The View From

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Listening PointNEWSLETTER Listening Point Foundation, Inc.

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“Why Wilderness?”Nearly 70 years ago, Sigurd Olson wrote an essay

for American Forests magazine. Simply titled “WhyWilderness?” the piece examined the value ofwilderness experience to the human mind, heart, andculture.

Today, these sorts of themes receive robust debateand discussion in literary, scientific, and activist circles.That was not the case in 1938, however, when this essayappeared.

At this time, Sig was still more than 15 years awayfrom publication of his first book, The SingingWilderness. While this essay is perhaps not a reflectionof Sig’s best writing, in it are voiced themes and valuesthat resonated through the rest of his career as a writerand activist, and have inspired countless people whofollowed him.

By Sigurd OlsonIn some men, the need of unbroken country, primitive

conditions, and intimate contact with the earth is a deeply rootedcancer gnawing forever at the illusion of contentment with thingsas they are. For months or years this hidden longing may gounnoticed and then, without warning, flare forth in an all-consuming passion that will not bear denial. Perhaps it is thepassing of a flock of wild geese in the spring, perhaps the soundof running water or the smell of thawing earth that brings thetransformation. Whatever it is, the need is more than can be bornewith fortitude, and for the good of their families and friends, andtheir own restless souls, they head toward the last frontiers andescape.

I have seen them come to the “jumping-off places” of theNorth, these men whereof I speak. I have seen the hunger in theireyes, the torturing hunger for action, distance, and solitude, and achance to live as they will. I know these men and the craving thatis theirs; I know also that in the world today there are only twotypes of experience which can put their minds at peace, the wayof wilderness or the way of war.

As a guide in the primitive lake regions of the Hudson’s Baywatershed, I have lived with men from every walk of life, havelearned to know them more intimately than their closest friends athome, their dreams, their hopes, their aspirations. I have seenthem come from the cities down below, worried and sick at heart,and have watched them change under the stimulus of wildernessliving into happy, carefree, joyous men to whom the successful

taking of a trout or the running of a rapids meant far more than therise and fall of stocks and bonds. Ask these men what it is theyhave found, and it would be difficult for them to say. This they doknow, that hidden back there in the country beyond the steel andthe traffic of towns is something real, something as definite as lifeitself, that for some reason or other is an answer and a challengeto civilization.

At first, I accepted the change that was wrought in such menwith the matter-of-factness of any woodsman, but as the yearswent by, I began to marvel at the infallibility of the wildernessformula. I came to see that here was a way of life as necessary andas deeply rooted in some men as the love of home and family, avital cultural aspect of life which brought happiness and lastingcontent.

The idea of wilderness enjoyment is not new. Since thebeginning of time poets have sung of the healing power ofsolitude and of communion with nature, but for them thewilderness meant the joys of contemplation. Typical of this toneof interpretation is Thoreau with his “tonic of wildness,” but tohim the wild meant the pastoral meadows of Concord and WaldenPond, and the joy he had, though unmistakably genuine, did notapproach the fierce, unquenchable desire of my men of today. Forthem, the out-of-doors is not enough; nor are the delights ofmeditation. They need the sense of actual struggle andaccomplishment, where the odds are real and where they know

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A seemingly simple question can change livesand our world.

We started our annual autumnal beach hikealong the northern shore of Lake Mille Lacs. The

early morning cloud cover wasbreaking up as a cool breeze puffedfrom the north. A few of the childrenran ahead, with some of the adults intow, while others paused to examinewhat the lake recently deposited onshore. Ancient bobbers, gnarleddriftwood, fish skeletons and clumpsof a strange-looking round plant wereamong the many items that capturedour attention and fueled ourimaginations.

Among the hikers was my 11-year-old son, John. For as manyyears, from that first year in his

backpack to, by the next year, on the ground and atthe height of a toddler, he experienced this laststretch of what we call Mille Lacs’ wilderness. Overthe years, with our friends, we have all come toknow the ever-changing beach as shaped by thewindswept lake and the effects of its crashingwaves.

On this visit, the water level was the lowest ithad been in many decades. This situation left a fewlarge power boats stranded on newly formedsandbars far from shore and exposed the otherwisehidden, spindly legs of the docks yet in the water.Moving toward the last part of undevelopedlakeshore, we discovered and walked on peninsula-shaped sandbars that were at least three meters wideand extending out 10 to 15 meters from the beach.These new, natural creations of the low water leveland variety of wave action captivated and alarmedus. Among the adults, we saw this as another localeffect of global climate change.

John, too, was formulating some ideas aboutthe changes taking place on the beach. It was hisnext question, though, that took the wind out of me.

We were walking side by side when he paused,looked up at me and asked, “how long will we live?”

After some followup discussion, I came tobetter understand John and what was wrapped in hisquestion. Even at his young age, John understandsthat all humans need clean air, water, food, and openspaces to play in and explore. He sees the adverseeffects human activity is having on the naturalenvironment that supports life.

How does one answer John’s question?Complex moral, social, political, economic,

environmental, and scientific issues surround hisquestion. At the same time, each of us has a stake inand, to some degree, can take immediate action toshape the answer to John’s question.

John’s question prompts me to re-dedicatemyself to working on solutions to protect our life-sustaining environment, including the importantwilderness component. Please join me in renewingyour commitment to preserve the natural andhistorical integrity of Listening Point and to carry onSigurd Olson’s legacy of wilderness education.

By working together, we can protect our life-sustaining environment and send a tangible andhopeful message to this and future generations.Thank you. l

—Tim Rudnicki

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Letter from the Chair

InsideNotes from the Board 3Activities, Events & Updates 4Membership Form 5Book Review 6Stories of Sig 7Gift Shop 102006 Donors 11

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Trail Builder: Martin KelloggThis article, featuring LPF board member Martin Kellogg, firstappeared in the Summer 2006 issue of Minnesota Trails, and isused here with permission.

How did you get involved in protectingparkland?

Growing up in Minnesota ofteninvolved outdoor experiences such ashunting and fishing where city limits werequite visible and an open countryside nearby.It was a place where there could hardly be athought that wide-open outdoor experienceswould ever be in short supply. It was alandscape where “No Trespassing” signswere rare.

That idyllic impression of the outdoorsbegan to fade in the early ‘60s as populationand disposable incomes increased and urbansprawl became familiar in word and deed. Itwas about that time that I happened tobecome involved in a committee establishedby the Minneapolis Chamber of Commercewith a charter to study and recommend waysto boost “Tourism and Outdoor Recreation”in Minnesota.

Following a yearlong study, thecommittee identified many opportunities.Gov. Elmer L. Anderson (1960-1962), whoalso served on the committee, was behind anidea to designate the St. Croix River as aWild and Scenic River. This idea reallystruck home for I had earlier discovered theSnake River tributary to the St. Croix whereI had spent many pleasant days canoeing andfishing.

The Snake River was almost a secret,winding through woods and dairy farms onits way to join the St. Croix. Almostinstantaneously I began noticing ads in thepaper for riverfront lots on the Snake.Before long, I met the seller who describedan ingenious discovery of river hideaways atdairy farm prices. The understanding struckme right between the eyes that the greatoutdoors I loved was forever “For Sale” andin an accelerating mode. Thus began asecond career as a volunteer rescuer of theoutdoors.

What motivates you to continue this effort?Each person who can recite a similar awakening to action

and resolve will know what I have experienced—a deepsatisfaction with our mutualaccomplishments and a realization that weneed not stand alone, jaws agape, and watchour natural world slip away.

One of our good friends in thismovement often expressed a concern thatthere were too many conservation-orientedorganizations and that we should all bandtogether in a single powerful organization. Iargue that we need them all, each with itsmission and focus, and each building itsband of volunteers ready to reach out on acritical issue in a united effort while notlosing sight of its special objectives.

That is why I not only have been anactive member of the Parks and TrailsCouncil of Minnesota for more than 40years, but also active or supportive of anumber of other organizations committed toprotecting our great outdoors.

What do you see on the horizon forparkland protection efforts?

With these many organizationsneeding support, it is sometimes difficult togive each its just returns in labor or funds.Such a situation is a good time for creativethinking. Perhaps a remainder gift in a willor trust will resolve the dilemma. In somecases idle assets such as a life insurancepolicy could be directed.

My only regret is that there have notbeen more days to enjoy the comradeship ofthe good hearts and minds that frequent thebastions of protection for our naturalresources. Yet I am more than rewarded by avision that someday there will be stillanother person walking through someparkland wondering as I have wondered,who were the thoughtful people whoseforesight kept this beautiful landscape freeof development and free for the public toenjoy? l

Martin Kellogg

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“Each person who canrecite a similar

awakening to action andresolve will know what I

have experienced—a deepsatisfaction with our

mutual accomplishmentsand a realization that we

need not stand alone,jaws agape, and watchour natural world slip

away.”

—Martin Kellogg

The View From Listening Point

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L P F A C T I V I T I E S , E V E N T S & U P D A T E S

u January 2007: Booya LPF fundraiser dinner, sponsoredby “Friends of Sigurd Olson.” For more information pleasecontact Al Knutson at 612-789-0904.

u Date to be announced: Annual SFO BirthdayAnniversary luncheon to be held in St. Paul, Minn.

u This past summer and fall the Point hosted an exceptionalnumber of interested and supportive visitors. Some of the largergroups included: Isaak Walton League of Minnesota (30 people);The Trust for Public Land (30); International Wolf Center AlphaGroup (20); the staff of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Instituteat Northland College in Ashland, Wis. (12); an Elder Hostel groupfrom Vermilion Community College (12); and the VermillionWilderness Management Class (12). Many other smaller visitorgroups and indivudials also enjoyed a visit to the Point thisseason.

Once again, Vermilion Community College joined LPF incoordinating a summer internship program that helped guidevisitor tours at the Point. This past summer’s intern, MiccaLeider, writes:

“This past summer Vermilion Community College onceagain held tours for Sigurd Olson’s Listening Point. We hada grand total of 59 people coming from all across the UnitedStates attend this summer’s tours.

In addition to visiting the point, we also added a visit toSig’s home and his writing shack. Many people thought thiswas an excellent idea since it gave them even more insightinto Sig’s life and writings. We were fortunate enough to havebeautiful weather during each of the tours which enhancedthe brilliance of the natural beach, the Point itself and Sig’srustic cabin. The Listening Point Foundation is continuingthese tours for next summer, so plan ahead and come learnabout the legacy of Sigurd F. Olson.”

Coming Up...

u The effort to gain recognition for Listening Point from theNational Register of Historic Places continues. In September,consultant Dave Anderson, from Waukon, Iowa, began work onthe writing and completion of the National Register of HistoricPlaces application form. Dave spent the day at the writing shackand at Listening Point taking notes and photos to include in the

documentation. The processincludes submission to theMinnesota State Historical Society,which reviews the application andsends it with recommendations tothe National Register office inWashington D.C.

u Milt Stenlund honored: In June, LPF Vice-Chair ChuckWick presented a commendation plaque to Milt Stenlund uponMilt’s retirement from the Board of Directors.The plaqueacknowledged Milt’s role as a charter member of the Board, hisyears of support, his unique contributions as an old friend of Sigand Listening Point, his quiet counsel, and the pleasure of his

company. Milt will be sorelymissed.

Activities, Events & Updatesu LPF enjoyedanother good year atEly’s 2006 BlueberryArts Festival. The LPFbooth attracted manyvisitors, including newvolunteers, and manystories were shared. Itwas a verysuccessfulthree-day event for theFoundation.

u The North American Association for EnvironmentalEducation (NAAEE) Conference took place Oct. 10-14, 2006,in St. Paul, Minn. LPF Advisory Board members David Backesand Clayton Russell were featured presenters at the conference.LPF hosted an information table during the “Share Fair” portionof the conference—an opportunity for non-profit organizationsto meet with conference attendees and share information.

u The new Minneapolis Central Public Library features a“Sigurd Olson Chair,” thanks to the efforts of Martin & EstherKellogg, Chuck Dayton, Becky Rom & Reid Carron, StevePiragis, Byron Starns, and Jim Lenfestey. The chair, featuringSig’s name and a plaque, is located in the library auditorium.

u Members of the Parks & Recreation Club from VermillionCommunity College, led by instructor Bill Tefft, spent a day atthe Point relocating the path to the actual Point on the lake. Thecrew moved stones, cleared brush, and added gravel, making thepath safer and not as steep—and easier for visitors to navigate.

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Consultant Dave Anderson, at left,is guided around Listening Pointby Chuck Wick

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Milt Stenlund, at right, withhis wife Althea accept aplaque from Chuck Wick.Al

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Blueberry Arts Festival visitors stopby the Listening Point Foundationbooth to share stories and learnmore.

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u Endowment fund established: A Listening PointFoundation endowment fund was established in the fall of2005. Now, a year later, we would like to officially announcethe name of this gift: The George and Donna ArbaughEndowment Fund.

Establishment of this endowment will help to ensure thepreservation of Listening Point and the furthering of SigurdOlson’s wilderness education ethic for generations to come.

Donna Arbaugh puts it best, in her own words:

“My husband George and I grew up and attendedcollege in the Midwest, moving to the Pacific Northwest in1959. By that time we had built a modest cabin on a lovelylake near Ely, Minnesota.

“Because George was a college professor and I, too,had summer vacations, we lived three months a year at ourlake cabin. Sigurd Olson's writings were an important partof our lives, leading us to an appreciation of the SigurdOlson Institute at Northland College and becomingmembers of the Heritage Society in 2004.

“After my first visit to Listening Point in September of2004, it became very evident to me that the Listening PointFoundation should also be supported in a significant way.The Foundation's mission to keep Sigurd Olson’s legacyalive and to support wilderness education on all levels is acritical importance.”

Listening Point Foundation Contribution FormName: _________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________

City, State, ZIP: _________________________________________

Contribution Amount

o $25 o $250

o $50 o $500

o $100 o (other) ________

Please send your check payable toListening Point Foundation to:

Listening Point Foundation, Inc.P.O. Box 180

Ely, MN 55731

o My donation will secure a gift contribution for:Name: ________________________________________________Address: ______________________________________________City, State, ZIP: _______________________________________

o My contribution is in (select one) honor/memory of:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

u Listening Point dock rebuilt: No visit to Listening Point iscomplete without a stroll out onto the dock tucked away at the footof the little cove below the cabin. Dave Peterson and Chuck Wickreplaced this well-worn dock this past summer. Dave and Chuckused cedar boards and six-by-six support structures to copy thedock’s original design, to ensure that a safe view from the dockremains part of the Listening Point tradition.

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Dock

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Dave Peterson (pictured)and Chuck Wick spent a

fine summer day replacingthe well-worn dock at

Listening Point.

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The View From Listening Point

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, with its 8million acres of designated wilderness and its 1.5 million-acreunprotected coastal plain, symbolizes for many people thevalues, character, and ideals of the National WildernessPreservation System. Yet many of us knowall too little about the struggle to firstestablish the refuge in the 1950s and 1960,and how that struggle still influences theWilderness System today. That will nowchange with the publication of Roger Kaye’sterrific new book, Last Great Wilderness, thefirst in-depth examination of that epicstruggle.

Roger Kaye documents the importantroles that George Collins and Lowell Sumnerof the National Park Service, and OlausMurie and his wife Mardy played, as well asthe work of Wilderness Act author HaroldZahniser, Sigurd F. Olson, StewartBrandborg, Conservation FoundationPresident Fairfield Osborn, and evenSupreme Court Justice William O. Douglas.They struggled throughout the 1950s toprotect a vast corner of Arctic Alaska againstthose, like Alaska U.S. Senator Bob Bartlett,who blocked their legislation in order tofulfill their own American dreams ofdeveloping the frontier. Even current AlaskaU.S. Senator Ted Stevens played animportant role in the 1950s effort, but onethat may surprise modern wildernessadvocates.

Blocked in Congress, conservationistsconvinced Interior Secretary Fred Seaton inthe outgoing Eisenhower Administration tocreate the Arctic Range in December of 1960by secretarial order. The Range was, ofcourse, later expanded and renamed theArctic National Wildlife Refuge by theAlaska National Interest Lands ConservationAct in 1980, the monumental conservation law that had been inpart inspired by “the beliefs and values, the ideas and idealismand the hopes and concerns for the future” that propelled theoriginal campaign.

Last Great Wilderness shows how the struggle to establishthe Range influenced other national wilderness battles going onat the same time, including the effort to block dams in Dinosaur

National Monument in Colorado, and especially the eight-yearstruggle to pass the 1964 Wilderness Act. Some of the sameplayers, like Howard Zahniser, worked on all three efforts. TheArctic campaign infused the wilderness movement with a great

sense of idealism and symbolism, both ofwhich enriched the national wildernessmovement after establishment of the Rangein 1960 and benefited the campaign to passthe Wilderness Act. Part of that idealism andsymbolism lay in the realization by Rangeproponents that northeastern Alaska offeredan unparalleled opportunity to protect anentire ecosystem undamaged bydevelopment, a nine-million-acre wildernesslandscape on a scale unheard-of in the Lower48. That expansive ecosystem view imbuedthe wilderness movement with a far broadervision and richer symbolism than had earlierbeen the case.

Roger Kaye is well-suited to tell thisstory. A resident of Fairbanks, Roger hasworked for over 20 years as a wildernessspecialist and pilot for the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service at the Arctic NationalWildlife Refuge. He has extensivelyresearched and written about the ArcticRefuge and wilderness in general for years.Roger carefully combed through the records,examined the press and correspondence, andconducted many important interviews tobring this tale to life.

Last Great Wilderness tells animportant story for today as well. The valuessymbolized by the Arctic Range—cultural,spiritual, ecological, and evolutionary—areas meaningful for us today as they were ahalf-century ago. The importance of theArctic National Wildlife Refuge to thenational wilderness movement is as strong ifnot stronger today than in 1960. And the rich

context that Last Great Wilderness provides will inspire all of usto continue our current struggle to protect the coastal plain fromoil development, and to pass on this last great wilderness intact tofuture generations. l

—Reviewed by LPF Advisory Board member Kevin Proescholdt

B O O K R E V I E W

Last Great Wilderness: The Campaign to Establish the Arctic National Wildlife RefugeRoger KayeUniversity of Alaska Press, 2006

The importance of theArctic National

Wildlife Refuge to thenational wilderness

movement is as strongif not stronger today

than in 1960.

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Stories of SigS T O R I E S O F S I G

v Dave Schneider writes:

I first met Sig Olson through his book Listening Point, andthen I knew I would want to meet this special man sometime,somehow, somewhere. I read several more of his books (SingingWilderness, Runes of the North) and also discovered more of hiswritings in magazines and newspaper articles.

Then it happened. He was asked to lead a Canoe WildernessWorkshop sponsored by the Minnesota Council of Churches, thestatewide interdenominational organization of numerouschurches. At that time I was a young pastor, heavily involved inour United Methodist camping program, especially the canoecamps. I jumped at the chance to participate in this three-dayworkshop to be held in mid-October at the Fenske LakeCampground on the Echo Trail, north of Ely. In those early 1960sthere was not as much interest in canoe camping, and so only 8-10 enthusiastic learners attended. “The” Sig Olson was to be ourteacher!

One of the participants had just purchased a new canoe—afiberglass model (quite innovative at the time)—so the day beganwith Sig being asked to “check it out.” To see the skill, the ease,the mastery of the paddle that was so natural in Sig’s hands was asight to behold. We were in awe! I can still see him standing onthe shore later, giving a quiet critique of the canoe, quite favorableas I recall. One statement stood out for me because I was justlearning the technical terms of canoes and canoeing, so when Sigsaid “It has good tumblehome,” I nodded my head, as though Iknew exactly what he was talking about!

Earlier in the day, one of the men had arrived early and hadcaught a fish or two. He was preparing the fish for our supperwhen Sig asked, “Do you want me to fix my special fishchowder?” Of course, the response was a resounding “Yes, pleasedo; that would be great!” So we stood around asking questions ofthis “pro” fish chowder creator, and watching the casual skill of SigOlson, the camp cook. What a meal we enjoyed that evening,accompanied by campfire stories and all manner of questionsasked of Sig. It was a cold, frosty evening, but it was filled with thewarmth of a campfire surrounded by eager learners listening totheir mentor and new-found friend and compatriot in the love ofthat Canoe Country.

We were a bit taken aback when we invited Sig to share oneof the tents set up for our group, only to have him say, “No, butthank you anyhow. I really do prefer to sleep under that tree overthere. I’ll be fine.” Again, that look of awe as he laid out his pad,sleeping bag, and on top of it all, he drew a canvas cover. I’m surehe was fast asleep before any of us were settled in our tents. Therewas frost on our tents, and on Sig’s canvas that next morning, but

Sig greeted us with a smiling face. He had slept well under his treethat night.

That next day, we sat on the rocky shoreline; he stood withhis well-worn hat cocked just right on his head, his white hairshowing on the sides. We talked of early days of the area, theancient rocks, the people who were there long before we came,the stories the lichen and moss and trees can tell us, the need orthe love and care for this area.

Toward the end of the day, the teaching and stories ended.The group dispersed, but my brother Jim and I remained, askingSig more questions. So the three of us talked. Sig gave more detailsof the growth of lichens—I can see him leaning over to gentlytouch a lichen, telling us that “this one has been here over 100years.” We were humble students, listening to the noted“professor,” the “expert” and now our newfound “hero”!

I saw Sig several other times during lectures he was giving.I’ve read more about him, especially in The Collected Works ofSigurd F. Olson, the early writings: 1921-1934. Just last SeptemberI led a study at a seniors’ five-day retreat with Listening Point asour study book, and including a day spent at Listening Point.

Yet, of course, those three days spent alongside the manhimself will be forever a part of my canoe wilderness memories.He is still a mentor. His life must be a legacy not to be forgotten.His cherished wilderness must be cherished forever! l

The Listening Point Foundation wants you to help keep Sig’s memory and legacy alive by keeping an eye and ear open for instances whereyou read about or hear mention of Sigurd F. Olson, whether that be in books, newspaper or magazine articles, radio or televisionprogramming, anecdotes from friends or coworkers, or from any other source. Please clip or write down these instances and send them toThe Listening Point Foundation, where we’ll keep a collection and publish them in this newsletter. Send any news of Sigurd F. Olson by letteror email to: Listening Point Foundation, P.O. Box 180, Ely, MN 55731; Phone: 218/365-7890; FAX: 218/365-7072; E-mail:listeningpoint@cpinternet.com.

—Dave Schneider is a retired United Methodist pastor.

He lives in Coon Rapids, Minn.

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The View From Listening Point

that they are no longer playing make-believe. These men needmore than picnics, purling streams, or fields of daffodils to stifletheir discontent, more than mere solitude and contemplation togive them peace.

Burroughs, another lover of the out-of-doors, spoke often ofthe wilderness, but he knew it not at all. When he regretted havingto leave Old Slabsides on theHudson for the wilds of Alaskaand the West, we knew there waslittle of the primitive urge in hisnature. The birds, the commonphenomena of the passingseasons, and work in hisvineyard satisfied abundantly hisneed of reality and physicalcontact with the earth. For himthe wild had little charm. As weexplore our literature for menwho have felt deeply about wilderness, we find them few indeed,perhaps because in the past there was wilderness enough and menhad not learned to wean themselves so completely away from itsinfluence. Invariably men wrote of the dominating effect ofwilderness as a mighty unconquered force, and everywhere wefind evidence of the part it played in molding the lives of those ittouched. Fear was the keynote of the past, fear of the broodingmonster of the unknown, and little of the joy of adventure andfreedom is ever in evidence. Were it not for a few such daringsouls as Joseph Conrad and Jack London, we would know little ofthe feeling some men have for the far places of the earth.

With the rapid elimination of the frontiers, due to increasedfacility of transportation and huge development programs, theopportunity to see and know real wilderness has becomeincreasingly difficult. As it approaches the status of rarity for thefirst time in history, we see it not as something to be feared andsubdued, not as an encumbrance to the advance of civilization, butinstead as a distinctly cultural asset which contributes to spiritualsatisfaction. The greater part of the old wilderness is gone, butduring the centuries in which we fought our way through it, weunconsciously absorbed its influence. Now, as conqueringinvaders, we feel the need of the very elements which a short timeago we fought to eradicate. The wild has left its mark upon us andnow that we have succeeded in surrounding ourselves with acomplexity of new and often unnatural habits of daily living, welong for the old stimulus which only the unknown could give.

Why wilderness? No two men would have the sameexplanation. Something definite does happen to most men,however, when they hit the out trails of our last frontiers, andthough they react in various ways, there is a certain uniformitynoticeable to one who has often seen them make the break withcivilization. Whatever it is, they are changed almost overnight

from the prosaic conformists they may have been, who dress,think, and act like all the rest, to adventurers ready to die withtheir boots on, explorers pushing into the blue, once moremembers of a pioneering band.

It is surprising how quickly a man sheds the habiliments ofcivilization and how soon he feels at home in the wilds. Before

many days have passed, he feelsthat the life he has been livingwas merely an interruption in along wilderness existence andthat now again he is back at thereal business of living. Andwhen we think of thecomparatively short time that wehave been living and working aswe do now, when we recall thatmany of us are hardly ageneration removed from the

soil, and that a scant few thousand years ago our ancestors roamedand hunted the fastnesses of Europe, it is not strange that the smellof woodsmoke and the lure of the primitive is with us yet. Racialmemory is a tenacious thing, and for some it is always easy to slipback into the deep grooves of the past. What we feel most deeplyare those things which as a race we have been doing the longest,and the hunger men feel for the wilds and a roving life is naturalevidence of the need of repeating a plan of existence that foruntold centuries was common practice. It is still in our blood andmany more centuries must pass before we loose much of its hold.

Civilized living in the great towns, with all their devices forcomfort and convenience, is far too sudden a violation of slowlychanging racial habit, and we find that what gave men pleasure inthe past—simple, primitive tasks and the ordinary phenomena oflife in the open—today give the same satisfaction. Men havefound at last that there is a penalty for too much comfort and ease,a penalty of lassitude and inertia and the frustrated feeling thatgoes with unreality. Certainly the adjustment for many has beendifficult, and it is those who must every so often break their bondsand hie themselves away.

All do not feel the need, and there are many perfectly contentwith life as they find it. They will always be the picnickers and thestrollers, and for them are highways, gravelled trails, and countryclubs. For them scenic vistas of the wild from the shelter of broadand cool verandas. The others, those who cannot rest, are of adifferent breed. For them is sweat and toil, hunger and thirst, andthe fierce satisfaction that comes only with hardship.

While wilderness means escape from the perplexingproblems of everyday life and freedom from the tyranny of wires,bells, schedules and pressing responsibility, nevertheless, it maybe at first a decided shock and days and even weeks may passbefore men are finally aware that the tension is gone. When the

“Why Wilderness?” (continued from page 1)

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Fall/Winter 2006

realization does come, they experience a peace of mind andrelaxation which a short time before would have seemedimpossible. With this dramatic change of atmosphere comes anequally dramatic change in individual reactions as they feel thatthe need of front and reserve is gone.

I have seen staid educators, dignified surgeons, congressmen,and admirals tie up their heads in gaudy bandannas, go shirtless tobring on the tan of the northern sun, and wear bowie knives intheir belts. I have seen themglory in the muck of portages,fight the crashing combers onstormy lakes with the abandon ofboys on their first adventure. Ihave heard them laugh as theyhadn’t laughed for years andbellow old songs in the teeth of agale. With their newfoundfreedom and release, manythings become important thatwere half forgotten—sunsets, thecoloring of clouds and leaves, reflections in the water. I canhonestly say that I have heard more laughter in a week out therethan in any month in town. Men laugh and sing as naturally asbreathing once the strain is gone.

With escape comes perspective. Far from the towns and allthey denote, engrossed in their return to the old habits ofwilderness living, men begin to wonder if the speed and pressurethey have left are not a little senseless. Here, where matters offood, shelter, rest, and new horizons are all important, they beginto question the worthwhileness of their old objectives. Now theyhave long days with nothing to clutter their minds but the simpleproblems of wilderness living, and at last they have time to think.Then comes the transformation, and, of a sudden, they are back toearth. Things move slowly, majestically in the wilds, and thecoming of the full moon in itself becomes of major importance.Countless natural phenomena begin to show themselves, thingslong forgotten and needing only the rejuvenating experience ofactual contact to bring them back. With this, some of the oldprimitive philosophy works itself into their thinking, and in theirnew calm they forget to worry. Their own affairs seem trivial.Perspective? I sometimes think that men go to the wilds for thatalone. Finding it means equilibrium, the long-time point of viewso often lost in towns.

Ernest Holt, one-time guard to the late Colonel Fawcett on hisfirst Amazon expedition, told me that in the depths of the junglehe experienced a spiritual uplift and sense of oneness with life thathe could find nowhere else. I believe that here is a sensation bornof perspective that most men know in any wilderness. Wheneverit comes, men are conscious of a unity with the primal forces ofcreation and all life that swiftly annihilates the feelings of futility,frustration, and unreality. When men realize that they are on theirown, that if they are to be sheltered and fed and, what is more,

return to civilization, they must depend entirely on their owningenuity, everything they do assumes tremendous importance.Back home, mistakes can be made and easily excused orremedied, but here mistakes might cause discomfort orcatastrophe. Knowing this makes all the difference in the world ina man's attitude toward the commonplace activities of daily life.Simple duties like the preparation of food, the taking of a fish, orthe caching of supplies becomes fraught with import. Life soon

develops a new and fascinatingangle, and days which to theuninitiated may seem humdrumor commonplace are filled withthe adventure of living for itsown sake. There is no make-believe here, but reality in thestrictest sense of the word.

Men who have sharedcampfires together, who haveknown the pinch of hunger andwhat it means to cut a final

cigarette in half 200 miles from town, enjoy a comradeship thatothers never know. Only at war or on wilderness expeditions canthis type of association be found, and I believe that it is this thatmen miss as much in civilized living as contact with the wilditself. I know a busy surgeon who once left his hospital operatingroom and traveled without thought of compensation a thousandmiles through the bitter cold of midwinter to save the life of hisguide, stricken with pneumonia. Nothing could have made himconsider deserting his practice to take such a long, hazardous tripbut a call from a comrade in need. I stood at the bedside of thatwoodsman as he babbled incoherently of rapids and lakes andwilderness camps they had known together, and I knew then thathere was a bond between men that could be forged only in thewilds, something deep and fine, something based on loyalty toopen skies and distance and a way of life men need.

I do not advocate that the men of whom I speak allow thewilderness idea to claim all of their energy or enthusiasm. I dobelieve, however, that if for a short time each year it were possiblefor them to get away, not necessarily to the great wilderness of theArctic or the Canadian lakes, but to some wild part of the countrywhich has not yet been entirely caught up in some scheme ofexploitation or development, that they would return to theirfriends and families strengthened and rejuvenated.

Why wilderness? Ask the men who have known it and who have made it part

of their lives. They might not be able to explain, but your veryquestion will kindle a light in eyes that have reflected thecampfires of a continent, eyes that have known the glory of dawnsand sunsets and nights under the stars. Wilderness to them is real,and this they do know: When the pressure becomes more thanthey can stand, somewhere back of beyond, where roads and steeland towns are still forgotten, they will find release. l

LPF

Photo

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The View From Listening Point

Gift Shop

Name: _________________________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________

City/State/ZIP: ___________________________________________________________

Phone: _________________________________________________________________

o Story of Listening Point booklet ............................ _____ @ $ 5.00 = _______o Sigurd Olson paperback books ............................. _____ @ $15.00 = _______

specify title(s): ______________________________________________________________________________________

o Wilderness World video ........................................ _____ @ $15.00 = _______o Wilderness World DVD ........................................ _____ @ $15.00 = _______o A Spiritual Field Guide book ................................. _____ @ $13.00 = _______o Brandenburg cards ............................................... _____ @ $20.00 = _______o Solitary Shores audio CD ...................................... _____ @ $18.00 = _______o Shipping/Handling ($2.00 for each item) .............. _____ @ $ 2.00 = _______

ORDER TOTAL: ___________Please send order form and your check to Listening Point Foundation (LPF), to:

Listening Point Foundation, Inc.P.O. Box 180Ely, Minnesota 55731

Brandenburg Cards

Listening Point at winter’send, captured byphotographer JimBrandenburg and featuring aquote from Sigurd Olson.Set of 10 full-color notecards with envelopes.

.................... $20

The Story of Listening Point

This 28-page booklet,written by Sig’s sonRobert, tells the insidestory of how ListeningPoint came to be andwhy, what it meant toSigurd Olson, andwhat it continues tomean to wildernesslovers and loyalists.Features dozens ofhistorical photos andimages.

............................. $5

The WildernessWorld of SigurdF. Olson Video

This intimate filmcaptures the life andspirit of SigurdOlson late in hislife. VHS format,30 minutes long.

..................... $15

Share the spirit of Listening Point with friends and family, or bring it home with one ofthese gift items that celebrate Sigurd Olson and Listening Point.

Liste

ning

Poi

nt F

ound

atio

n G

ift S

hop

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Orders also may be placed by email (tolisteningpoint@cpinternet.com) or fax (to218/365-7072). Invoices will be includedwith your shipped order.

A Spiritual FieldGuide

This 192-page softcoverbook contains passagesfrom a wide variety ofwriters, activists andothers (includingSigurd F. Olson) whohave thought long anddeeply about themeaning and value ofnature and wilderness.A perfect tripcompanion.

....................... $13

Solitary Shores CD

First recorded in 1983,Solitary Shores wasDouglas Wood’smusical tribute toSigurd Olson. All ofthe songs have a strongNorth Country flavor,and there is even asegment of Sig readingfrom one of his ownessays. This is an albumfor lovers of theNorthwoods and fansof Sig Olson.

............................. $18

Sigurd Olson Classics

Attractive paperback versionsof seven of Sigurd Olson’smost loved books.v The Singing Wildernessv Listening Pointv The Lonely Landv Runes of the North v Open Horizonsv Reflections from the North

Countryv Of Time and Place

..................... $15 each

The Wilderness World of SigurdF. Olson DVD

A digitally remastered version of theclassic film “The Wilderness World ofSigurd F. Olson” includes more thantwo hours of conversations with Sig ashe speaks about the craft of writing andlife in the wilderness. You’ll also hearSig’s wife Elizabeth and their son Sig Jr.speak candidly about Sigurd, hisprofession, and life in the north woods.The audio clips are set to a slideshow ofOlson family photographs.

..................... $15

11

2 0 0 6 D O N O R S

Fall/Winter 2006

Thank you to our 2006 donors, listed below.

Advance PrintingTom Ajax & Jan McElfishMartha AllenDouglas & Phyllis AmdahlAnderson, Hager and MoeAnita AndersonLarry & Evelyn AndersonDonna E. ArbaughArtists to WatchClint & Pepper AscheTimothy L. AumanGary BarkerTom BarronDaniel & Donna BarskiTim Barzen

in memory of John C. Barzen

Sherry BattermanKevin W. BeckRichard & Mary BevisFrances BlacklockRandy Borchardt

& Joan CervenkaFrank BoumaSimon BourginBrandenburg GalleryJim & Judy BrandenburgHeidi BrandenburgAlan & Nicole BrewKenneth Bro & Becky BrownMarc & Catherin BrownPamela BrunfeltK.R. BurglundCurtis C. BushJohn & Kay BuzzaJim & Jan CallJohn & Cindy CantrellGary CarlsonGregory CarlsonMerrily CarlsonWilliam A. CarlsonBob CaryDon & Connie Chase

in honor of Bob & Vonnie Olson

Ray ChristensenThomas Christiansen, MDWilliam & Harriet CorcoranJack & Sue CornwellDaniel & Joan CostelloAnne CowieElizabeth CowieJerry & Lynn CoxH.S. CrosbyBill & Marie CunninghamDavid M. CurrieSheldon & Carol DambergTom DeanThomas & Deborah DerrickRussell E. Dickenson

in memory of Mardy MurieMr. & Mrs. William DirksDan & Nancy Young DixonRuth S. DonhowePatricia DonnickDennis Dreher

Sue Duffy & Linda GanisterBrian & Sharon EcksteinJack & Jane EdsonJim EgbertLarry & Wendy EhnertBarbara EllisonPeder EngebretsonMarie EricsonBrent J. Esmoil & Karen J.NelsonNancy K. FeslerTom Fitz

in memory of Robert FitzJames M. FitzsimmonsJohn FosterFriends of Sigurd OlsonTheo FriesWilliam C. FucikGeorge GaraRichard J. GardasMary A. GolichowskiJanet GarlockDavid & Ann GordonPeter & Mary GoveRoderick & Marianne GrantKevin & Diane GrasleyJohn & Janet GreenWendy GrethenMichael Griffin & TerryHagenahKaren Halbersleben & JackMillerKristin HallbergCraig & Suzanne HalvorsenKathleen Hamilton

& James ReichelWanda E. HammondMary Alice HansenBill & Cindy HansonCamilla HansonRodney D. HardyJames HartMark & Sandra HarveyWilliam HeartFrances B. HeinselmanMarvin & Marcia Helling

in honor of Mark HellingJon HelminiakRaymond HelminiakRobert & Susan HengelfeltWilliam & Nancy Henke

in memory of William M.Goetzinger

David HenningBernard Herrmann

in memory of Sigurd F. Olson

John & Julie HighlenRon HobartPhil & Jan HoganMelvin & Alta HougenWinston & Bernice HulstrandJames & Carole HynesJohn Ipsen &

Kristan WegersonM. Imsdahl

Vernon & Patricia IsaakSteve & Anne JayPaul E. JensenDon JohanningDale JohnsonDean & Diane JohnsonDon L. JohnsonSharon KastilicSharon F. KaufmanMartin & Esther KelloggCharles A. KellyMarjorie Olson KimbroughJeanne KingDr. John F. KludtThomas & Betty KobierskiAl KnutsonPaul & Tekla KnutsonTom & BJ Kobierski

in memory of Robert E. Hamilton

Edwin H. Kruegerin memory of Marilyn Krueger

Raymond & Roberta KuehnDr. Anne LaBastilleBob LarsonGary & Pat LarsonLaurie & Jim LatimerLois LauermanMicca LeiderMaryjo LeonardScott & Carla LeonardMike & Marci LienJohn & Marilyn LindbeckDan & Janet LindbergJohn & Mary Lindbeck

in memory of Sigurd F. Olson

Albert W. Lindeke, Jr.Frederick G. LivesayArmin “Whitey” Luehrs

in honor of Milt StenlundDonald & Cynthia MacintoshBetty MagnusonKenneth H. MakiJohn M. MarkesonGary & Paula MathenaDr. & Mrs. Charles H. Mayo IIVicky McKinleyMalcolm & Wendy McLeanJohn & Karen McManusDanny McMurphyBill & Sally MeadowsL. David MechCurt MeineMike & Diane MenneKate & Pat MillerThe Minnesota FoundationCaryl MinnettiJudy MolinePaul MonsonTodd & Ruth MonsonMary MoonRuss MooreMilo M. MoyanoPaul Mumm

Ryan T. Mulhern & Connie M. Koller

C. Roger & Lavonne NelsonDarby & Geri NelsonDoug NelsonStanley & Barbara NelsonMarian & Samuel NicholsPatrick NorthNorthland CollegeJon & Cheryl NygaardCarolyn O’Grady

& Jim BonillaJoel & Dianne OlanderPeter OlsenDerek OlsonRobert & Yvonne OlsonSigurd T. OlsonRandall & Kathleen PachalDoreen PackilaBill PalmquistJames Palmquist FamilyJohn L. & Charlotte ParishErnest H. Peacock TrustJanice PennShirley PerkinsH.R. PerrizoTerrance PetersDavid & Tess PetersonLucille M. Peterson

in honor of Martin &Esther Kellogg & Family

Piragis Northwoods CompanySteve & Nancy PiragisDavid & Ann PreusKevin ProescholdtPrudential Matching Gifts

ProgramChuck & Alice PurdhamQuestion ClubMaggie RawlandHillary ReevesRebecca ReissJoe RejmanJohn RejmanLuke RejmanDeborah ReynoldsBill & Lauren RitchieJohn & Bonny RitterEugene & Jean RoarkRebecca Rom & Reid CarronJeff & Sharon RomeBrett RossHelen Rudie & Alan SchobergTimothy RudnickiClayton RussellSt. Paul FoundationDarryl & Diane SannesMarjorie SanziJohn W. SaxhaugAndy Schaedel

& Sue Sanzi-SchaedelKen SchmidtRev. D. SchneiderJoy Schochet

& Jonathan GreenSchurke Family

Leif Selkregg & Laura Myntti

Kathryn Shaw & Larry LaBonté

Gerald ShippenParry & Laurie SmithGerry & Nan SnyderJeff SoderstromMark & Patti SontagLaurie Sovell & Santiago

Fernandez-GiminezPaul E. SpenserSpiritwood Music of the

Boundary WatersJohn J. StatonBrian & Susan StedmanMilt & Althea StenlundJudy SternWilly & Ann SternRay & Jan StocktonAllen & Ann StoleeLeonard L. StoltzCarolyn & Tim SundquistPat & Donna SurfaceBarton SutterDarlene J. Swanson

in honor of Dale Swanson & Ester Olson

Theodore & Helen SwemTalbot Lumber Inc.John & Susan TalbotBill TefftDiane Tessari

in memory of Gary Warren Crawford

Elaine ThruneBarry ThompsonDarrell ThompsonJohn R. TopczewskiRobert TreuerThe Trust for Public LandsBill & Louise TryggAlbert & Christine TschudyNancy jo TubbsDavid & Ronda TworekAndrew & Elizabeth UrbanVermilion Community CollegeJohn & Donna VirrD.H. Von WittenburgWilliam K. WangNigel & Jane WattrusRichard & Audrey WebbChris & Cathy WhiteDavid & Marjorie WhiteChuck & Marty WickFred & Eleanor WinstonWintergreen DesignsDoug WoodRD & ME WoodburyYesod FoundationDave & Margo ZentnerJeffrey Ziegler

Listening Point Foundation, Inc.

P.O. Box 180Ely, Minnesota 55731

STD RATEU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 12

Hayward, WI 54843

Published byThe Listening Point Foundation, Inc.P.O. Box 180Ely, Minnesota 55731Telephone: 218/365-7890FAX: 218/365-7072Website: www.listeningpointfoundation.orgE-mail: listeningpoint@cpinternet.com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORAlanna Johnson

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Timothy J. Rudnicki, ChairCharles Wick, Vice ChairNancy Jo Tubbs, SecretaryRandall J. Pachal, CPA, TreasurerDr. Kenneth Bro Yvonne O. OlsonJon Helminiak Daryl PetersonMartin Kellogg Dr. Mark PetersonPaul O. Monson Bryan WoodRobert K. Olson Douglas Wood

NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD

Paul Anderson Bloomington, MNDr. David Backes S. Milwaukee, WIJohn “Jeb” Barzen Spring Green, WIJim Brandenburg Ely, MNRay Christensen Bloomington, MNEsther Kellogg St. Paul, MNMike Link Willow River, MNVance G. Martin Ojai, CAMalcolm McLean St. Paul, MNDr. Michael Nelson Moscow, IDSigurd T. Olson Juneau, AKKevin Proescholdt St. Paul, MNClayton Russell Ashland, WITim Sundquist Duluth, MNRobert Treuer Bemidji, MNSteve Waddell Bellbrook, OHDave Zentner Duluth, MN

Visit us online!www.listeningpointfoundation.org

INTERNATIONAL AND SENIORBOARD OF ADVISORSDr. Anne LaBastilleAuthor/EcologistWestport, NYDr. Ian PlayerFounder/President, The Wilderness FoundationDurban, Republic of South AfricaFranco ZuninoFounder/Director GeneralAssociazione Italiana WildernessMurialdo (SV), Italy

Produced and printed by Advance Printing,15576 US Hwy 63, Hayward, WI 54843;phone 715/634-6888; fax 715/634-6912;advprint@cheqnet.net

Editor: Laurence J. WilandProduction: Debra Kurtzweil

Materials in the newsletter may be reproducedwith attribution to the author, the newsletter,and the Foundation. We welcome readers’letters, comments and suggestions.

THE VIEW FROM LISTENING POINT — FALL/WINTER 2006