Fireside Talk: From Cheney to Patagonia
November 18, 2021
During this Fall Quarter we have often discussed the concept of degrees of wilderness, both subjective and objective. Every Fall during the past ten years, I have taught the History of the American Wilderness and its companion course (alternatively) on the history of National Parks. Both courses have always been online and asynchronous. This has allowed me to be all over the country and all over the world while teaching the course, posting new Fireside Talks from new places.
Fortunately, in our digital age the internet has been available to me almost everywhere, including the Norwegian Arctic, the African plains, the deserts of Jordan, the mountains of Taiwan, and many, many other places. When I began these teaching journeys, I worried that my students might feel like the kid who gets a souvenir with the classic slogan” “My Parents went to Florida and All I Got was this Lousy Tee Shirt!” But then I realized that If I were taking a class in Buddhism, and my professor was teaching part of the course from Tibet, I would think that was pretty neat.
I hope you will be able to have a similar reaction to what follows….
As I write, I am on board American Airlines Flight 2767 outbound from Seattle to Dallas, where I will change flights and fly on through the night to Buenos Aires. Then I will spend the next couple of weeks on about ten other flights criss-crossing Patagonia, the southern-most region of South America.
My outfit will consist of extra clothing, a computer, a pocket knife, cameras, and the like – it will consist also of those mental tools we have studied in the History of the American Wilderness. In particular, there will be familiar questions, including these:
- Is where I am a genuine wilderness?
- What is being done to preserve it as a natural setting?
- What sorts of flora and fauna will I see?
- What is the story of the indigenous people here?
I have a long itinerary prepared for the trip. But I expect a lot of surprises. None as dramatic as portrayed in The Revenant, I hope! But I have never been to Patagonia, and I only have a few images to go with.
Here are Some
Oh, by the way, I’ll also be taking you out over the South Pacific to watch a total solar eclipse from an airplane.
I chose those from the internet to accompany this post because they illustrate the Patagonian “wilderness” at its most dramatic.
Pretty spectacular, right? But now, brace yourselves!
Big transitions coming.
One of my favorite wilderness areas in the entire world is right at our Eastern Washington University doorstep: “Cheney Wetlands.” It is a hidden treasure about five-minute’s drive from my house in Cheney – and a little less than that from Showalter Hall. (I will post directions soon.) I go out there as many as three times per week for a walk of couple of miles.
ItThe Wetlands does not have the glaciers of Alaska or Patagonia, it lacks the dramatic seashore of Acadia National Park in Maine, and for the glorious geysers of Yellowstone, you need, well, you need to drive about eight hours to Yellowstone itself! BUT Cheney Wetlands does have lovely trees and ponds, fields of golden reeds, picturesque rock outcroppings, lovely trails, and a lack of crowds, and, and… well, just go out there, have a look yourselves, and see what you think!
To encourage you, I have prepared this little film, consisting of photos I have taken at the Wetlands during the past year. I’ve intruded myself in the scene in one shot to show off my new wilderness-themed sweater and in another where I’m sitting beside a pond flying a drone far above.
Now, put yourselves in this picture – check out the Wetlands!
Well, while working on this post I have felt the plane slowing down and the landing gear just dropped into place. I had been worried about finishing this Fireside Talk before leaving for Argentina, but I’m almost finished. One of the challenges of teaching on the road is touring and touristing while writing assignments and grading papers.
I have been finishing this post in the Dallas Airport, while waiting for an overnight flight to Buenos Aires.
I’m behind in grading papers, and I wish I could do that while flying far south during the darkness, but I doubt that I will have wifi on board.
I will do my best to get caught up in Argentina. In the mean time, you should be able to contact me in the usual way: jyoungs@ewu.edu.
And I’ll be writing more Fireside Talks during the days ahead in Patagonia.