Cry of the Wild

Rick Marchand

Rick Marchand

Donkey on the Edge
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How many of you have cried in the wild for one reason or another. Whether you were choking back the tears or wailing like Tammy Faye Baker... what triggered it and how did you deal with the situation?

I have had it happen several times... from stress, excitement/anticipation, depression and happiness. Many other educated outdoorsmen have told me the same thing. I think it is one of those things that can be chalked up to experience. When you are pushing boundries and exapanding your comfort zone, things can get emotional. I knew a competion fighter who cried during every match. It was simply how his body coped with stress.

Or is everybody gonna play the tough guy?

Rick
 
Guess I'm not a tough guy.:o

I've been known to shed a tear or two when coming on an unexpected view. Seeing something truly beautiful is hard for me to contain.

Probably because I go to the wilderness to relieve stress. And you don't relieve stress by keeping things close.:)

How do I deal with it? Obviously, I don't. What happens, happens.;)
 
I'm a tough guy, Rick. Never cried in the wild :p

Actually, I have had it happen when I come upon a really awesome view. Not an outright cry, but it has happened a few times. If it happens, it happens.

(Do you include when falling out of a treestand in this? :o )
 
I'm tougher than you want to hear about, or would likely believe, and have had tears streaming down my face several times just watching the DVD set of the PBS series on America's national parks, recently.
In the wild, no. I was overwhelmed by a couple of places in Zion NP this spring, and thought it had to be the most incredible place on Earth, but I don't think any actual tears were cried. I noticed that in one of the videos I made there that my voice broke, though, so I must have been on the verge.

I've done a lot of cussing in the wild:o
 
I slipped on small trees still flattened by the receding snow on a steep slope intersecting a trail.
Went down about 100ft trying to self arrest and dislocated a finger and lost 2 nails before stopping.

Took 20 minutes of adrenalin shaky climbing to get out.
Sat down and spent 10 minutes fixing up my hand, man losing nails that way was more painful than the dislocated ring finger later on that night.

Then made soup with my hexamine stove to calm down and broke down a little for 10 or 15 seconds or so waiting for boil.
Ate soup with 3 advil, felt the aftereffects of the adrenaline dump and throbbing hand and just pitched my tent on the trail and spent the evening and night.

Went back the next morning early, skipping getting to the lake which was 3 more hours of hiking, my hand was a mess and flyfishing for 2 days had lost it's charm.

I was alone and 21 at the time and was 4 hrs from the truck then 2 more driving down a logging road.

Character building, I have carried my pack axe in hand crossing snow slopes in the mountains and had to self arrest about 10 years later, only slid 15 feet with the axe and better technique.

What really sucked was my hard assed German dad was my foreman at the slaughter house and I could take no time off.

Putting that chainmail glove on my hand with the damage and keeping up trimming 250 pork loins and hour had me squeezing back more tears than on the trail when one of the links would dig in to where a fingernail was supposed to be.

oh and Oldphysic's, I forgot to mention the dropoff 30 feet below where I finally stopped, had I gone over it was 80 plus feet to the rocks below. That was my closest brush with death at that point and time. Been in falls, accidents and mishaps before but that was 2 seconds from the end.
I never feel anything until after an incident has calmed down completely, then once I have time to think about it.......

Performed CPR on my dad at 15 successfully after mom woke me up and don't remember forcibly carrying her to the phone to get her off him and calling 911, then going back for 3.5 to 5 min of cpr until the firemen got there. Did not cry until I saw him awake in the hospital after an 18 hour coma and he just rasped "Thanks boy" through all the tubes etc. They said without me he would have had serious brain damage or death as there was probably 2 minutes before mom woke me and another min or so before I started.
Gave him 10 more years and my little brothers at least had a dad until just after high school.
 
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bunch of sisies you are
Ballerina%20Party-large.jpg
 
Brad "the butcher";8331766 said:
I slipped on small trees still flattened by the receding snow on a steep slope intersecting a trail.
Went down about 100ft trying to self arrest and dislocated a finger and lost 2 nails before stopping.

Took 20 minutes of adrenalin shaky climbing to get out.
Sat down and spent 10 minutes fixing up my hand, man losing nails that way was more painful than the dislocated ring finger later on that night.

Then made soup with my hexamine stove to calm down and broke down a little for 10 or 15 seconds or so waiting for boil.
Ate soup with 3 advil, felt the aftereffects of the adrenaline dump and throbbing hand and just pitched my tent on the trail and spent the evening and night.

Went back the next morning early, skipping getting to the lake which was 3 more hours of hiking, my hand was a mess and flyfishing for 2 days had lost it's charm.

I was alone and 21 at the time and was 4 hrs from the truck then 2 more driving down a logging road.

Character building, I have carried my pack axe in hand crossing snow slopes in the mountains and had to self arrest about 10 years later, only slid 15 feet with the axe and better technique.

What really sucked was my hard assed German dad was my foreman at the slaughter house and I could take no time off.

Putting that chainmail glove on my hand with the damage and keeping up trimming 250 pork loins and hour had me squeezing back more tears than on the trail when one of the links would dig in to where a fingernail was supposed to be.
Click to expand...

I don't know why, but this sort of thing never makes me cry.

Wife says I just look grim ... and take care of it. Sometimes I get pissed off (at myself).:o

Agreed that fingernail or toenail loss is particularly vexing.

Getting shot is also not fun.:mad:
 
I don't ever recall weeping in the wild. But don't feel shame Rick. Any time you want you just go put on that little strapless number that shows off your cleavage and you go right into the woods and have a good cry. ;)
 
I guess I'm some kind of pansy, because I've had it happen to me.

A buddy of mine — also a vet — and I hiked in to a nice spot in the woods, set up camp, and got comfortable. After dinner, we started passing a bottle around (I used to drink, way back then) and, inevitably, toasting the guys we knew who hadn't made it back. Pretty soon both of us were balling like babies. I would like to say that it was the beauty of the scenery that did it, but it wasn't: just memories.

I later did the same thing alone a few times. I never was really sure of what set me off, but my face developed some major leaks. I've since found out that I don't have to drink to get maudlin: happens every Memorial Day, too.

Okay, so I'm a pansy cry baby. So what?
 
dawsonbob said:
I guess I'm some kind of pansy, because I've had it happen to me.

A buddy of mine — also a vet — and I hiked in to a nice spot in the woods, set up camp, and got comfortable. After dinner, we started passing a bottle around (I used to drink, way back then) and, inevitably, toasting the guys we knew who hadn't made it back. Pretty soon both of us were balling like babies. I would like to say that it was the beauty of the scenery that did it, but it wasn't: just memories.

I later did the same thing alone a few times. I never was really sure of what set me off, but my face developed some major leaks. I've since found out that I don't have to drink to get maudlin: happens every Memorial Day, too.

Okay, so I'm a pansy cry baby. So what?
Click to expand...

So nothing.:)

You can keep your man-card.:D

The whole point of this Thread is that even 'manly men' sometimes cry.
 
There was this one time, walking down the beach, I turned a corner, and saw the head and torch of the Statue of Liberty sticking out of the sand. . .

But, seriously. . .


A few times, for various reasons. Mostly back in my hobo days. Loneliness, friends catching the westbound, general way society treats you when you don't live like them, etc.

But usually when most people would cry, I scream obscenities and throw heavy and/or sharp objects.
 
OldPhysics said:
So nothing.:)

You can keep your man-card.:D

The whole point of this Thread is that even 'manly men' sometimes cry.
Click to expand...

Thanks, for that. My man-card is important, I think.:D

Actually, I didn't mean to sound like I'm ashamed of it: I'm not. Just relating the fact that it has happened to me.

I'm better off than some, though. I unfortunately spend way more time at the VA than I would like, so I see a lot of other guys there. It's not at all uncommon to see someone sitting there waiting for an appointment start crying for no discernible reason. None of us think less of them, because, chances are, it's happened to us.
 
dawsonbob said:
Thanks, for that. My man-card is important, I think.:D

Actually, I didn't mean to sound like I'm ashamed of it: I'm not. Just relating the fact that it has happened to me.

I'm better off than some, though. I unfortunately spend way more time at the VA than I would like, so I see a lot of other guys there. It's not at all uncommon to see someone sitting there waiting for an appointment start crying for no discernible reason. None of us think less of them, because, chances are, it's happened to us.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that. Here's hoping your regular visits can taper away ... to nothing.:thumbup:
 
only after having sex...oh wait, wrong forum :D

haven't cried yet but came close when i spent part of memorial day hiking. just looking at the scenic view, and remembering my grandpa & the other brave men who served and how thankful i was that because of them i have the freedom to do anything i want almost made me cry.
 
OldPhysics said:
Sorry to hear that. Here's hoping your regular visits can taper away ... to nothing.:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Thank you, Sir.

It's entirely possible that I may be able to go out camping — at least car camping — by October or November, and I'm really looking forward to it. I can't begin to say how much I miss being outdoors.

If I get there, I may cry then, too. Never know.
 
A few years back, 2 buddies and myself were canoeing in Temagami, Northern Ontario. Very scenic trip, lots of good times. The last night before getting back to the vehicle, we had to camp on a lake that said 'No Camping'. Please excuse the picture (of a picture):

DSC07843.jpg


An idea of the scenery:

DSC07844.jpg


No big deal, since nightfall was coming, we didn't have any choice. Anyway, got the tent up, food hung, fire started and I went to get my much anticipated bottle of Peach Schnapps out of my pack. Nothing!!! At that point I realized I had left it on the kitchen counter in my apartment. You wanna talk about tears????

Doc
 
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