The Land Beyond the Rim: Sigurd Olson's Wilderness Theology

In some men, the need of unbroken country, primitive conditions and intimate contact with the earth is a deeply rooted cancer gnawing forever at the illusion of contentment with things as they are. For months or years this hidden longing may go unnoticed and then, without warning, flare forth in an all consuming passion that will not bear denial. Perhaps it is the passing of a flock of wild geese in the spring, perhaps the sound of running water, or the smell of thawing earth that brings the transformation. Whatever it is, the need is more than can be borne with fortitude, and for the good of their families and friends, and their own particular restlesssouls, they head toward the last frontiers and escape.' The article-ealled "Why Wilderness?"-was written by a thirtynine-year-old junior college dean and canoe trip outfitter named Sigurd Olson. This was not his first article promoting the wilderness idea, but it was the first to appear in a national conservation magazine, and it was among the articles helping to shape debate about the meaning of wilderness. Bob Marshall, founder and financial supporter of the Wilderness Society, wrote to Olson full of excitement about the article. "I really think it's as good an article on the wilderness as I have ever read," he wrote. "It certainly explains better than anything I know what the wilderness does to people psychologically." Marshall added, "One thing that distinguishes it especially is its beautiful writing."! Bob Marshall had identified Olson's strongest gift: the ability to describe the effects of wilderness on the human psyche in an unpretentious yet lyrical style that commanded people's attention and held their interest. In 1938 Olson was still struggling to develop an effective writing style, sometimes succeeding and often failing, but eventually he became known as "the poetic voice of the modern wilderness movement.?" Recipient of the John Burroughs Medal for his nature writing, and also of the highest honors of the Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club, the Izaak Walton League of America, and the National Wildlife Federation, Sigurd Olson was one of the twentieth century's most influential wilderness promoters. According to philosopher Max Oelschlaeger, "One mark of intuitive geniuses is that, in climbing to the top of the mountain, they can share that vantage point with ordinary men and women."! Olson's trail up that metaphorical mountain began with childhood experiences that led him to seek the mountain, then to wilderness experiences that brought him to the top. Along the way he was influenced by works that added intellectual support to his conclusions about the spiritual values of wilderness.