Sigurd Olson Quotes

Joys come from simple and natural things; mist over meadows, sunlight on leaves, the path of the moon over water. Even rain and wind and stormy clouds bring joy.

Wilderness to the people pf America is a spiritual necessity, an antidote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium.

...only when one comes to listen, only when one is aware and still, can things be seen and heard.

If we can somehow retain places where we can always sense the unknown, our lives will be richer." Sigurd Olson

Spring, in addition to many other things, is a time for renewal of memories that may have grown dim during the winter,

It was good to lie there in our bags watching the glow of our dying fire and the deeper glow of sunset beyond; but most of all it was good to feel the ground again and to know we were back in a country we loved.

Life is good to those who know how to live. I do not ever hope to accumulate great funds of worldly wealth, but I shall accumulate something far more valuable, a store of wonderful memories. When I reach the twilight of life I shall look back and say I'm glad I lived as I did, life has been good to me.

As Gabe continued to speak, he sounded to be a cheerful and intelligent person, two attributes I have commonly found associated with people who spend most of their time outdoors. -from New River, in the anthology AWAKE IN THE WORLD

I named this place Listening Point because only when one comes to listen, only when one is aware and still, can things be seen and heard. Everyone has a listening point somewhere. It does not have to be in the north or close to the wilderness, but someplace of quiet where the universe can be contemplated with awe.

Something else grew on me during those years of roaming and was never fully realized until I had been in the wilderness for a long time. This was the sense of timelessness and order. As I look back and see its first intimations, I understand my almost imperceptible involvement with a way of looking at life that truly had the power of slowing speed.

It was the contrast that fascinated Mac as much as anything else. Knowing that both the wilderness and civilization were available to the nth degree, he was completely happy. I have found it is the same with many men; being able to live in the present and also in the past gives them a sense of completeness that they can get in no other way.

Ours was a sense of golden leisure that comes only in the spring, after months of grayness and cold.

So dat’s de reason I drink tonight To de men of de Grand Nor’west For hees heart was young, an hees heart was light So long as he’s leevin dere— I’m proud of the sam blood in my vein, I’m a son of de Nort’ Win’ wance again—

So we’ll fill her up til de bottle’s drain An’ drink to de Voyageur.

The smell of the morning is an adventure, and if you can start the day going outdoors and sniffing the air, there is always a life to the spirit.