Empowerment

The task of living outdoors in a national wilderness setting provides many opportunities for empowerment. I found two definitions online that I found accurately reflected my understanding of empowerment. 1) Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social or economic strength of individuals and communities. 2) Acting with confidence.

Today was a perfect example of this new "wilderness empowerment." Over breakfast, I mentioned casually that I would like to learn how to cut wood thinking it would be a task I would complete in the time frame of a few years to never. My fellow grad student happily announced that he was just about to go chop wood and would I like to join him. I spent the morning bucking (cutting) and limbing trees using, not only hand saws and files, but a twenty pound, gas-powered power chain saw. There is a certain amount of adrenaline that courses through the body as you lift a chain saw and begin tackling a downed tree. A certain feeling of empowerment.

Living in this new environment breeds a certain "can do" attitude which is not only invigorating but liberating as well. Learning how to handle bear spray, embracing the experience of removing mice from traps, navigating the national park are all new, exciting, and empowering. Tomorrow I will try my hand at splitting wood and we will set up our workshop to begin building a bench with our newly chopped wood. Pictures to come...