Exploring the Wilderness Metaphor
Plus some Cycle Forward project updates and a new GAP itinerary
I wrote about the wonder of trees in my last couple of posts, not ever expecting to write today about trees at their most terrifying. Have you ever noticed that they can be made out to be pretty scary in fiction and entertainment? I’m thinking of the angry apple trees in The Wizard of Oz, the haunted trees in the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and the animated ones from Scooby Doo. With limbs that can morph into threatening, outreached arms, it’s easy to conjure images of trees coming to life, eliciting fear.
Behind these lighthearted frights is a longtime cultural association of forests and wild areas as being scary, dangerous places. Historically, there has been some truth to this. But associations with the idea of wilderness have changed over time. One person imagines a wild area as being dangerous and isolating, while another pictures challenge and solitude. There is a ton of research on all of this, more than I can get into here. Instead, my intent for this post is to share some ideas on the “wilderness metaphor” and get you thinking about what it means to you.
I recently led a webinar on this topic for ICF Pittsburgh (the local chapter of the International Coach Federation). Titled, “Coaching ‘in the Wild’: Exploring the Wilderness Metaphor and Coaching through Fear,” the webinar focused on different associations with wilderness and how they might be present in coaching situations.
Metaphor is a figure of speech that we use every single day. I’ve read that metaphors help us to cut through complex problems and “get to the heart of things.” I literally just used two metaphors in the last sentence. Metaphors are powerful and effective, and a whole lot of them draw from the natural world. Who here’s referenced “the path forward” or “seeing the forest through the trees” recently?
As for the wilderness metaphor, I proposed the ICF Pittsburgh webinar topic thinking mostly about the fear association. But the more I researched, the more I realized there are a lot of different ways we might view it. Brené Brown probably says it best. In her book, Braving the Wilderness, she writes, “What all wilderness metaphors have in common are the notions of solitude, vulnerability, and an emotional, spiritual, or physical quest.” I would add to this list alienation, fear, promise, and new perspectives.
The wilderness metaphor shows up in a lot of places. In the Jewish tradition, the Isrealites are believed to have spent 40 years in the wilderness as a form of punishment.
In his last speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. proclaimed he had been to the “mountaintop.” He had looked over and seen the promised land. It’s no coincidence that a documentary about the last years of King’s life is titled King in the Wilderness. It was a trying and alienating time for him. And yet, in this difficult period and from his view from the “mountaintop,” he had gained a wider perspective.
Brown’s use of the wilderness metaphor has to do with the wilderness within. Braving the Wilderness is a book about what she calls “true belonging.” She says that the paradox of belonging is that we must be willing to not belong, to stand alone in integrity. So many of our trailblazers (another metaphor!) have done just this. Brown writes, “Belonging so fully to yourself that you’re willing to stand alone is a wilderness – an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching.” She says it’s the bravest and most sacred place you will ever stand.
I hope you’ll keep your ears peeled for metaphors (there was one) and can take the opportunity to think about what it means to you to be “out in the wild” or “alone in the wilderness,” although I hope that you won’t have reason to feel this way anytime soon. And if you do, I’m hoping there will be promise, discovery, and new insights on the other side. Finally, if you are feeling this way, I highly recommend the books Wintering and Braving the Wilderness (as well as reaching out to others to talk about it, the most important step).
Connellsville - Pittsburgh GAP Itinerary - via AMTRAK!
I worked with the Fayette County Cultural Trust a couple of years ago on some placemaking projects in Connellsville. You might recall the vintage bike exhibit and the “Chalking Up Connellsville” sidewalk art. One of the other things I did was ride the Great Allegheny Passage from Connellsville to Pittsburgh (and also did a jaunt out to Ohiopyle while there). AMTRAK made it all possible, at least in the way of going car-free. I wrote an itinerary for another publication but it hasn’t been published yet, so I’ve decided to post it on my website. Please check out my Connellsville - Pittsburgh GAP itinerary if you’re thinking about riding the GAP anytime soon.
See What I’ve Been up to…Project Updates
Gah! I was so excited about my new website in the fall of 2021 (and still am!), but I got away from updating my project portfolio. I recently added a few projects and wanted to share them here. Here’s what you’ll find newly added to the site:
Hazelwood Riverfront Master Plan project
Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition 10-Year Evaluation & Success Strategy project
Quick little hint: Scroll down to the “Deliverables” section for report links!
In my next post, I’ll include project profiles for other recent projects, including work for WV TRAIL, Morgantown Board of Parks and Recreation, and research on gravel cycling.
Gratitude Notes
Here’s what I’m most grateful for right now…my grandma turned 96 today. I’m infinitely grateful to have had her in my life all these years. I grew up two doors down from her. When I close my eyes and think about my childhood, many of the best memories are of running in and out of her house, sometimes sticking around long enough to sit around the kitchen table. We still gather around that table for visits. I’m so fortunate to have a strong, kind, and healthy grandmother who has nearly a century’s worth of stories to share. Here she is with my aunt a few years ago at the age of 92. We were making her signature cookie, nut horns, that day.