Wilderness Therapy Essay

Sadly I won’t be talking about the actual trip; not about the beautiful mountains with snow blanketed over it, or the marmot attack with one stealing Chad Donze’s sock, or having our camp raided by a young bull moose, or having Nick Sims hit on a German waitress, or bear spray quick-draw contests, or Thomas Engelman plunging his feet into freezing water for over thirty minutes. I’m going to talk about possibly the most painful and agonizing

As we started along the trail, I worried about forgotten items and my decision to only bring one extra pair of socks. However, after a while, I became aware of a pair of birds chattering above me and the soft murmur of water trickling down a stream bed. After an hour of walking, the trail starts winding back on itself in a series of switchbacks. The chatter between my family members slows down, as we soon struggled to breathe from exhaustion. Sometimes I was hunched over so far from my load that I would stare at my rubber-toed boots and forget to look up at the majestic trees surrounding me.

The article “Camping for Their Lives” is written by Scott Bransford. The main idea that he was trying to get across to his audience was that when people cannot make ends meet, one might end up in an undesirable living situation such as tent cities as referred to in the story. In the beginning of the story, a couple from California named Marie and Francisco were introduced. Unable to afford a mortgage or lease, they took upon themselves and found a piece of land located in downtown Fresno. They gathered materials and made a home to the best of their abilities. Marie acknowledged that the way they lived was unorthodox but she did not complain. She made it clear that she wanted an actual home with appliances but she was grateful for what she had. People are blaming the

Transitioning from my comfortable sixty degree waterside house to a one hundred degree tent was challenging. I had to live independently, collaborate with others from different states, and work past my heat tolerance. The isolated enclosement known as my campsite was dirty, cramped, and reeked from the stench of porta-potties baking in the southern sun. Limited showers made everyone all the more uncomfortable around each other. I wake, aching from sleeping on the ground,

On a sunny, steamy summer day in mid-July, as I passed under a bronze archway reading Rocky River Ranch, little did I know what the future held. Camp life was a 180-degree turn from the peace and quiet I was used to in my calm home. Being an only child from a household with two loving parents, my life lacked conflict. As a shy, introverted person I quickly had to adapt to a place full of endless chatter, interaction, and wacky songs. I was nervous about my ability to make such a difficult transition, but the love and positivity abound at camp simplified the shift.

This past summer my family went on a vacation out west to Zion National Park, Utah. In Zion, we saw many amazing things, but nothing could compare to our trip to the top of Angel's Landing. The morning of our hike we were scheduled to leave our hotel by six o’clock. It was cold and foggy and all I had on was a pair of shorts, a tank top, and my new black hiking sandals; nonetheless, I was freezing. When we finally got to the shuttle bus stop there were very few people there. On the shuttle bus ride, my anxiety about going on this hike was growing even more.

With a title such like “Camping for Their Lives”, one might think that the article will discuss people living completely on their own in nature, like a “Survivor” or a “Man vs. Wild”, but this title could be misleading. The article speaks about poor communities such as Hoovervilles, and how many people are scavenging and living in and out of tents just to survive. Camping for their Lives by Scott Bransford addresses a critical issue that in today’s world, and provides an emotional impact to those living in these communities, as well as statistics and expert opinions about these areas.

I was brought up in a broken family where education was not a priority. I was shipped around from relative to relative and eventually I ended up in being place a couple of group homes. I was what some might call a problem child. I once went to a wilderness camp, there I learned a lot about surviving of the land and team work. This started my love affair with the great outdoors. I am grateful for the lessons that were taught to me. I learned to hunt, fish, and live off of the land. There are all things that I continue to love in my life now.

The path leading back towards the campground was very narrow and very, very rocky. So much so that we were forced to park the cars in a small clearing and proceed on foot, about a mile down this path, to reach the campground. I quietly dreaded the idea of lugging all of our gear and supplies down this derelict mountain trail, but I did not voice my displeasure as this trip was something I had been looking forward to for a significant period of time now. As I hoisted my backpack onto my back and slung my large duffle bag over one shoulder, I thought of the hour I spent packing the day before, and secretly admonished myself for including those 2 extra flashlights, 5 extra pairs of socks, and 6 bottles of Gatorade in my list of "absolutely essential items" for the trip. I wished that I could just remove them from my bag and leave them in the trunk of the car, but as my father surely would have pointed out "it's better to have and not need, than to need and not have". God bless the old

Now in December I spent more time in camp’s 15 passenger van than at camp, and my usual spot was the third-row back, but no company to share the spot. Again, I felt rejected, even though I kept putting myself out there and be in the group photos, but it was to no avail. Life now swirled with the unknown, doubt, insecurity, and hurt, and I felt as though I was alone in my battles.

Only the strong and smart survive the wilderness. The wilderness has a lot of difficult challenges and you have to make sure you can survive them before you go in the wilderness. Animals that survive the wilderness are strong, smart, and know how to protect themselves. Other animals don't survive when going into the wilderness because they don't have the natural instincts to do so.

It was a calm, overcast day, and I found myself resting at the side of a large oak tree, admiring the beauty of the woods that surrounded me.

Long distance hiking not only helps you physically, but an also help you grow mentally. Many suggest hiking as a therapeutic experience. On long distance hikes, the hiker distances themselves from the trivialities of modern day society and funnels all their attention on only themselves and the trail. This dissociation from life allows the hiker to forget any anxieties they had before the start of their journey. Hiking connects you with nature, appreciating it in its entirety. Hikers takes themselves out of their daily lives and join many others with a similar goal, entering into an accepting community of fellow hikers. Hiking can also boost creativity, as it disconnects one from technology and modern conveniences. They instead must rely on the items in their pack and what they can find in nature. Long distance hiking is considered a form of therapy evoking feelings of creativity, disconnection from civilization, and community.

We humans are social animals. We normally prefer others around us and enjoy sharing experiences with others. In some situations, some of us like to experience the world alone. If the empty, open trail beckons you, then solo hiking might be what you’re looking for. There may be potential consequences when solo hiking which you need to be prepared to deal such as being prepared for solo hiking, and the dangers of solo hiking.

Subsequently, my mother saw my pain and decided to relocate back to Atlanta. I became acquainted with some children from the wrong side of the tracks and my life began to spiral out of control. I would stay out late on school nights and often missed school because I thought hanging out with my new found family was more important. Soon my grades began to plummet. I saw no way to bring up my grades and decided to drop out of high school in the twelfth grade.