the great wild

Your Rights
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Your Rights

Hail, you awesome human

Behold!  The great planet presents to you:  The Great Wild!

Superior in every way, the great wild entices you.  Come, almighty human, the championship duel is about to start.  Bring your cameras and your keen vision.  This is a match for skilled, well muscled, genetically superior athletes. This is a match of competitive strength, for unrivaled dominance,  for the preservation of the species.  A match of such superiority, the dueling giants will battle fiercely for the opportunity to mate.

Come with your curiosity, your cameras and your wit.  These fabulous specimens are all business and don’t get in their way.  These are the giants of their species, the largest and the strongest of their beings.  These are the majestic ones and they will fight for their rights.  These are the great males of their kind, moose, elk, deer, sheep, they all rival each other in the fall.  The mating season is well under way and these animals dominate the landscape around them.

Big Horn Sheep Fighting Butting Heads Alberta, Canada

This is survival of the fittest.  The strong will dominate and win their chance to mate.  This is the superiority of the species.  A necessary dual to protect the genetic superiority of the herd.  The wild calls.  The challenge is on.  The dual has started.  The fight for dominance protects these animals.  Their right to mate is an essential one.  It weeds out the week and the inferior and protects the strong and agile ones.  The biggest, the toughest, the strongest and the most agile, these are the specimens that are needed and these are the ones who survive.

Come awesome human.  Slink into the back country with your camera and your wits.  The challenge for survival is on.  Don’t miss it.

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

October 23, 2016

Just for Us
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Just for Us

Hail, oh Bravehearts

Riches and wealth.  Beauty and majesty.  The great land calls the people and with hope and skills they come.  Oh glorious day, of sunshine and warmth, of bedazzling beauty as the meadows show off their colorful flowers and the trails entice us into the spectacular wonder of the great wild.  This is our life now, to venture and wander, to fill our eyes and souls with the beauty of the Earth.  The powerful planet, the life force of creation.  Awe and wonder, the fabulous views unfold.  Yet another meadow, yet another waterfall, yet another hill to climb, scene to photograph, animal tracks, and animal sightings, more and more of the great wild, more and more of the awesome land.

Our strength in numbers protects us as we pass.  The delight of the wild lands inspires us and keeps us moving. More to see, more to do, so little time and yet so much to gain.  The joy of this great wild place, where the unending view is the beauty of the Earth.  Fabulous planet, with your majestic mountains, the lakes and wildlife, so abundant and thrilling.  Another tumbling, unpolluted river.  Another viewpoint with a sight of endless wonder.  Lovely to behold. Our days journey is a quest for that unspoilt view, the treasure that we long for and the right that we demand for the preservation of this.  No development, no interference, only the trail along the rolling hillside carved by the hand of the great Earth and the creation of this almighty one.

A place to breathe.  Here is the domain of the planet.  A place where those fortunate few travel to explore and to enjoy.  The breath of the Earth is fragrant.  It’s multitudes of flowers wave and nod to us, greeting us with dazzling color and spreading forth blankets of charming, beauty as the variety of color and species lines our path.  This is the world that we care for, the world of the great wild, where the planet’s creations are protected.  This is our  home and we care for it deeply.  Here is where the world is at peace, where we cast aside our worries and wander along the paths of fragrance, color and beauty to a destiny most wonderful.  Again, we are not disappointed.  The breathtaking wonder of this awe inspiring land fills us with joy.  It’s marvelous.

Still that same old view, the view that explorers and adventurers chose to protect.  The view that created a marvelous protected wilderness area.  The view of the brilliant planet as it shows off its dazzling brilliance and welcomes us with awe and wonder.  Here is God’s land, a land for only that creative force.  A land that reminds us of the wonder of nature, the need to protect it.  The bees, busy in their daily routine, the variety of plants seeking their hold in the soil, the outcroppings of rock and the rushing streams.

That same old view, that greeted the wandering spirit so many eons ago, has remained unchanged, just for us.  Just for us, to stretch our legs in the vast eternity of the great planet.  Just for us to share this vision, to keep it for us and to leave it untouched.  Just for us, in our part of heaven, here in the great wild, of our great planet.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

July 23, 2016

Multicultural You
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Multicultural You

Hail Bravehearts

A brave new day, a brilliant country, a national holiday, a celebration of pride, joy and togetherness.  This great nation, molded and blended, nurtured and cherished.  A great Canada, a fabulous notion, a clever and brilliant place.  Multicultural you, with freedoms and rights.  The freedom to live without violence, to live in neighbourly contact with people of different nationalities, the right to live without arms and to protect yourselves, keeping your community safe and secure..

The laws protect our culture but still frees us from oppression.  No tyrants or dictators, to enslave us.  The contract with the people is peace among us, no cultural quarrels or religious disputes.  An age old negotiation that protected these rights, have been handed down and protected, for hundreds of years.  Multicultural Canada, with its birth in French and English culture, both completely different, yet somehow it works.  Hammer out the contract, write the laws, guarantee the freedom.  The evolving wisdom of ages past, becomes the fulfilling society of our present.  Strong and united, the worlds peoples share this land.  From ancient aboriginal ways to the escaping refugee, the weave of a mosaic of multicultural heritage enhances our lives, gives us richness in people and culture and ingrains an intelligence of peace among us.  United in freedom, mutual caring, the sharing of this country is our shining past, our fabulous present and our brilliant future.

We are unique in our history.  A land of harsh and somewhat unconquerable climate, of difficult terrain and a short growing season.  A majestic land of wild forests and tumbling rivers, of curious peoples and language barrier.  Still, the nation was won through negotiation and peace, love and marriage, barter and exchange.  The cultures blend, learn and accept, we are all different, we are all one.  Our wise past is still our present, still our future, still our bright and shining star.  That star that guides us and beckons us to follow, into your unique and inspiring country.  Into your fellowship and merciful negotiation, into the nation of democratic law and democratic peace.

Hail, oh Canada, as the years roll by and the world changes, the battles die and the wars subside, into your dreams of international peace, where all peoples live under the shelter of laws of freedom.  Peaceful freedom, oh multicultural you.  Write your songs, sing your hearts out, brilliant praises to our national cause.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

July 8, 2016

Early Spring
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Early Spring

Hail, you brave almighty ones.

Praises, you awesome ones, praises to this great good Earth.  The warm spring days welcome us.  Come out of your houses and feel the warmth of those special sun shining rays.   The spring, with it’s special power, it’s newness, it’s creation, it’s splendor.  It is beauty that we crave and beauty surrounds us .  The joy of living, of life on the planet, of the simplicity of warm breezes, cool lakes, shelter from trees, magnificent flowers.  The joy in their hearts as the nesting birds sing, the fondness of animals as they gaze at their offspring, the brilliance of flowers as they burst from their buds.  The magic of the planet casts it’s wondrous spell and spring has captured us once more.

Glorious days of sun filled splendor, rays of shining gold sent to us from heaven.  The lights is with us for hours  now, the dark of winter is cast aside and the joy of spring fills the air.  Fragrant gardens, song filled skies, colorful meadows and deep secrets hiding in the forest.  It is the season of growth and birth.  A season of wonder and delight.  The Earth spreads the word to us, welcoming us into it’s great wonder.  It is the beauty of this great planet, that brings us so much joy. Joy and discovery.

Those same old trails change each day, a new bud, a  new animal track, viewpoints, water rushing, an early spring with so much to see.  The water entices us and we’re swimming in April.  So much goodness, so much sport and  so much fun.  It extends our lives by weeks this year, everything is early.

An escape from the bustling city to the quiet of the spring filled country, a dazzling day on a mountain bike, exertion and strenuous activity to liven the muscles and tone the body.  This great country’s past time of escaping to the beaches, the trails, the forest, the mountains, the campgrounds, the parks and the great wild.  Escape to the wonder of the natural world, the world filled with surprises and unexpected pleasures.  A roadside pull off with big horn sheep playing close by, a view of an eagle with egrets on its nest, that great  horned owl peering at us as we walk along the trail. The views of spring time meadows, of glaciers and mountain tops, of long endless grasslands and still pristine lakes.  We protect all of this.  This is ours to keep.  Our cherished escape to the great beyond, the fabulous parks , the wilderness and the joy of being.  That wholesome success of a day of play, of the unpolluted water and the clean, pure air.  Those days that take your worries away and fill your lives with that sense of wonder.   More, we want more. More of this life of athletic fun, of hikes and photos, of swimming and riding.  More of those rugged climbs to test our endurance and strength.  We want more.  More of this vast land with it’s unique species and more of the beauty of our scenic wonder.  More of the wonder of the natural world and more of the healing of this great divine. This is our awesomeness, these special, protected places, these is our secrets, that we quietly share.

We are old here, but we are still young.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

June 11, 2016

Those Special Wolves
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Those Special Wolves

Hail Bravehearts

Howl!  Howl!  We hear your call.  The great wild sings to us in the distance.  Howl, you essential masters, call to us with all of your voices.  Call with all of your hearts, your souls and your being.  Call us into the wild, where your lives live in the bountiful beauty of the great planet.  Sing to us, the songs of your lives, stories to tell of hunts and capture, of danger and courage.  Songs of triumph, songs of sorrow, songs of fortune.  Sing, you great masters of the wild, sing the songs that we love to hear, the wild that makes us unique and proud.

Great stories, of taking the weak from the herd, of preventing overgrazing and of population control. Songs that we listen for, as we camp in the wilderness.  Do you hear it?  Listen, do you hear it?  The howl of the great wolf as he calls to his pack.  Eerie and exciting, the mystery revealed.  A great hunter, with his family, teaching and learning the life lessons of survival.

Oh essential hunter, your numbers decline.  Save us!  you call and we hear your plea. The bounty hunter slays you and murder increases.  Not us in Canada, this is not our cultural history, the fur trade wasn’t this.  The negotiated peace was cemented by the great peace of the union of a European and a Canadian aboriginal.  The tie between them was the Metis child. Not murder, not poaching, not extermination.  The balance between the hunter and the hunted was for trade and peaceful relations among the people, not for the extermination of a species.

The great wild calls us, it is a teacher to us.  So many species of plants and animals, so much natural wonder and so much sound to hear.  Varieties of rock to cling to and different soils beneath the surface.  The Earth puts those species in the places they belong.  Hail, great planet, we hear your call, as the wolf cull in British Columbia defies the sensibilities of environmentalists , and is regarded as inhumane and a disaster.  This is not Canadian culture, or our history.  This is not the fur traders, or the aboriginals. This is over hunting, over killing. We need these animals, we need wolves.

http://pacificwild.org/take-action/campaigns/save-bc-wolves  Save BC Wolves

A wolf is a beautiful thing.  A fine hunter, an adept and agile predator, with his necessary presence in reducing overpopulating species.  The small ones like rats and rabbits, or large ones like elk and deer.  They prevent  overgrazing from overpopulation, that diminishes plants and destroys ecosystems.  There must be a predator-prey balance for proper bio diversity, not just for one species, but for the entire ecosystem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb11TtPwBxo  lady reunites with wolves

Predators are not a bad thing, they are an essential part of the great wild.  Listen to the great planet as it sings to you.  The wonderful mystery of integrated life forms, sharing a space especially adapted to them.  Spaces of rock and granite, of wind and rain, of sand and sun, coral and sea, forest and dale.  Spaces of uniqueness with unusual creatures to inhabit these landscapes.  No coincidences, just planned environments with creatures, plants, water and rock, all fascinating and wonderful. A journey for our senses, our minds and bodies.  A journey of life, of discovery, of adventure.  Fresh and wholesome, protect it all.  A magnificent species, a majestic great wild, adventure in, for the joy of their being, it is  into their home, that we roam.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

February 22, 2016

 

Environmentally Adapted
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Environmentally Adapted

Hello Bravehearts

Now you rise to a day of adventure.  Now you rise to the call of your destiny.  The spirit wakes and your soul sings and the praises of this day, fill you will life.  Praises!  For your life to be worthwhile and joyous, sing with praises for each new day.  In this moment of wakefulness, as the day dawns and the newness of the morning greets us, the world opens it’s doors and lets your eyes see.  The dawn of another day.

The birth of the Earth comes with each spring and this year the world is warmer and the spring is green and lush.  The lakes are warm and inviting.  Swimming and playing in the clean, clear  water is a welcome retreat from the hot, summer sun.  The sun shines brightly late into the day and our daylight lasts past 11 pm.  This is joy to us, the greening of the fabulous planet, the late evening sun and the warm,inviting, outdoors.  We thrive in the outdoors.   In the yellow morning sunshine and the green, lush plantings.  The Earth, so welcoming and quiet in the morning, we can hear out hearts beat and the sounds of the morning risers as they  sing!

Sing!  all of you glorious risers, sing!  The world is filled with the call of your blessings and the love songs of joy as the world sings in gladness for the gift of living.  Sing!  The songs of the wild fill the air as the mating pairs rejoice in the beauty of their efforts.  Life! Love! Creation! Sing! The joy of being, of living, of being alive!  Sing, to each other, to the great planet and sing with joy.  To live is to be and to be is to have life.  Sing for the joy of living as the world’s small creatures do.  Sing with the joy of being alive.

How awesome are we to be the caretakers of the Earth.  To be superior and in charge, to be grand and intelligent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkzDKaq2M_U  The endangered spirit bear

Here in a quiet corner of the Earth, on a lovely piece of land, lives the endangered spirit bear.  An uncommon piece of the beauty and serenity of the forests of British Columbia.  Here, in the great wilds of Canada, we have a piece of evolution, of animal adaptation to a select region of forest.

Preservation is key.  A selected animal in a selected habitat for the joy and beauty of this place.  Unique and rare the white spirit bear lives in a old growth, coastal forest that screams for protection.   The cries of “save us!” ring in our ears as the great white bear lives it’s entire existence in a small area of BC.  A small, needy population of bear, asking for just a small favor.  Oh you wise and intelligent ones, hear us as we call to you.  Protect us.

Save us so that we can sing our song and live our lives in the old, mossy forest. Save us for what we are, the rare and unusual, the environmentally adapted, the unique and special.  Save us so that we can dot your landscape with something different and something rare.  Save us, oh great masters.  Our hearts call to you from the great wild.  Let us sing!

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

June 15, 2015

To Have it All
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To Have it All

Hail you Almighty human!  Praises and praises!

The great good Earth sings in it’s glory.  The majesty of all of it’s creation, the birth of the living being, the living planet, the living soul.  Hail to the dawning of the new day, the new season, the new life that begins today.  The planet unveils yet another of it’s awesome wonders, the birth of the great wild, in all of its wild and wonderful ways.  The shy, but glorious wildflower, the dainty and tiny new born deer, the rushing of the spring waters as the snow fades and melts into rivers.  The passing of the snow of winter, leading to the blessing of the greening of spring.

Hail to the almighty planet, as we praise the warm and comforting springtime, with its  promise of fresh lakes to swim in, recreation for our bodies, hiking and biking for sport, athletes galore.  Out of the cramped confines of weight rooms, pools, gyms and recreation facilities, come the swarms of diligent humanity.  Running, biking, swimming, playing, the great outdoors calls to us, with the demand of the insistent call to opportunity.  Come!  Don’t miss this fabulous day.  Play outdoors in the beauty and the serenity of the great land.  Behold the wonders of the planet.  The divine forest to clean our air, the fragrant flowers to capture our attention.  The pristine, clear lakes to dive into and to play upon.  Water!  Clean and pure.  To drink, to play in, to exercise in, to cool our bodies on these hot days.  Water, straight from the master plan of the planet.

Lucky are we, to be the living, to be the life force that propels the world to a destiny at the beck and call of a human called mankind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjia7BsP4Bw  Canada’s Tar Sands – the most destructive projectanadian on Earth?

So here is the other side, the side outside the mapped, protected area of national parks.  The area of controversy and somewhat alarm as the excavation for industry takes it’s toll on the area of northern Alberta.

We glory in the divine of the great planet, as the Earth welcomes us with each new day.  Calling us to rise from our slumber and to enjoy the discovery that is presented to us.  Something new, for each day is something new.  People with wildlife, people marveling at  the great wild.

Yet the controversy continues and grows.  The plunder of the north of the province, demands the attention of all of us.  Environmental destruction, disease and illness, a growing concern of wasteland and destruction.

As Canadians, do we actually need this?  Do we need the multi-million gallons of oil that the tar sands produces? Do we need the loss of the great land, the great wild, our way of life, to swim and play and to enjoy the bountiful beauty of the great Canadian  outdoors?  Do we need to loose it all for something that we really don’t consume ourselves?  How much of this oil is for us?  Not enough to matter to us.  Not enough for the destruction, for the plunder, for the immense waste of our land, for the loss of life of our people, for the environmental damage and the illness that comes with it.  Not enough for the pollution, for the habitat loss to the wild and to us.  Not enough for the continuing damage, for loosing the fishing hole, the lakes to canoe on, our tent site and our camping spot, the shy deer and the roaming bear and the endless forest that provides our air to breathe.

Do we need this?  Do we need to throw it all away for someone else?  We are the voyageur, the coureur de bois, the adventurer who came to climb a mountain, canoe a river, homestead on the prairie.  We are the people of this great North.  To the wise and the diligent, we call to you.  Protect us, almighty ones.

written be Dr. Louise Hayes

June 5, 2015

Dream of Peace
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Dream of Peace

Good Day, you Awesome Human!

Splendid day. Warm and snowy. The birds are singing gaily from their roosts. The elk lie in the meadows, relatively calm, after a long autumn of elk battles and rutting. The peaceful does with wombs full of the promise of another successful spring of calving. The big horn sheep, also resting, caring for the silent burden of their soon to be offspring.
The great wild! The drama of the wild as it plays out its role, in the never ending cycle of creation. Born to this place, the wild entices us, with its riches of spectacular views, muscle strengthening climbs, varieties of lifeforms and the gift of providing us with natural wonder to explore.
A peek into this place, of grand beauty and grand design, which fills out hearts and souls with wonder. Oh mighty planet, to give us this gift, from a highway, cut through the mountains. Those of us who have time, will exert ourselves more and climb to a pinnacle on a well traveled trail, for a look at what lies on the other side. A steep bit of climbing, a scramble, an effort, but where it takes us is to the grand view of the wild. A view of what lies on the other side of that mountain range. More forests and rivers, cascading waterfalls, animal tracks, mountains and valleys to explore. We are the hungry. We thirst for more and more. Show us your splendor, oh great planet earth, as we strive to reach your mountain tops and intrude into the land of your wildlife, to photograph those elusive species, and brag.
The world turns for us, on these snow covered days, as we strap on snowshoes and venture out to play. A daunting world of snow and ice, but for us to trudge through, a winter’s delight. Animal tracks. There’s plenty of life in this snow covered domain, but no one shows their faces today. Instead, it’s us, joining the tracks in the snow, plodding and chatting and breaking trail. These small few hours of exertion, to remind us of by gone days and years of exploration, as the well traveled adventurer set off to discover this new land. Tracks of snowshoes in the forests, tracks along the winding creek. An easy day of healthful activity, to fill our lungs with pure, clean air, to strengthen our bodies and refresh our minds.
The luck of an easy day of refreshing activity. The joy of adventure into the quiet winters solitude. A brush with nature as she plays out her part. The wild calls us and the wild whispers. Save us, oh mighty ones. Don’t plunder here. Spare us from the weapons of mass destruction and a world of madness and we will give you the peace of a quiet winter’s day, with snow on the mountains and the crisp, crunchy snow beneath your feet.
Let this stand of the earth be your playground, oh great ones, and may you forever venture into the wild and breathe.
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
January 19, 2015

A Great Escape
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A Great Escape

Good Day Bravehearts

The splendid great wild, with its remote and awesome places. Here, in a world class national park, a UNESCO world heritage site, we live and play and hike to our hearts content. The world of opportunity knocks and we respond with enthusiasm, for the endless adventure in hiking the great wild.
This week, we travel into a remote and little known mountain pass, high up in the alpine. where the curiosity of remote, wild adventure takes us. Ever cautious, we prepare for all weather, rain suites, first aid kits, water ,sunscreen, food, insect repellent, hat, gloves, binoculars and cameras, maps and gps.   It can be cold in the alpine, with changeable weather and here it can be blistering hot, or freezing rain, sometimes turning to hail or snow. We all pack bear spray.
It’s been a good year for bears. Many sightings of females with two and three cubs and the powerful grizzly bear has made her presence well known, with frequent sightings and photo chances of her and her healthy offspring. The alpine is a favorite place of the grizzly and we don’t want to startle one, so our group is large and loud. It’s better to be safe, with large numbers, so the resident predator hears us coming.

The climb is steep and the footing is uneven.  We spent three hours hiking to this remote place, high up into the alpine for a view of the glaciers on another mountain range.  The intermittent showers cooled us and the climb was not as difficult as it sometimes is.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/jasper/index.aspx  Jasper National Park

Our fathers fought for this great land.  A magnificent mountain range in a far off place.  They fought for  freedom, for prosperity, for a better world and here, in a remote and little known mountain pass, we enjoy and praise the brilliance of that choice.  To protect the land, to save it for future generations, relatively untouched, preserved and intact.  A home for the wild and an escape for us.

We are early in this years adventure.  The spring was late and the wild flowers are not yet as showy as they will be.  But also, we have left the great bear behind us, to forage in the valleys until the alpine will give them a meal.  They will be here soon.

Today, the pass is for us, with only the calls of the birds and the rushing water, the insects and the wind.

The far off glacier is the head waters of our rivers and the source of our daily water supply.   Protected high up in a mountain top, the glacier lies in its own protected domain.  Remote enough, that it is rarely visited and high enough that is remains intact.  The grand great wild, providing fresh drinking water for us and the planet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF05-slHnNk  Fukushima

These rare, protected places, great mountain ranges like the Rocky Mountain National Parks are home to the awesome wild, the glaciers and the beautiful flowers. The power of the earth lies in these special protected places, where only the fortunate few can roam.  Our drinking water, our air supply, our dark sky,  our much needed connection to the natural world.

Here is where we live and play and praise the foresight of brilliant people who saved this land for us to enjoy.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

 

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Igloo

Good Morning Brave hearts

Wake up to a day of architectural delights. Fascinating domains from our cold climate. The perfect dome shape of carved snow, of barking dogs and aurora borealis brilliance, to start the morning off right. Add endless darkness, sub zero temperatures, a little wind chill and here’s the start of a great day in the far north.
Brave human, a day of reckoning with severe climate, possibly predators and elusive game makes today a day of challenge for the Arctic champions of survival. During the darkest months of the year, when the cold is the deepest and the snow is the highest, those tiny domes in the snow, protected small villages of independent and high spirited individuals, who saw the great north as a frontier, called home.

Click to access 2_a_history_of_igloos.pdf

Way back in far off history, tells a time of human migration throughout Asia to Canada. People were mobile and robust, following herds of game animals, in search of food. Following the call of the wild, to the daunting task of immigration and settlement, of the new frontier, of the far north.
These ingenious people with inventive minds, created the dwelling of snow for shelter and habitation. The landed migrants of Asia, set up domiciles of snow, igloos, to house themselves, during the long winter’s cold. A snow house of warmth and comfort, easy to build, with readily available building materials.
High up in the Arctic tundra, above the treeline, where wood is sparse or non-existent, remains the ancestors of those ancient pioneers. Settlers to the far north with courage and creativity, the daring human, with perseverance and skills, tackled a task of bold survival in extremely harsh conditions and carved a niche of humanity, in a land of constant challenge.
Out on the barren landscape, stands a village of domes. An Inuit village of igloos, carved from compacted snow and filled with an Inuit family and their precious belongings. Furs to sleep on, whale oil for light and cooking, utensils and tools. The daily awakening to a wind swept view of barren, snow covered land. To temperatures dropping to more than -40 and to the more chilling need for food.
Feed the hungry, great hunters. The caribou roam in herds and the walrus plays in the ocean. Yours is a land of extremes. A call to the will of the indomitable human.
Bravo to you, almighty human and to the will of survival. To your place in our history and to your perfect domes, the igloo, on our list of the seven wonders of Canada.
written by Dr, Louise Hayes
January 10, 2014