Growing up wilderness
Growing up wilderness series#
To cap off this continuing series of reminders about the importance of the wilderness in kids' lives, a few days after returning home I went to see Richard Linklater’s remarkable film Boyhood. But the fact is that most of our teens are in some way at risk and can benefit equally from these programs. As in many of the programs across the country, the focus is on using the wilderness experience to help at-risk kids. Synchronistically, just after we returned, my wife found this article about a program that uses nature photography to help at-risk teens. Each of these encounters reminds me of how little the connection between kids and the wilderness is part of the school experience, and I'm reinforced in my belief that this should be a priority in all schools. Every time we explore these parks, we are not only personally renewed and infused with a feeling of being alive that often gets lost in our routinized lives, but we always meet and/or observe kids of all ages who I know are also having very meaningful experiences. I'm sure it was a first time for each of these kids.įinding Power and Meaning in the Natural World and, with the Overland leaders, were filled with an excitement and energy that I rarely see in teens in their daily lives in school. "It is my inspiration." She was familiar with Edutopia, and I told her she'd find writing here that could also be a help.Ī few days later, we were hiking on Mount Washburn in Yellowstone National Park, and as we descended, we met a group of multiracial teenagers coming up the mountain who were part of the Overland Summer Program. I mentioned Richard Louv's marvelous book Last Child in The Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, and her face lit up. On one of our ranger-led hikes in the park, I met a young woman who was picking up additional ideas to bring the wilderness experience into her work with preschool children. We were each alive with vibrant energy, and even the rain was part of that. It started to rain and we all got soaked, but the feeling of connection we had with these students and the joy coming from each of us as we continued to walk and talk in the rain became part of what was a peak experience. It’ll be exciting to see what they do next year – although if 2021 is anything to go by, it might be hard to get a ticket.My wife and I were recently hiking up a beautiful canyon in Glacier National Park and joined a small group of college students on a research trip with their botany teacher. Still, it feels somehow bigger and more ambitious than it ever was before – perhaps a function of the fact that it is now put on by Festival Republic, the behemoth producers behind Reading and Leeds, Wireless, Latitude and many more.
And the “Wilderness Proms” – this is the only festival with its own orchestra – satisfies the more esoteric sensibilities of the crowd. The glamping is truly “glam” (my tent has a carpet and a double bed). The chef’s table, an in-the-round dining experience which overlooks the lake, is a particularly bougie highlight (props to chef Elizabeth Haigh).
Growing up wilderness free#
The therapy tent (offering free one-to-one sessions for the entirety of the weekend) is also never without a few curious passersby.īut Wilderness has not totally shed its posh persona. Equipped with their own stage for talks, this grassy area, tucked away down in a dip in the hills, also now has a space for those in AA and NA to find solace or support when necessary. It’s also worth mentioning that this year, Wilderness’s calmer, more meditative space, The Sanctuary, has stepped up a gear.
Wilderness – now in its 10th year – is finally stepping out of the long shadow of the former prime minister. In fact, despite biblical downpours and a few last-minute changes to the line-up, the energy and ambition of the programming has drawn a particularly buzzy and up-for-it post-lockdown crowd. But it is also one of the most beautifully appointed and thoughtful festivals on the British roster. David Cameron was pictured there in 2017 (which The Guardian called “a good reason to give up festivals”), as was Princess Beatrice in 2019, raving in the VIP area alongside men in chinos, clutching bottles of Whispering Angel rosé.Ĭome to think of it, “Things overheard at Wilderness Festival” would make for a delightfully snippy Twitter thread: “He’s only two but he’s very specific about how he likes his babyccino” “That bit that says ‘general camping’ is where the proletariat go when the music stops” “Apparently there’s a secret orgy at the Togetherness tent at 2am”. “Is Wilderness posh?” is the most Googled thing about Wilderness Festival.