the intellectual tone of “expansionists” during the early 19th century (Ziser 1252). Explorers, most notably Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, additionally strengthened “The political and imaginative connection between wilderness and the American identity,” as they were accepted into “national myth” (Ziser 1257).

As the notion of wilderness seated itself as an intrinsic element of the American identity, a new philosophical movement was ushered in. From the 1830’s to the 1880’s, a period of American Romanticism, also known as Transcendentalism, roused new examinations of the connection between man and nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson, influenced by the ideologies of European enlightenment philosopher Immanuel kant, emerged as a pioneer of the transcendentalist movement. In his essay Nature published in 1836, Emerson concluded that “nature was the primary source of spiritual truths” (Ziser 1256). In addition, he encouraged Americans to abandon models of European natural philosophy, and, instead, incite a unique wave of natural philosophy.

While Emerson may be deemed the grand architect of Transcendentalism, Henry David Thoreau was the engineer and builder as he expanded the movement to a new level of thought. Through numerous essays and novels, most notably Walden, published in 1854, Thoreau considered the wilderness as an area of truth, simplicity, learning, freedom, and intellectual liberty (Ziser 1258). In Walden, he writes, “I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (“Henry David Thoreau”). Thoreau espoused the notion that society and nature are not two separate entities, but one inseparable body; Man should be “as an inhabitant, or a part and parcel of Nature, rather than a member of society.” Thoreau’s works were instrumental to the American evaluation of the wilderness as an area where one can build character and attain understandings through self reflection and the absence of artificiality (“Henry David Thoreau”). His succinct credo, “wildness is the preservation of the world,” became focal to wilderness preservation movements later led by John Muir and United States President Theodore Roosevelt (Ziser 1258).

John Muir 1902

With the close of the Transcendentalist age and the advent of the 20th century, the great outdoors had been institutionalized as a cornerstone of the American culture and conscience. As The Progressive Era took root in the 1890’s, summer camps for children were established to preserve Transcendentalist values in the increasingly industrialized and capitalist society. This phenomenon was “fueled by convictions about nature’s moral and physical benefits,” as well as “growing concerns about the emasculating tendencies of what was called overcivilization… and concerns about degeneracy and falling birth rates” (Van Slyck 799). Wilderness tripping functioned as the primary mechanism to imbue American youth with the tenets endorsed by Emerson, Thoreau, Muir, and Roosevelt. One such establishment, which remains very dear to me, was Camp Kieve.

Don Kennedy, known colloquially as “Uncle Don” by family and campers, founded Kieve in 1926 along the verdant shoreline of Damariscotta Lake in Nobleboro, Maine. Opening on July 1, 1926, this humble ground housed six counselors and twenty one boys, most of whom had traveled North by boat, railroad, or horse-drawn wagon. Early on, Kennedy was resolute in his aspiration to “foster the highest ideals of courage, perseverance, and loyalty among young men through a summer camp experience” (Camp Kieve: Courage, Perseverance & Loyalty). According to Kieve’s Ninetieth Reunion Narrative, this mission was directly influenced by “Thoreau, Hemingway, and Teddy Roosevelt’s models of masculinity and adventure, and an appreciation for the strengths to be learned in the wilderness.” The Narrative recounts Kennedy’s firm mandate: “There would be no frills, only hardy and simple food, and straight-forward emulation of the ethics of Roosevelt and Thoreau.” The model of the camp’s core tenets on those of the historically renowned American outdoorsman is manifested by its name, “Kieve,” a Celtic verb which means to strive in emulation of (Camp Kieve: Courage, Perseverance & Loyalty).

From its inception, Kieve instituted wilderness tripping as an integral aspect of the camp experience. During its first decade, campers were dispatched on “camping parties” into the northern New England wilderness. In the 1933 Annual, a chronicle of the summer’s events, one counselor relayed:

When every minute of every camping party and voyage has been enjoyed as much as was the case this summer, that enjoyment can only be caused by the fact that all of us were serving each other and were combining our efforts to produce something beautifully complete. This, after all, is one of the foundations of character which it has been the ambition of Kieve to build. A boy who has learned to adapt himself to the conditions foreign to his nature, and to help himself by helping others, has made the first step toward character. (Camp Kieve: Courage, Perseverance & Loyalty)

This excerpt serves as a testament to Camp Kieve’s ability to foster in its campers the strength of character which its founding mission outlined. Through intertwining camaraderie, self reflection, and challenge through wilderness tripping experiences, Kieve possesses the unique and timeless ability to mature “boys” into “men.”

For this reason, Don Kennedy’s humble plot of land in Nobleboro, Maine persevered through tumultuous twentieth century America and has emerged ninety years later as the Kieve-Wavus Education, a non-profit organization for both boys and girls which has risen to prominence among North American wilderness tripping camps. While Don Kennedy has since passed away, his legacy has been maintained by his grandson, Henry Kennedy, the current camp director and head of Kieve-Wavus Education. Although modernized, Henry’s unwavering principles mirror those of his grandfather: “He firmly believes in the value of getting kids off the treadmill, shutting off their electronics, living in the moment, and developing a strong connection to the natural world” (Camp Kieve: Courage, Perseverance & Loyalty).

Camp Kieve mirrors the values fostered by my parents, who understand the merit of an outdoor experience. As a young child I often was taken on family camping trips into the New Hampshire presidential mountains, the Adirondack lakes, or the rolling green hills of Vermont. From the backyard cherry tree to the towering hardwoods of Northern New England, my childhood was replete with the smell of pine needles and the feeling of crisp, open air. To no surprise, as a seven year old boy in my first session, Kieve felt right.

I took on a harder trip in each new year at camp. To this day, my brain harbors vivid memories of laughter, struggle, and inspiration I found while on each cabin journey. Kayaking the Maine coast, canoeing the St. Croix and Moose rivers and the Allagash and Penobscot Wilderness Waterways, rafting the Kennebec and Penobscot rivers, rock climbing Camden Hills and North Conway, and hiking through the White Mountains, Baxter State Park, and the Appalachian Trail have been formative experiences. During my camping trips, which lasted from one to twenty-two days, I developed an understanding of the power of the wilderness, its idiosyncratic qualities, and the tremendous benefits it could bestow.

Two summers ago, I completed the Long Voyage, an eighteen day expedition through Maine’s Penobscot and Allagash waterways. From this trip, I recall my first profound understanding about the wilderness- its absolute timeless nature. As I paddled through lakes and rivers, I experienced the very same obstacles and joys that Kieve campers had experienced decades before me in the “Wilderness Cruise.” Kieve lore maintains that Thoreau has documented completing the very same portages and paddles. I distinctly recall on one portage, as I shouldered the weight of a canoe for over a mile along a muddy and root laden path, thinking about how I was literally walking in the footsteps of generations of Kieve campers and counselors who forged the journey before me. I acknowledged the wilderness as a sanctuary where time is suspended; I could experience the same sensations as someone who lived a century ago. It was with this acknowledgement when my fascination with the wilderness and wilderness tripping began.

After the summer of the Long Voyage two years ago, my Kieve camper career only had one more trip left: The Maine Trails. This rugged twenty two night journey along over two hundred miles of the Appalachian Trail, including the notorious One Hundred Mile Wilderness, had evolved through generations of campers. With the 1933 “Wilderness Cruise” as its primordial form, it developed into “Team Canada,” a trip during the mid 20th century which involved jumping on a moving train and crossing the border into Canadian territory. Fables of such a voyage resonated in the consciousness of all aged campers. One story recounted how a cabin’s food stores becoming infested with maggots, leaving the campers to survive on one dilapidated fishing pole and hooks fashioned from tin cans. However embellished these legends were, there always remains a common thread. This final trip, suited only for the last year campers, was special. It was not until last year, the summer of 2015, that I completed The Maine Trails and began to understand why.

As I quickly discovered along the Appalachian Trail, the trip was unique because of its focus on the individual. Unlike canoeing, where teamwork is constantly necessary to paddle a two-person canoe, hiking is highly individualized. Physically, there is no room to walk side by side, thus forcing a single file line. Oftentimes, this line became staggered, causing me to have no visible companions along the trail. Just me, the trees, the rocks, the roots, and the wind.

While hiking anywhere from eight to fifteen miles daily, self reflection is inevitable. I derived various benefits from such deep introspection: mental relaxation and relief, improvement of self confidence, increased conviction, growth of character, and a heightened sense of appreciation and contentedness.

One moment in particular embodied my experience. It was my eighteenth morning hiking along the Appalachian Trail. The dawn drizzles had tapered off, grey clouds cleared above, and the morning sun peaked out from high on the horizon. My skin was callused near my shoulders and hips, where my forty pound pack’s straps had rubbed against for days. The trail had began to run parallel to the bank of a lake and our caravan of ten hikers spread out over a mile or two. Spring Peepers croaked from the water, birds chirped in the birch boughs above, and a beat of twigs cracked beneath my step. I found myself thinking, “It doesn’t get much better than this.”

I had a feeling of relaxation and freedom from stress, anxiety, or any pressure. The rhythm of my stride, accompanied by the sounds of my surroundings, had put me into a state of meditation. I recall reflecting on how simple everything was, and how “slow” I felt. There were no classes, no deadlines, and no rush. I had no access to electronics, media, or distractions. There was nobody to impress, judge, or worry for. The trail was simplicity. I had clarity. I felt free.

I thought “How did I get here?” I began thinking of my parents, and how year after year they supported my return to Kieve. And from there, emerged a great sense of appreciation and gratitude. I listed those who I was thankful for: My mom, my dad, my brother, my sister, my aunt, my uncle, my friends… The list went on. With each person on the list, I thought of an experience with them which made me smile. This, in turn, made me smile and laugh as I hiked. To an outsider, I may have looked silly, but I was happy and at peace.

Hiking the Appalachian Trail gave me confidence in myself and in my surroundings. There was no equivocation, indecisiveness, or societal influence. I knew “This is what I want to be doing, this is where I want to be, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks.” I recall reflecting upon this notion, and feeling quite surprised at how uncommonly I have thought it with true conviction.

While my walk along that lake’s bank has long since passed, the warm Maine morning’s residual impact persists. It has become my mantra. Even as I find myself less focused on the trees and birds around me, and more on my teacher’s red ink, I have found a way to center myself. Although I am not able to completely avoid the worries, stresses, and anxieties associated with my day, I am better at resisting negativity after completing last summer’s Maine Trails trip. The memory of that morning walk has functioned as a mechanism in which I meet this end. Whenever I feel down, I simply think of hiking along the Trail, with the sun glimmering in the lake’s reflection, and no other persons around me. I mentally list those who I am thankful for, and think of when they made me smile. Then, I begin to smile and gain the insight to discard my negative state of psyche.

The Maine Trails also yielded several social benefits. In only twenty-two days, I fostered inseparable friendships with six other boys who completed the journey alongside me- Kam, Mike, Marcus, Mac, George, and Toofs. Hand in hand with the creation of these bonds, was the strengthening of my leadership skills and ability to help in a group environment. When living in small tents and sharing everything from salt to socks, altruistism, kindness, and respect are necessary to ensure the success of the trip. There is no room for pettiness, bickering, or conflict. I learned to set aside my differences with others in order to be considerate, truthful, and helpful. From shouldering the weight of Marcus’ pack after he twisted an ankle, to pitching a tent in a downpour with George and Kam, I often found myself in uncomfortable situations. I quickly learned that in those circumstances, a leader is needed to inspire camaraderie and morale, and to guide less enthusiastic group members. With my judgment clear of negativity, I often filled that role and helped my friends persevere through adversity. In doing so, I helped the cabin fulfill Don Kennedy’s mission and reach the end of the Appalachian Trail at Mount Katahdin.

Countless others have discovered the invaluable benefits of wilderness tripping through firsthand experience. Dr. Stuart Harris, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Division of Wilderness Medicine and an experienced tripping guide for the National Outdoor Leadership School, has enormous insights into the benefits of a life outdoors. He notes that for teenagers especially “getting outside is a counterbalance to everything else going on one’s life, in the world. It allows room for independent intellectual exercise, it allows space for one to be separate from social pressures, and it can be tremendously affirming” (Harris). Harris notes maturation, learning, strengthening of self confidence, and physical growth as some beneficial influences of an immersion in nature. While derived from his own exposure to wilderness, each of Harris’ sentiments above resonate in my experience. He notes an increased growth of connection between individuals largely due to the absence of artificiality and the presence of some “perceived or real danger.” Harris explains “stripped of the silliness we sometimes indulge on a daily basis in more ‘civilized’ circumstances,” you learn to trust people in a way unlike any other. “You can actually get to know people really well in a pretty limited period of time.” Again, his beliefs strike a direct connection to my personal experience.

The wilderness is neither esoteric nor for the elite. It is a potential source of positive growth for all humans. This has been a topic of scientific scrutiny. At a recent symposium on the benefits of wilderness on mental health, faculty members of at Indiana University’s Environmental Health Department, led by Alan Ewert, presented a number of findings supporting this hypothesis. The Attention Restoration Theory (ART), suggests that the wilderness can act as a restorative setting and can enable recovery from “directed attention fatigue” (DAF). DAF can lead to “negative consequences such as inability to focus, performance errors, inability to plan, social incivility, and irritability.” Tests analyzing groups of people in restorative settings find that in accordance with ART, wilderness exposure “may be related to improved self-control, reduced attention deficit disorder (ADD) symptoms, and improved mood and memory” (Ewert et al. 141.

The psycho-evolutionary theory (PET), “emphasizes emotions and how exposure to nature can reduce stress reactions.” Studies based on PET suggest that the wilderness is therapeutic in that it can alleviate negative stress responses, which can have detrimental effects on one’s health and healing processes. While not actually immersed in the wilderness, one study supporting PET found “that recovery time decreased for hospital patients following gallbladder surgery who had rooms with natural views” (Ewert et al. 144).

The Biophilia Hypothesis, “invokes humankind’s historical relationship with the natural environment as creating an ingrained affinity that is key to our well-being.” When this innate connection is interrupted, there are negative emotional, psychological, and physical consequences (Ewert et al. 143). Recent studies of circadian rhythms, “the 24-hour biological clock that governs our sleep-wake cycle and other important biological functions,” support this theory (Breus). One experiment conducted at the University of Colorado, Boulder suggests that disruptions to circadian rhythms, easily caused by electronics and artificial light, “are associated with a number of serious and chronic health problems, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.” Researchers who monitored six men and two women found that only only one week of immersion in the wilderness can reset our circadian rhythms. As a result, the test subjects’ sleep patterns fell in sync with the solar cycle, and they better resisted insomnia (Breus).

The Indiana symposium presents data suggesting that wilderness experiences are especially beneficial when they “entail engaging with the landscape rather than viewing it.” It describes such methods of engaging with wilderness as Intentionally Designed Experiences (IDEs). Ewert’s team suggests experiences “in the natural environment can, and should be, purposeful in its planning and implementation in order to achieve the psychological and physical benefits of nature described by ART, PET, and biophilia.” Simply taking a spontaneous walk through one’s backyard green space will not deliver the true benefits of nature. In order to attain such positive influences, one must deliberately execute a planned trip through the wilderness (intentionally designed experience or IDE). First order benefits of IDEs include “achievement, restoration, empowerment and resilience.” Second order benefits include “improvement of self-systems (e.g., esteem, concept, awareness, efficacy), stress reduction, identity formation, and social support” (Ewert et al. 146). For me, the Long Voyage and the Maine Trails were the IDEs which unlocked these wilderness benefits.

These studies theorize why generations of Americans, countless Kieve campers, Dr. Stuart Harris, and I have all noted being benefitted by wilderness trips. Praised by so many different references as a source of great benefit, it is no surprise that wilderness tripping has remained part of the American identity. Through the era of Westward Expansion and Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur, to Emerson and Thoreau’s age of Transcendentalism and Romanticism, to Don Kennedy and the Progressive Era, Americans have celebrated the individuality, simplicity, and character of being in wild territory. These principles have carried over to the foundation of our political systems and ideologies. As a nation, we cherish freedom and equality. We value independence, models of masculinity, and hard work. And we respect the morales of simplicity, honesty, and perseverance. These American dogmas were created by men who learned from and were benefitted by the wilderness. From past presidents, to philosophers and preservationists, to founders of camps, our nation was largely constructed by men whose American identity meant having experience in the wild.

This collective American identity, coupled with my own experiences, have led me to consider wilderness tripping a significant aspect of my own identity. To me, this identity brings a sense of honor and connection. I am proud to continue the legacy left by Emerson, Thoreau, Muir, Roosevelt, and “Uncle” Don. I feel connected to my heritage as an American, and to our culture’s once prominent emphasis on wilderness experience. However, in 2015 as suburbia, metropolitan areas, and text messaging dominate the American social landscape, I find very few peers who share this sense of identity and honor. Wilderness experience, once an intrinsic component to the American identity, is decreasing in popularity. In 1920, less than one half of Americans lived in cities. Today, “more than eight in ten Americans live in cities, separated from the natural world by walls of concrete and steel”(“About NEEF”). In less than a century, wilderness IDEs have fallen from widespread public practice. Less and less citizens are experiencing the great benefits of wilderness. Instead, levels of stress, anxiety, depression, obesity, attention disorders, and insomnia have risen (“About NEEF”). The “frills” and trivial artificialities avoided by Kieve’s founding principles have also come to dominate lives of modern American youth (Camp Kieve: Courage, Perseverance & Loyalty). With this, the ideologies of Thoreau, Roosevelt, Hemingway, and Don Kennedy have fallen to the wayside.

Like in the Progressive Era, these concerns have galvanized movements to reinvigorate wilderness experience as a cornerstone of the American identity and increase environmental stewardship. IDE programs, such as Outward Bound and the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), offer rigorous wilderness tripping expeditions to adolescents. Educational organizations, such as The National Environmental Education Foundation, aim to “show Americans how much we need nature: how it sustains our lives, benefits our health, and enriches our souls” by educating physicians, politicians, and land managers (“About NEEF”). Smaller, grassroots non for profits strive to connect American inner city children to nature. In 2014, the Children & Nature Network worked to provide wilderness experiences to over 3.5 million children (“Mission & Vision”). In each effort, there is the common thread that wilderness experience has the potential to greatly benefits all Americans. If the collective effort can reinstall wilderness experience as a part of all the American identities, our society will improve. If more communities can function on a mission like Kieve’s, more Americans will be able to share my experience with the great benefits of wilderness tripping. When this happens, our nation will climb out from our cage of artificial constructs, pick up the baton left from our American forefathers, and will continue the trends which led President Johnson to speak from the White House Rose Garden on September 3, 1964 (Ziser 1251).

Works Cited

“About NEEF.” National Environmental Education Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015. The National Environmental Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization which aims to connect children with nature, gives an undated overview outlining its history, focus, and mission.

Breus, Michael J. “Could Camping Help Your Insomnia?” Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, LLC, 30 Aug. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2015. Breus, a clinical psychologist, gives a recent article suggesting that camping in nature can reset biological processes and improve human sleep cycles.

Camp Kieve: Courage, Perseverance & Loyalty. Nobleboro, ME: Kieve-Wavus, 2015. Print. An official publication of Camp Kieve, this new book records the history the camp through the 20th and 21st centuries.

Ewert, Alan, Jillisa Overholt, Alison Voight, and Chun Chieh Wang. “Understanding the Transformative Aspects of the Wilderness and Protected Lands Experience upon Human Health.” Science and Stewardship to Protect and Sustain Wilderness Values. Proc. of Ninth World Wilderness Congress Symposium, Yucatán, Mexico, Meridá. Comp. Alan Watson, Joaquin Murrieta, and Brooke McBride. Fort Collins, CO: Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 2011. 140–46. Proceedings RMRS-P-64. US Forest Service: Research & Development: Treesearch. Web. 11 Nov. 2015. Faculty members of Indiana University’s Environmental Health Department, Ewert, Overholt, Voight, and Wang, discuss scientific studies regarding the mental health benefits of wilderness immersion in this recent, peer reviewed symposium paper.

Harris, Stuart. Online interview. 7 Oct. 2015. Harris, current director of Massachusetts General Hospital’s Division of Wilderness Medicine, discusses the individual and social benefits of being immersed in wilderness areas.

“Henry David Thoreau.” Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1936. N. pag. U.S. History in Context. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. The Dictionary of American Biography, a compilation of numerous biographies of notable American figures, gives an older report, recounting and analyzing the life of Transcendentalist Philosopher Henry David Thoreau.

Johnson, Lyndon B. “Remarks Upon Signing the Wilderness Bill and the Land and Water Conservation Fund Bill.” White House Rose Garden, Washington, D.C. 3 Sept. 1964. The American Presidency Project. Web. 2 Nov. 2015. The 36th president of the United States, Johnson declares the ratification of two nature conservation bills in this older speech.

“Mission & Vision.” Children & Nature Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015. The Children & Nature Network, a nonprofit organization which aims to connect children with nature, gives an undated overview outlining its mission and founding history.

Van Slyck, Abigail A. “Summer Camps.” Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood: In History and Society. Ed. Paula S. Fass. Vol. 3. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. 798–800. World History in Context. Web. 11 Nov. 2015. Van Slyck, author of a book on the history of American summer camps, discusses the advent of summer camps and their effect on twentieth century American society in this relatively recent article.

Ziser, Michael G. “Wilderness.” American History Through Literature 1820–1870. Ed. Janet Gabler-Hover and Robert Sattelmeyer. Vol. 3. Detroit: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2006. 1251–258. U.S. History in Context. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. Professor of literary and cultural history before the Civil War at University of California, Davis, Ziser describes the cultural importance of wilderness in early America in this recent book chapter.

Andrew

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Andrew

Andrew is a student at Dartmouth College and a member of the GoPeer community. He is passionate about helping K-12 students achieve success and avoid stress!

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