A Word in the Woods - Latest Comments

Re: Disclaimers and the like

Ross — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:40:34 -0000

Thank you. I really appreciate what you did here.

Re: Ray Mears will teach a Bushcraft course in Ontario, Summer of 2012!

Mike Zimmermann — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:57:11 -0000

well, now, nobody was really suppose to actually read these posts! Thanks for the catch. And, given the nature of bushcraft, the course would probably be very similar a thousand years ago.

Re: Ray Mears will teach a Bushcraft course in Ontario, Summer of 2012!

Brian Green — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:07:39 -0000

In the summer of 1012? I missed it by a thousand years, darn it =)

Re: Ray Mears will teach a Bushcraft course in Ontario, Summer of 2012!

Mike Zimmermann — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:05:18 -0000

UPDATE: it looks as though the sites are getting fleshed-in as we watch! Much more in the way of details as of today.

Re: Suzanne Dimma’s Cottage – a Walkthrough

Mike Zimmermann — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 10:25:10 -0000

Thank you for reading, Arriz! I'm glad to see that you've started posting regularly. You have some stunning images on there — makes it easy to appreciate how beautiful it is out there.

I remember talking with Suzanne a while back about discovering and exploring the land, and I'm sure you're finding new things all the time. Thanks for letting us see it through your eyes!

Re: Suzanne Dimma’s Cottage – a Walkthrough

Mike Zimmermann — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 10:06:47 -0000

Agreed, the location is amazing, and they've done some great, innovative things with it, without compromising their aesthetic or the wilderness. It's what a cottage should be. Personal, without covering or overtaking their surroundings.

Where's Falling Water?

Re: Suzanne Dimma’s Cottage – a Walkthrough

AH — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 23:47:57 -0000

Thank you for posting this and your kind thoughts. As you have noted, I had started a blog on the process a while ago and now have decided to continue posting more regularly again. You can see it at onetreehouse.tumblr.com
I am happy to see your genuine interest on the story.

best

Arriz Hassam

Re: Balance leave-no-trace extremes

Mike Zimmermann — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 14:42:22 -0000

Thanks for reading, Chris, and thanks for a very good read in that link. I like your approach with your daughter - allowing her to indulge in that passion, while directing it in a responsible and accountable way is exactly what I strive for, and often what ends up at odds with blind LNT adherence. I especially like the idea of directing her efforts to invasive species.

I love that you've found my blog, and hope you enjoy it for many posts to come. I'm finding one of the unexpected benefits to be meeting and learning from others with much more experience than I have, such as yourself.

Looking forward to future dialog and to hearing from you again!

Re: Balance leave-no-trace extremes

Chris Anderson — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:29:36 -0000

Great post. I worked as a wilderness ranger in the Boundary Waters of NE Minnesota and I had a lot of time to think about LNT while I was there. I have since earned a degree in Wilderness Management and Conservation Social Science and I work as an naturalist. In my job I see that (in my opinion) teaching kids purest LNT principles is driving future generations towards an even further disconnect from the environment.

We tell kids not to pick flowers and to stay on the trail and not to put acorns and rocks in there pockets in the interest of saving the world from us. I am who I am today because I picked flowers for my Mom, charged off the trail into unexplored territories, and filled my pockets to overflowing with every "treasure" I could find.

Since I work for a gov't agency I need to be careful how loosely I teach the LNT principles while at work, but when I'm home I work very hard with my daughters (aged 2 & 4 yrs) to teach them how to leave positive traces rather than no trace.

For example our 4 yr. old LIVES for picking flowers, LNT says I should dissuade her from this simple act that brings her such pervasive joy. Rather than take away her favorite outdoor pastime my wife and I have worked to get her to use her observational skills to pick only a few of the common/abundant flowers(i.e., brown-eyed Susan), or better yet ALL the non-native/invasive flowers she sees (i.e., dandelions). This allows her to keep doing what she loves while not adversely impacting the environment. Simple, effective, and she can ID more plants than most of the college sophomore inters that I get...

Now that my rant is done I'd like to direct you to an essay that brings up some similar points to yours and Mr. Tryon. http://www.jackmtn.com/PDF/Hol...

Thanks again, and love your blog. Glad I stumbled across it today!

Re: Suzanne Dimma’s Cottage – a Walkthrough

Angelo — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:12:06 -0000

It kind of reminds me of Falling Water. It's a Beautiful place, my only problem would be not wanting to leave :).

Re: A Day with Pinock Smith

Mike Zimmermann — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:03:00 -0000

I realize I've rambled quite a bit here, but there was just so much to that one day. Please feel free to comment here if you have any questions.

Re: Balance leave-no-trace extremes

Mike Zimmermann — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:55:03 -0000

Absolutely, Fat Paddler, you won't find me in the woods without my Gransfors hatchet. Don't get me wrong, I touch as little as possible on well-travelled routes, but I'm worried that the extension of extreme Leave No Trace becomes simply, "don't go into the wild, just stay in the cities, and leave well enough alone."

That sort of separation is what makes us ignorant of the actual impact we have, and that's never a good thing.

What it comes down to is what the market will bear — learning sustainability in the woods is critical. The closeness and understanding we get on that small level can shape the policies we form on a greater scale, and what we pass on to our children and those around us.

Re: Balance leave-no-trace extremes

Fat Paddler — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 09:16:17 -0000

Interesting article! I think I agree with you, I want to leave the wilderness as is, but I will still take a knife and a hatchet and use them if need be.