Two years ago I walked away from a failed relationship and retreated into the woods.

The short version of this story should read that a broken man escapes into the forest to find himself, nature, his personal Jesus; then emerges forever changed. It really doesn’t quite work out that way in the real world. I am still out here, out in the woods.

My new universe consists of 20 acres located one half mile past the nearest road. Upon departing that nearest road I am more likely to see, hear, or encounter owls, coyotes, bears or birds rather than another human. The nearest two legged neighbors are about ¾ of a mile away. There is a recreational trail that passes through my property and although it is at best sporadic, that is my most consistent source of human interaction. My cabin is heated by a wood stove with the fuel for that harvested on site, hygiene is by a wood fired sauna and camp showers, sanitation by a privy. Water is blessedly supplied by a nearby artesian well or hauled in.

Getting in and out that first winter was by snow shoes or by ski on the trail or by snowmobile. Every bag of groceries, drop of water, clean and dirty laundry, and refuse was pulled in or out on an Otter sled. Occasionally a hardy soul would make the trek in and visit. Some would gingerly inquire about my well being, which may have been code speak for a sanity check. Others expressed envy of being removed from the trappings of this currently insane modern world. Getting there made it so much more than a casual visit, and the effort made by those visitors demonstrated that I have worth to them. I will remember each of you until my last breath.

That winter of self-exile was indeed mentally difficult. Being so isolated and alone left nothing but time to think. Such introspection bares mistakes and misjudgment, missed or failed opportunities, wrongs, and so many other thoughts and memories we usually dare not revisit. I reached out to those I had wronged and asked for forgiveness and offered forgiveness to those who had wronged me. The funny thing about seeking redemption is that you don’t always get the answer you long for. I took stock of those around me and told my loved ones I love them.

The woods, however, are the perfect environment for such introspection. The woods are a place of symmetry and repetition. Seasons come and go, species rest and awaken, a tree falls and within a season dozens of upstarts are racing towards the sunlight beaming through the fresh opening in the canopy created by the demise of the former occupant. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Such stately rhythm and order melts away the internal chaos that the human mind so revels in.

There is remarkable strength and resilience in the woods. The tree so tortured and twisted about by winds quietly returns to her elegant form upon the passing of a storm, sans some leaves and dead wood. Coyotes and owls eek out a meager living in the cold and barren winter only to bask in the better times that come with a world that inevitably turns green and teeming with awakened creatures.

There is constant song in the woods, often more than that provided by the usual songbird suspects. The coyotes eerily howl on cold winter nights. Their yips and the taunts at their doomed prey makes the hair on the back of the human neck alert. The loons mournful and haunting roll call rolls up and down the lake early each summer morning. The owls sound their haunting calls each and every night. “Who cooks for you?” the nosy barred owl woefully queries in his best Vincent Price voice.

I ask myself if this has all been worth it and the answer is resounding yes. Many a night was bitter cold, painfully lonely, or profoundly dark as I looked ever deeper inward; truly nights one wishes could be forgotten. But there are also so many happy times. Human encounters of shared warmth and friendship. There are meteoric encounters never to be forgotten.

My goals for the coming year are to expand upon and to further utilize these lessons learned, to find greater inner peace and tranquility. I hope to find love and companionship. Perhaps she will find me. I hope to have my cabin finished before the permits expire. I hope to make new friends and have many more campfires. I hope to take more saunas and go skinny dipping more often.

Fate willing, tomorrow I will awaken and take the first tentative steps into the third year of this grand adventure. I am ready.

To be continued…..

All contents of this website are copyright by G. Nasi, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026. All rights reserved.