Being "at one" with the trail, nature, the universe

[prain4u]

I have sort of seen hints of the following theme in other recent threads....so here is my take on it. (I am wondering, DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE SIMILAR EXPERIENCES?).
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When I am hiking, I can often have times when I can get "in the zone" --a special mental, emotional and/or spiritual state where it seems that I become "at one" (or very much "in tune") with the trail, nature--the universe etc. (You can whatever imagery or phrases that work for you. For those who perhaps like Star Wars terminology--a hiker can sometimes feel that they have become a part of "The Force" :))

When I am in such a state---it seems as if it is almost difficult to sense where I end or begin--or where nature itself begins or ends. At such times, I feel that I am truly a part of nature (and nature is a part of me). My senses become very much in tune with my outdoor surroundings. I can almost sense where water sources are or when storms are coming--or when an animal might be nearby. Overall, I find it to be a very peaceful and relaxing state of mind (or a "state of being").

I am not talking, about being drunk, stoned, high, hallucinating--or anything like that. For me, it is just a very peaceful, content, and relaxing "place"--where I feel very much "at one" (and at peace) with my outdoor surroundings.

Does anyone else experience anything like this?

[shelb]

DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE SIMILAR EXPERIENCES?).
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When I am hiking, I can often have times when I can get "in the zone" --a part of "The Force" :))

I can almost sense where water sources are or when storms are coming--or when an animal might be nearby
Does anyone else experience anything like this?

I have felt the "force" when I am "zoning out" in my own world; however, I have not been able to "sense" upcoming water sources or animals....

The feeling of "being at one" with your surroundings is truly an awesome experience. I consider it one of my goals during each hike - a catharsis - to cleanse my soul!

[rocketsocks]

Absolutely, it's almost an epiphany when it happens for me, like a bolt of lightening...Bam, there's your sign.....often fleating and leaving me wanting more, I think that's why many are drawn...at least that's what draws me to the Mountains, a coming home. It's a very safe an familiar place.

[BirdBrain]

Every person will have there own struggle in describing what you are trying to express. There is obviously something that draws us away from our creature comforts and into the wild. To those that have not experienced it, what we do is insane. Why would anyone in there right mind endure the elements and go without the things that most spend their lives accumulating?

I do not have the zen oneness you describe. I just stand in owe of God's creation. Nothing that man can make will ever hold a candle to that which was not made by man. Some may be offended, but the closest I ever felt to this oneness you describe was when I was a trapper. In the middle of the chess game I had with many sly foxes, I sought to be the ghost in the woods. I did not want the fox to know I existed. All of the things you employ to not be noticed by the prey has a really nice by product. It was amazing the things I saw when I blended into the scenery. I believe many a hiker misses out on a ton of joys because they don't blend in.

[Dogwood]

What you just described and how you worded it Prain4u as well as what Rocketsocks just stated and BirdBrain started getting into and Merladoc and myself stated on the "Someone who has completed a thru, comment inside!" thread are all the same. They are pages from the same book regarding the same theme. Not everyone gets this though. It's an epiphany just as Rocketsocks said. You can never view the Universe entirely the same again once you "get this." I don't think it comes through a simple mental awareness like learning arithmetic either although it CERTAINLY does affect your mental as well as emotional and physical well being and, dare I say, spiritual well being. There is something else happening that I'm not entirely privy to but this I know for sure - there is more to this Universe than what we only learn through our physical senses. This is what I was talking about in my follow up post on that thread. You have to be willing to LISTEN and LOOK for it. This is what many Native Indian cultures, philosophers, poets, naturalists as well as many others like John Muir are talking about. Even Einstein talked about these ideas. It may seem extravagant, wildly esoteric, and totally alien to some talking about this but we are not the first to experience this. I believe one of the reasons more people don't experience this or open up to this place of awareness(knowledge, wisdom, belief, whatever) is that we are too distracted with and by man made THINGS like systems, media, cultural norms, negative energies, counterfeits, etc. As a preacher have you ever considered, if you believe in the biblical Garden of Eden account, and I do, which some say is foolishness in itself, something called GOD walked and fellowshipped with man in a GARDEN? Did you ever consider that GOD placed man in a GARDEN? Did you ever consider that something called GOD considered this a good thing, a very good thing?

Many humans have for so long viewed themselves separate from nature and the environment taking a that's over there and I'm over here attitude. Perhaps, we are not as apart from it and so above it as we've thought but are a very integral part of it. Maybe it was designed or somehow came about that way. As some have said when we destroy nature, wilderness, and the environment we destroy ourselves. Something goes out of us as humans when we destroy the very natural environment we are part of. Maybe, that longing in our souls to be immersed in nature or to go beyond the physical are there for a very good reason and it's why some of us still seek it. Maybe, what we are seeking is LIFE.

[SouthernPride]

As an avid outdoorsman and hunter - I know exactly the feeling you are talking about. There is something about being in the woods, the sounds of animals going about their daily lives, the smell of pine and oak and honeysuckle in the spring. The sounds of leaves falling through the trees in the fall or acorns hitting the ground. Watching fox squirrels play chase or seeing 50-60 wood ducks lite in the pond near your stand. The quiet anticipation you feel as the sun begins to set and shadows move across the earth. The stump you have been staring at for hours, now seems to move...and what's that, it has horns! Yes, I do know the commune you speak of. I feel it every October - January. It is not just about shooting animals for me, it is about sitting in God's wonderous creation, the stress of everyday life back at home - forgotten, even if for just a short whie - watching animals who go about doing the same thing everyday - hunt for food and survive the best they can - while we complicate things. That is what is drawing me to the Trail. A longing to return to that simple life I loved as a boy growing up on the Atchafalya River, before I complicated things. An opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and once again challenge myself, a challenge I hope will inspire a renewed spirit. Hell, I am feeling it already, just preparing for the trip and I am still a year out from taking it!!!!

[keepinitsimple]

This is definitely my kind of talk. This is why I go in to the woods. I crave it. I don't have any new words to describe it, all above have done a swell job. One thing that is vivid to me is that when I am in that place, I can move fluidly. That is to say I don't have to focus on the ground so much. I am a section hiker from PA, so those rocks are well on my mind. But after a while I can perceive them in a way that does not require looking down so much, I can feel them coming at me, and my legs just deal with it. I dance on them. The sights and smells suck me in every time. I am a junky for this stuff. I actually just started a discussion with my wife about finding other way to relax. with my work schedule, 3 kids, etc, time for Dad is few and far between. So I search for this buzz in smaller, closer, venues. I have loved the woods all my life, I am hoping to pass this same love to my children- if they are interested. Be well all.

[Meriadoc]

I sometimes achieve what I will call zen states, for my own lack of a better term. One I achieve very often and the other I achieve rarely. I have not had any supersensory experiences such as being able to tell where the next water is or identify the location of animals. Such experiences would be very interesting to me.

As I said in the other thread, I consider attitude to be under my control and in the city I have to work at it a bit. But in nature I often achieve an effortless joy where I am acutely aware of my own place in nature and how small it is, that I will die someday, that my body will return to the earth, that the experience of life is glorious and something to be treasured and shared but absolutely not something to mourn over. I feel a brotherhood and connection with all of my surroundings - the plants, the animals, the people, and even the dirt and rocks - because at the heart of things, we are all one. Someday this body that I am using will be part dirt, part worm, and part many other things. It is constructed from of all of those things right now. I delight in seeing, smelling, hearing, and feeling the world and life around me. It is a spiritual experience for me.

The second state, which can more rightly be called a zen state, I achieve only sometimes and is a deepening of the state I described above. At these times my thoughts - if I have any at all - do not enter planning mode or retrospection mode but simply stay in the present. It is living in the moment and very meditative.

[Meriadoc]

One thing that is vivid to me is that when I am in that place, I can move fluidly. That is to say I don't have to focus on the ground so much. I am a section hiker from PA, so those rocks are well on my mind. But after a while I can perceive them in a way that does not require looking down so much, I can feel them coming at me, and my legs just deal with it. I dance on them. The sights and smells suck me in every time.

This too. Well said. I love when my body is sufficiently in tune with my surroundings that I don't have to look down so much and its predictive capability for foot placement is no longer conscious. I find going barefoot or minimalist gets me there faster.

[hikerboy57]

it happens when we stop labelling stuff, when we stop having to put into words what we are experiencing, instead simply witnessing the direct experience itself.to enjoy a birdcall for what it is, instead of trying to figure out what bird it is.to listen to the tree branches coated with rime ice click together like some wild percussive concert, to see beauty in ugliness,to understand implicitly, to really see it,just how interconnected both life and death are,that everything fits together.that past and future are illusions,that you are totally in the present moment,and its wonderful!
the real challenge is to take that feeling home

[Spirit Bear]

I think every hiker gets in touch with something when walking. Why we are all called out there to do it.

[MDSection12]

This thread is just crying for some Pink Floyd lyrics.

"When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse, out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look but it was gone, I cannot put my finger on it now; the child is grown, the dream is gone, I have become comfortably numb."

I've always thought that line fit well with what is being discussed here. 'Comfortably numb' for me is my usual routine. The 'fleeting glimpse' is those moments, which mostly occur when I'm alone in the woods.

There's that moment on a solo where your camp is made, you've eaten dinner, the sun is going down and it's just time to relax and enjoy being outdoors. In that moment I usually find myself literally jumping around my camp just ecstatic about the prospects of the next few hours. It's a magical thing when the sun is dropping behind the trees and you are 'home.' :)

[hikerboy57]

This thread is just crying for some Pink Floyd lyrics.

"When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse, out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look but it was gone, I cannot put my finger on it now; the child is grown, the dream is gone, I have become comfortably numb."

I've always thought that line fit well with what is being discussed here. 'Comfortably numb' for me is my usual routine. The 'fleeting glimpse' is those moments, which mostly occur when I'm alone in the woods.

There's that moment on a solo where your camp is made, you've eaten dinner, the sun is going down and it's just time to relax and enjoy being outdoors. In that moment I usually find myself literally jumping around my camp just ecstatic about the prospects of the next few hours. It's a magical thing when the sun is dropping behind the trees and you are 'home.' :)
aah those magical times of twilight, the pre dawn hours,and those between sunset and darkness.watching the light change silently and the sky turns from sunlight to starlight.

we are stardust.
billion year old carbon
we are golden.
caught in the devils bargain.
and we've got to get ourselves back to the garden.
-joni

[SouthernPride]

zen state, the "force", naturalism, being "one" with our surroundings....when we're done with all this psychadellic, psychotropic euphoria......who's gonna drive the chatreuse microbus down the mountain????? And would someone please tell Jim Morrison to put a shirt on, it's upsetting Janis Joplin

[prain4u]

From a purely PRACTICAL perspective--I think such experiences become more readily possible while hiking--because we tend to simplify our routine. (Wake up. Pack up. Walk. Set up camp. Get water. Eat. Sleep. Repeat). We are not distracted by schedules, what is in the news, the roof that needs to be replaced on our house, the morning commute, etc. I have also found, that I more readily get to this peaceful place when I hike alone--with no hiking partner or conversations to distract me. (To use the terms of MY belief system: It becomes just me, God, and God's creation--with no other distractions. HYOH. YMMV). I also find, that such experiences tend to elude me--with the more of a connection that I maintain with the outside world (radio, email, phone, MP3 player, etc)---and the more that I push myself to follow a set itinerary or a pre-determined schedule while hiking. The more that I "let go" and just "go with the flow"--the greater my peace, serenity and connection with God/nature/universe.

[JAK]

It reminds me of a sci fi novel I read years ago where suddenly everyone in the world gets smarter, and they figure out it's because something changed in the universe, but it wasn't because a cosmic smart cloud suddenly drifted over the earth. It was because a cosmic dumb cloud suddenly left. So that feeling of euphoria, I think it's just a sense that this is closer to where we should be and how we should be living.

[JAK]

Poul Andersen - that was the guy.

[Malto]

The above descriptions are another way of describing the difference between being a visitor somewhere and being at home. Most of the time on short trips I feel like a visitor in the wilderness. There are times when there are moments of blending in with nature and being part of it, being at home. But this feeling became almost second natured after a while on my thru hike. I was where I was because that is where I belonged.

[hikerboy57]

from the moment i decided to section from springer to damascus this spring,i never worried about anything, and everything magically fell into place.part of this comes from confidence in my ability to adapt from years of backpacking experience, but most of it came from the knowledge that had done my homework, and if i just didnt worry , everything would fall right into place, and it did.never worried about room in a hostel or shelter, even in bad weather, knew i could always tent if i needed, and the few times i used a shelter or hotel, there was always room. never worried about water, never carried more than a liter, and never went thirsty.when i ran short of food, another hiker would always be crrying too much and allow me to lighten his load. when i ran out of fuel near spivey gap, got to the road, on a trash can at the turnout, there was a half fuel canister waiting for me. when i needed a ride to gatlinsburg, within minutes, a tourist approached , asked the usual thru hiker questions, and then drove me into gatlinsburg. rasty hiked the smokies with me, and when i told him i was going into gatlinsburg to resupply, he told me he was going to continue on, we said our goodbyes. when i got to the grsand prix motel, the guy behind the desk originally told me no rooms were available, then corrected himself, said he would have a room for me in about an hour, a reservation had just cancelled. told me to grab a bite to eat, and he would be ready for me in an hour. as i walked to kfc, i see rasty walking up across the street toward me. i asked why he came into town, he told me he looked art maps and miles, decided he could hike with me with ample time, asked me where i was staying. i told him i just got a room at the grand prix. he told me there were no rooms there, they were booked solid. i told him what the desk clerk told me , and he cursed, asking "how do you do it?i was there 2 hours ago and he insisted nothing was available?"
i said i dont know, i dont worry and things always just work out.
the morning after the ice storm, with trees and branches still falling around me i laughed to myself, thinking its possible i could die out here, then smiled as i realized i would die happy, no problem with that, and just kept walking, amazed at just how beautiful the ice coated trees and rhodos were,even more so when the sun finally came out that afternoon, with millions of prisms reflecting their rainbows through the forest.
there were many many experiences similar to this where some of the hikers i was with would even scratch their heads, amazed at my "good luck".
some of this of course comes from proper planning, preparation, and experience.some of it from learning to adapt, to accept what is and make adjustments.
the rest-- who knows?

[FarmerChef]

Ordinarily, I would just second what someone already posted but here, it seems, it's better to ruminate on our own experiences even if we are repeating another's viewpoint. So here goes...

I experience this most often when I am out hunting and also at those times on the trail when I am most quiet and still. When hunting I am amazed at how much I can sense, how quickly my ears attune to the slightest sounds, how my eyes become more keen on movement and how much nature comes alive around me as though I am not there. I have had normally skittish animals approach within inches of me because they did not sense that I was there until they were almost on me. I love to hear the sound of mice and birds beginning to stir from under the leaves and brush on the forest floor and I love to hear the sound of leaves and twigs expanding or contracting in the morning sun and evening dusk. In the cold crispness of a fall or winter morning there is a silence that must be experienced to be understood and an explosion of life as the first warming rays of sun pierce the forest floor that bedazzles the senses. My skin even becomes even more sensitive to the direction of the wind and my nose can smell scents from ever increasing distances as well. A morning wood stove fired up a half a mile away or the smell of a doe in rut when the wind is right. Likewise, I can sense when animals are near but I wouldn't describe it as supersensory. Rather, it is the keening of my existing senses and them working together in concert that allow me to more quickly place a sound or see a ghostly track in the snow or sense the tiniest bit of motion, even smell it. These are just some of the experiences I have had while trying to blend in while hunting.

While hiking, I have found the same in the mornings and evenings when I am still and when my family has gone to bed and there's less distraction. But that's not to say it doesn't occur during the day as well. On our last hike we hiked through falling snow and to be in the front staring down a trail of unbroken snow and hear the soft pitter patt of snowflakes hitting the trees was unlike anything I've ever experienced before. That was the closest to a "zenlike" state that I've come while hiking during the day. I was just in perpetual awe of God's creation. Night hiking is another one of my favorites because I stop seeing with my eyes and I start seeing with my ears and my nose. It's like walking through a sensorium. You can literally smell the trees as you walk by them. Some of the smells instantly launch me back to childhood memories, like the time we hiked around the Front Royal reservoir and passed under some sun-baked pines and pine duff. The smell of it heating in the late morning sun instantly transported me back to the beaches my family would camp at in the summer. It was so overwhelming I had to share the stories with my kids.

What destroys all of this is distraction and our day to day world is chock full of it when we want it and, unfortunately, when we don't want it. Indigenous cultures are often experts at synergy with their environment because they are more attuned to God's creation and less to man's, free from the overwhelming distractions we in the "civilized" world have grown numb to. To me, being in the woods or out "in nature" is like returning home, to something that "should be," not something that is "other." I'd personally rather have less, slow down and be more a part of the natural world around me than the stresses of keeping up with the Joneses and as soon as I can step off the hamster wheel of the rat race that's exactly what I plan to do.

It is my sincere hope that I can pass on this love of what sustains life to my children and to increase awareness of it to my scouts and others. Great thread!

[tiptoe]

In a word, yes. There's the euphoria of exercise along with a heightened state of awareness, and I feel extraordinarily grateful for what I am experiencing.