9 No Easy Path by Jay

I’ve had the opportunity to work outdoors many times and for many different reasons throughout my life. I simply enjoy the outdoors and consider it as much as a sanctuary as some consider their living room or bedroom. Out of the many fond memories of working outdoors, cutting and collecting firewood would have to be my favorite.

The complete isolation and absence of society brings a whole different environment and range of feelings.

Nature’s classroom is unlike any other, and the lessons are trial by fire. It’s in this environment which I thrive and am currently considering at least a side career doing something in the outdoors.

One thing that is both a wonderful yet hindering that presents itself deep in the woods is that there usually is no easy path. In my free time, I love this. I’ve never been one to stick to a path and often find myself exploring without care. Of course, when I have a job to do, the thick underbrush and dense vegetation can pose as obstacles.

Rolling huge tree rounds over detritus scattered everywhere or up and down the rolling hills to get them back to the truck can be challenging. However, I found that removing the bark and the more sizable limbs makes the rounds easier to roll. Or in some cases, leaving limbs on allows me to use them as leverage to forge a new path.

Once back at the truck I had to create ramps or devise other tricks to get the rounds into the truck. Doing this routine once or twice was not an issue; I was young and healthy at the time and felt invincible. Like most people, I always seemed to underestimate the sheer size a full-grown poplar tree or related species can grow to. To put it simply, it was tough work with constant challenges to overcome and a lot of problem-solving on my part.

Like with all the work I did outdoors, the environment impacted me in a profound way. The fresh crisp air and earthy smells give me energy and clarity that I don’t experience elsewhere. The orchestra that is nature calms me, especially in those moments after I drop a log on my foot for the tenth time that day. The fluttering of leaves is what I picture before bed on stressful nights during the hard times.

It’s in this landscape that work is no longer work but rather an experience to enjoy and prolong. I have come to realize that life for me begins and ends in the middle of nowhere, miles away from the busy ways of common society.

It is because of my obsession with nature that I would like to look for something in the national parks for my next profession. Unfortunately, I cannot chase my real dream of being a marine biologist until I can find a way of having enough financial freedom to support my family comfortably. Working in the outdoors in some capacity, whether fulltime or as a side job, would be fulfilling until I can make my dream a reality.

No matter what happens during my day, my day still ends with me contemplating working or recreating in the outdoors, a place that speaks to my soul.