• Home
  • Videos
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Articles
    • Contact
    • About
    • Mountain Info
    • Destinations
    • Gear Reviews
Menu

The Armchair Mountaineer

  • Home
  • Videos
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Articles
  • About
    • Contact
    • About
  • More
    • Mountain Info
    • Destinations
    • Gear Reviews

Wilderness & Wellbeing BLOG

My name is Tom Smallwood and here you will find my posts and those of guests, on the positive effects of time spent outdoors.

30 days wild walking dipping river

It's not about "30 Days Wild"

June 4, 2018

I never thought Emma seemingly dismissing 30 Days Wild, just three days in, would please me so much, but her sentiment was both unexpected and absolutely true. 

Yesterday, as we tramped the dank mosquito-infested swampland that is Raveley Wood in rural Cambridgeshire, flapping our hats around vulnerable legs like a cow might swish it’s tail at the pestering flies, my wife was hassling me in the nicest possible way about the theme of what we were doing:

“What’s the subject of today’s 30 days wild activity? She asked. It felt like we were trying to recreate some early exploration in the tropics as clouds of biting insects tried to ruin a sunny Sunday afternoon.

“I don't think I want to do a specific subject everyday it’s just nice to...” 

I started to reply but our daughter Emma interrupted me with these words: “it’s not really about doing a thing. It’s not about 30 days wild. It’s about staying wild”. 

I never thought Emma seemingly dismissing 30 Days Wild, just three days in, would please me so much but her sentiment, was both unexpected and absolutely true. 

It’s about staying wild

We are not focusing on one animal, plant or even activity each day, this year. It is much more about discovering and much more about putting ourselves in a situation to simply experience nature and whatever may happen, happens. Whatever we see, we see.

View fullsize IMG_8165.jpg
View fullsize IMG_8176.jpg
View fullsize IMG_8190.jpg
View fullsize IMG_8195.jpg
View fullsize IMG_8171.jpg

These first few days of June we have been out wandering in Portholme Meadow, dipping in the river, walking barefoot in the grass, getting bitten by mosquitos and enjoying the nature that directly surrounds our home. We found the huge seed head of a yellow salsify, a starling's egg and enjoyed the sun on our backs. 

I was so encouraged by what Emma said because I feel, without getting too philosophical, that she is really beginning to understand the importance of the natural world not simply as a form of entertainment but as an integral and fulfilling part of life. 

Tags 30 Days Wild
← 30 Days Wild: Of Birds and BugsBlogging for 30 Days Wild →

Latest POsts

Featured
Cleveland Way - Scarborough to High Hawsker
Packrafting the River Tamiš
Interview with Emily Woodhouse - Founder of Intrepid Magazine
Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the wallaby)
Weekend Adventure - From lying in the sun to crying on a plane
Canoeing the Wye: Happiness V Social Media [Video]
Wild Night Out 2019: The Whining
30 Days Wild: Suburban Springwatch
30 Days Wild: Freshwalks: Networking in the Outdoors
30 days Wild: Welcome to my office
30 Days Wild: Switch off with Nature
Do you want to live more adventurously?

Topics

  • 30 Days Wild 41
  • Access 2
  • Adventure 30
  • Algeria 1
  • Alps 2
  • Books 5
  • Bulgaria 1
  • Business 6
  • Canoeing 2
  • Cathy O'Dowd 3
  • Children Outdoors 4
  • Chilterns 2
  • Chris Townsend 2
  • Climbing 7
  • Competition 4
  • Cooking 1
  • Dave Cornthwaite 2
  • Environment 4
  • Fitness 4
  • Foraging 1
  • Funding Adventure 2
  • Happiness 12
  • Hiking 14
  • Italy 1
  • Kayaking 1
  • Living Better 19
  • Mallorca 1
  • Mental Health 18
  • MicroAdventure 15
  • Montenegro 3
  • Mountains 25
  • Nature 22
  • Packrafting 8
  • Peak District 1
  • Plastic 2
  • Positivity 6
  • Running 12
  • Sarah Outen 3
  • Scotland 2
  • Serbia 8
  • Snorkelling 1
  • Snowboarding 1
  • Sport 3
  • Swimming 3
  • Travel 20
  • Video 6
  • Walking 17
  • Wild Camping 11
  • Women 3
  • Work 12
AWARD WINNER.png
Banners For Hiking blogs Award
Adventure top 10 badge 2017 copy.png
Geronigo top 10 badge 2017.png
Blogger-Network-2.png

© Copyright 2016 - 19 PintMedia Ltd. All Rights Reserved.