Practice of the Wild

[Clay Hayes]

#4917

While trying to find a quote by Gary Snyder I came across this show. I’ve only had time to watch the trailer, but it looks to be good.

Now, to what I was looking for. I recall somewhere in his book with the same title, he was talking about cave painters using the natural form of the cave walls to “create something between what’s given and what’s created”. In other words, they were using the natural form of the caves to accentuate their artwork. Anyone know where I can find that particular passage?

http://fora.tv/2010/01/01/The_Practice_of_the_Wild#/2010/01/01/The_Practice_of_the_Wild?&_suid=139368958578407632486813273185

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#35241

Thanks for that link, Clay – I’ll have to check out the full-length film.

No idea where to find the quote you’re looking for, but I do have a funny side story:

I had one of Gary’s step-daughters on a wilderness course in Alaska a long time ago. I figured out who her Dad was from the pre-course paperwork, but never said anything about it. One day, she came to me with her backpacking stove that wasn’t working properly.

I figured it was the perfect time to pull a Snyder quote out of my back pocket, so as she handed me the stove to help her fix it, I said, “In a mechanized universe, even machines have the Buddha nature.”

She looked up at me and made a funny face – “Who said that?”

“Gary Snyder,” I replied.

She rolled her eyes and said, “Yeah, that sounds like something he would say.”

She then made it clear to me that her tent mates were hungry, and that I better put the Zen BS away and help her get the stove working again….

[tailfeather]

#35742

I really enjoyed that book. I checked it out from the library, so don’t have it to try and find the quote.

Great story, Smithammer.:D

[Stephen Graf]

#36234

My ignorance knows no bounds…. yet another seemingly great author I never heard of, and another easy sale for amazon.

[William Warren]

#38265

Steve Graf wrote: My ignorance knows no bounds…. yet another seemingly great author I never heard of, and another easy sale for amazon.

X2 same here.

[Col Mike]

#38278

Just to add to Steve and Duncan—Linda has added the e-mail notes from this site from Clay and the Hammer to the shopping file:D—more books and movies and why do you need a canteen cup stove:evil: Thanks 😀

Mike

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#38343

colmike wrote: Just to add to Steve and Duncan—Linda has added the e-mail notes from this site from Clay and the Hammer to the shopping file:D—more books and movies and why do you need a canteen cup stove:evil: Thanks 😀

Mike

“Why do you NEED a canteen cup stove?!? Uh…because it’s a STOVE that fits your canteen cup perfectly? It’s like having a bow, and no string. I can’t believe this is even a question.

[James Harvey]

#38524

Clay, you deja vu’d me with the paintings integrating natural formations into art, using them as inspiration perhaps for the work that would complete the painting. But I didn’t read it, I saw it on a documentary recently.

colmike wrote: why do you need a canteen cup stove?

Mike, my suggestion that I needed another one because the new one would have an arrow head embossed on it was not well received. My argument that it would match the new cup with the arrow head embossed on it did not strengthen my case. A case of one bird killing two stones 😕

Good luck with your Household Actual 😉

[grumpy]

#39480

Great story Smithammer. Han similar experiences with my son, and now my granddaughter. My favorite is that look that says “It’s a real bitch putting up with an idiot like you.”

[Col Mike]

#39531

Multiple statements to many ? on this thread.

Clay the quote/description of that art form is beautifully depicted in the DVD “Cave 0f Forgotten Dreams”. If you can’t find it pm and will send you.

Bruce–Your response was not well taken by the house actual

(you understand Jim)–so I showed her the site and she loves it:D So HAMMER your off the hook for a bit:shock: Problem here is that she see’s Clay’s stuff and say’s –well why don’t you just go out and build it like he does:evil:

The new knife( a piece of art from Bill) arrived today along with the new day pack–so I’m really pushing it—and thanks Jim but I think arrow embossing is not gonna hack it, Although your son’s name for the deer helped a lot:D

[David Petersen]

#39566

Boys and their toys … the only boy-toy I never got enough of and never will is … girls. In a pinch I can do anything with a small stack of small rocks and a shallow trench that you can do with a canteen stove. And I don’t have to carry the rocks around with me. If there ain’t no pinch, like car camping, I’ll stick with a cast-iron skillet and a multi-burner propane stove. When it comes for “carry it” vs. camp comforts, I’ve always gone with comfort on the trail via light weight vs. comforts in camp, where I spend as little time as possible. But something tells me this won’t go over any better than Jim’s extra custom canteen cup. Certainly, there is “art appreciation” in excellent outdoor gear. I just don’t want to carry it. Lazy or smart, depending on your pov. 🙄

Sorry Clay. It seems your search for poetical enlightenment has been subsumed by our love of gear. 😛 Snyder, a Zen master, would not likely approve. But then he was always a roadkill hunter, for which the only mandatory gear is a car and a knife.

[Col Mike]

#39611

[quote=David Petersen]Boys and their toys … the only boy-toy I never got enough of and never will is … girls. In a pinch I can do anything with a small stack of small rocks and a shallow trench that you can do with a canteen stove. And I don’t have to carry the rocks around with me. If there ain’t no pinch, like car camping, I’ll stick with a cast-iron skillet and a multi-burner propane stove. When it comes for “carry it” vs. camp comforts, I’ve always gone with comfort on the trail via light weight vs. comforts in camp, where I spend as little time as possible. But something tells me this won’t go over any better than Jim’s extra custom canteen cup. Certainly, there is “art appreciation” in excellent outdoor gear. I just don’t want to carry it. Lazy or smart, depending on your pov. :roll:[/quot

The neat thing is I agree with Dave. Remember I was the one that told you that body Armour was antithesis to infantry tactics. Move quick–shoot smart, we won WW11 with brown shirts and a 30.cal rifle

When I see how the kids are loaded today well I wonder:shock:

Sorry guess this got off thread.:D Back on yep like the girls

Mike

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#40331

Meh. I’m willing to bet that Snyder would be the first one to say that the whole “love of gear” vs. “Zen puritanical proselytizing” is just a false dichotomy and a distracting argument. 😉

To be honest, I find the whole “Zen” thing pretty tiresome in its modern manifestation, but the one thing I always liked about Snyder is that he never seemed to use it as an excuse to be self-righteous, unlike so many more recent Zen-hippy adherents.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#40338

colmike wrote:

Bruce–Your response was not well taken by the house actual

(you understand Jim)–so I showed her the site and she loves it:D So HAMMER your off the hook for a bit:shock:

Ha!

colmike wrote:

Problem here is that she see’s Clay’s stuff and say’s –well why don’t you just go out and build it like he does:evil:

Well yeah, Mike, why dontcha? Linda sounds like a sharp one. 😉

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