What is it about the outdoors?

December 17, 2007 by: Grant

My wife is from Chicago (not downtown but the south suburbs). Even so, the pace is quite different than what I am used to. It’s not like I’m this country boy that grew up rounding up cattle on a ranch or something, but I find the speed of life there a little too fast, and just a smidge out of my comfort zone.

This being a relatively new blog, we wanted to come up with a few basic questions to get things rolling. So I have asked my city-slicker wife and a few other more seasoned outdoors(wo)men to come up with some outdoors questions. My wife’s first question was, “What is it about the outdoors?”

Now I believe it is basic human nature to every once in a while desire to breathe the air that is on the other side of your front door…the fresh kind! But what is it that drives someone to sit in a tree stand for hours on end knowing that quite possibly they may not even catch a glimpse of their prey. What is it that would drive someone to hop into a canoe…in February…in Michigan to go camping for a few days in three feet of snow? Why would someone hike from Maine to Georgia? That’s insane. Why are these uncomfortable situations sometimes, for some people the most comfortable?

The answer will vary from person to person, but for me there are a few basic underlying themes that draw this guy that carries the “outdoors gene” outdoors. (Don’t worry…if you don’t have the outdoors gene it can be acquired).

For me, it takes me back to my youth. I was the kid who didn’t have a Nintendo. I didn’t want one and didn’t need one. I spent most of my childhood playing basketball, baseball, and soccer. The only time that I spent inside was eating, sleeping, and of course doing homework. To add flame to fire, my dad and his five brothers have passed on quite a heritage of hunting and outdoorsmanship to the next generation of our family. I did and still do love to be outside.

The outdoors is also a place where old memories are re-lived and new ones are created. The time in my life that I spend in the outdoors with those that are closest to me is irreplaceable. It’s not just the time though, but rather the quality of that time. Don’t get me wrong, I love to sit down and shoot the bull with the old man while we are hanging out in his back garage, but when dad and I are hunting together that bond is amplified ten times over. The same goes with friends. Sometimes I think that nothing will solidify a relationship more than some quality time in the woods together.

Finally, the thing that wraps all these things together for me, the thing that gives it all a back-bone is the Creator. I believe so often people are looking for God in every nook and cranny of life. Spiritual self-help books, other people’s approval and even the church. To me if you want to hear God then listen to the creation. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4, 97:6). There’s nothing like turning that corner on a trail and seeing that spectacular view that words can’t capture. There’s nothing like watching whitetail deer in their element. There’s nothing like walking through a forest of pines, and to me all these things testify to the one who created them.

So what’s your story? Why do you escape to the great outdoors? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

- Grant

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