Exploration in order to find you

Hi All! I'm back online now full-time at the house! I've enjoyed reading some of your comments and thoughts. I have been tabbing the essays that I truly enjoy as I read this book. I almost through part three and have really enjoyed it. There are certain moments (I think I may have written before) that I can completely relate to my own travel experiences or other aspects that I relate to the moments I hope to have, particularly when he speaks of some of his experiences in Africa- something I still plan to do when I'm done here in the UK. To reflect on some of your comments, I do think my travels have greatly shaped who I am. I have been so incredibly fortunate to be able to travel abroad and throughout the US from a very young age. I think many of my early travels in Europe and Mexico left me with an open mind, a greater appreciation and kindness for others and their differences, and fueled my ever-growing thirst to continue exploring. Living in the UK now, I think it has not changed the core of who I am; it has, however, changed how I feel about myself. I feel much stronger having moved so far away from home in that I have a greater sense of independence and self-sufficience. It's amazing all the little things you do by yourself for the first time when you have no one around you can trust to help you.


Theroux's discussion of wilderness also struck a familiar chord with me. In The Maine Woods, he discusses the effect of being in the wilderness: "It is simply impossible to explain except in metaphysical terms, yet who wants to hear a camping trip deconstructed as a critical aspect of enlightenment? The motives of this effort are a personal matter. . . None the less, it is nearer to the truth to understand this passion of solitary skiing along narrow forest trails in the winter as an exploration of the heart and mind- an inner journey." The second time I read this paragraph, I realized it could come off as sounding a bit trite. But there is an unexplainable phenomenon about spending time isolated from the modern world and immersing yourself in the natural world. My experiences in Alaska, Arkansas and Texas on some of my larger expeditions have played such a significant role in who I am. When I think of all the memories in Alaska sea kayaking for the month and my canoe trip down the Rio Grande. It is in the moments of darkness that were most memorable. Granted, I was in a group of people, but I still made the opportunities for solitude. Finding a spot along the banks of the Rio falling asleep counting endless shooting stars (or "shooters" as we called them); going to sleep alone my last night among the mountains and forests of Prince William Sound, to wake up a few hours later, still in darkness but with the glow of the Northern Lights for the first time. The effect these experiences have had on me are what drive me to continue to travel and explore various new things; it is also why I believe so strongly in the power of travel, exploring and wilderness for youth development.