Stirring Into the Wild Wonder

Recently, Nic Cage reflected on a conversation he had with David Bowie about exploring new directions. Cage asked, 'How did you keep reinventing yourself?' Bowie’s response was simple but profound: 'I just never got comfortable with anything I was doing.'

This is a share for the fellow seekers. I sometimes find myself looping in headspace, so whenever I can, I seek out stirring, grounding and even harrowing experiences; the magic of Black Rock City, sculpting concepts into thriving ventures, becoming a godfather (I do not have kids of my own), trekking Everest-Patagonia-Peru, the pain of Auschwitz, and most recently, completing the seven-day field course at the Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS).

At the start of this year, the seeker in me was inspired to create more wonder — a contagious proposition. My taste had changed, and I had come to a new appreciation of my own introverted rituals. Cosmopolitan pursuits of yesteryear had become a bit trite, so I planned an adventure I had been deeply curious about for some time: How would I survive in the wild?

My time in the US Navy 30 years ago gave me a basic introduction to survival skills (primarily in the ocean, or if captured), but what I experienced last week at BOSS was a new peak — intense, challenging, transformative, and vividly grounding.

Our journey spanned an operating theater of 5,000 to 11,000 feet altitude in the rugged mountains and high desert of Utah. Every step tested us: thin air, blistering days, cold nights, and miles of earth traversed. Scarce water, limited provisions, and the relentless elements made every moment a vibrant confrontation with life.

This was not a vacation; it was a raw, unfiltered encounter with nature’s harsh beauty. We were stripped of comfort, our vulnerabilities laid bare. This was exactly the wild wonder I hoped it would be.

Over several nights, we lay under a canopy of stars. The camaraderie among us — eight strangers and three instructors — was forged through shared adventure. We shared stories, we laughed, we struggled, together. The silence of the night was punctuated by the crackling fire, the whispering wind, and our unabridged exhaustion.

Throughout the journey, the always-on business mind in me wondered about the meaning and takeaways of this experience. Often, I thought of it as a gift — a gift from… the creators of this program more than 50 years ago, from the current facilitators today, from my 18- to 53-year-old compadres on the journey, and most importantly, from our 4.5-billion-year-old planet that gives so much life. A dear friend once anchored me in the art of acceptance. Not everything needs an analysis or takeaway; it’s enough to simply accept a gift and share it if we can. Besides, it’s likely different for everyone.

This post is my way of sharing that gift, hoping to inspire others to access the same glimpse of beauty I tasted. Go outside, touch grass, roll around in it, or take it to the next level with a wilderness adventure and survival experience.

While I can’t share every detail of the BOSS journey since that would ruin the surprise, I hope that if you undertake a similar adventure, you’ll reach out and share your experiences with me. I’d love to hear about your journey.