September 3, 2014, marks the 50th anniversary of The Wilderness Act signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. The Act states in part the definition of wilderness: “A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” (Public Law 88-577 (16 USC §§1131-1136) 88th Congress, Second Session September 3, 1964).
My childhood is filled with memories of wonderful camping trips, and good times in the woods at the family cabin my grandfather built. My husband isn’t much of a camper, but we have spent some wonderful times in wilderness areas. While we don’t camp, it doesn’t stop us from taking great day trips together. Whether or not our trips have been in a technically designated wilderness area in the Wilderness Act, they have been far enough away from civilization to be special.
There is definitely something heavenly about being in a secluded area away from the hustle and bustle of our lives and smack dab in the middle of Heavenly Father’s creations. It is awe inspiring. It gives us a sense of who we are, where we came from, and what our purpose is here on the earth. There is a peace that can be found in the wilderness that is hard to find anywhere else. These are moments where memories are made together.
Peaceful moments on a mountain trail, in the desert, or walking barefoot on a sandy beach can restore peace to your soul. Sharing those moments with the most significant person in your life is a moment made in heaven. Conversation becomes more relaxed, and sometimes isn’t needed at all as our souls seem to connect without words. Wilderness areas are not just recreation, but relaxation and restoration. Marriages need relaxation from time to time, and even restoration of those soft connections that seem to get lost in our busy lives.
It’s a little hard to forget you are married when you are totally alone together with nature. We can go to work, manage a household, raise children, and work in our communities with such exuberance at times that our marriage can be pushed to the back of our minds without even realizing we are doing it. Get into a wilderness area with your spouse and your marriage is right in front of you with no distractions and no excuses.
There have been times in our marriage when it was really important for my husband and me to reconnect to each other. Life sometimes gets out of hand, and sometimes we have just needed to put things back into perspective. We have wonderful memories of doing that while sitting on a cabin porch in the redwood forest, walking on a sandy California beach, and driving hairpin turns on mountain roads. We laughed, we talked, and we remembered how to be madly in love with each other.
No matter how many years you’ve been married—whether it is 5 or 55—there are times when you feel stifled by the world and disconnected from your spouse. It is during those times that a trip to a wilderness area can totally refresh your marriage, even if only for a day trip.
My husband and I have a vacation fund that we use to get away occasionally. We started putting just a few dollars into the fund every payday. We don’t dip into the fund for just a day trip, but that fund has helped us to reconnect in the wilderness on several occasions when money was otherwise pretty tight. If you don’t have a fund in place, start one. It is all too easy to say we can’t afford a vacation, even if our marriage needs one. If a vacation fund is already in place, when the need arises, count the money and see how far it will take you. Depending on how often you need to get away, and how fast you save, you can have some pretty nice alone time together in the peace and quiet of God’s creations.
MarriageTo read all of Tudie Rose’s article on marriage, click the picture.
The Family: A Proclamation to the World states, “Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities” (The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”, https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation). What better recreation than spending time together in the wilderness?
Revitalization of marriage is important. Just as we renew and restore our homes with fresh paint, or the upholstery on our furniture, we can renew and restore our relationship with our spouse. It doesn’t take much money, just a little time and effort. It doesn’t have to be a trip to Europe or even Hawaii. Some of the best trips are those fairly close to home so that you are not exhausted from the travel itself. My husband and I are lucky enough to live 90 minutes from the Sierra Nevada mountain range to the east and 90 minutes from the Pacific Ocean on the west. We are probably 5 or 6 hours from the Redwood Forest to the north. We are 3 hours from the gorgeous Nevada desert. I don’t know where you live, but I’m betting that with a little creativity you can figure out a spot that’s just right for you.
Tudie Rose is a mother of four and grandmother of ten in Sacramento, California. You can find her on Twitter as @TudieRose. She blogs as Tudie Rose at http://potrackrose.wordpress.com. She has written articles for Familius. You will find a Tudie Rose essay in Lessons from My Parents, Michele Robbins, Familius 2013, at http://www.familius.com/lessons-from-my-parents.
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