The Wild Places

A book by Robert MacFarlane.

I have been meaning to read this book now for considerable time.  Always something seemed to get in the way ranging from another book to sheer forgetfulness.  Eventually though its turn came.

Glad it did.

Partly it was about trying to reconnect to Roger Deakin, and extracting vestiges of his world.  One of the books which got in the way of this one, was Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household, one of Rogers favourite books.

Rogue Male had inspired a journey and a section in Wildwood by Roger Deakin, and this adventure is also recounted in The Wild Places. Roger and Robert had done the trip together.  They had planned more but Roger fell ill.

The Wild Places is beautifully written and the book itself shoots of branches into other books, continually referencing books as the start point to various adventures.

MacFarlane puts himself through some pretty extreme experiences, Ben Hope, was obviously quite the adventure and is referred back to a lot in the subsequent text.  Why not, a night alone on a mountain top in sub zero temperature lives long in the mind (and imagination).

As the book progresses so does Robert’s concept of wilderness, it moves from the traditional concept of wild, the blasted mountain top, the bleak moor, too the insect life under the bark of a rotting tree.

Wild is all around us, you just have to know what you are looking at.

I sort of knew this, but I needed to be re-told.  As I plan the excursions of the year, they are too wild places, these are the peaks od my wilderness experience, but its only going to be a short part of the year.  Like anything, you have to enjoy the “getting there”.  The walks to gain a bit of fitness, to try and see them as a small adventure in themselves rather than just the “plod” to get used to the pack weight once more.

The need to practice, refine the skillset to enhance the experience should never be underestimated.

This book reminded me, everything is in the detail.