Wilderness vs. Wildness

Many times I find myself wanting to visit wilds places in the vast deserts of the Southwestern US. So I look up, using trustworthy ol' Google, where the wilderness areas are in my neck of the prickly woods. I tend to find only two options:

Numero Uno:

A national wilderness area that looks great on my little car atlas, but once there, I find the postcard views polluted with urban sprawl. These areas are directly adjacent to the urban centers of desert living, like Saguaro National Park (both East and West) or the Pusch Ridge area containing Sabino Canyon. The glow of the city casts its evil spotlight skyward and drowns out the glittery stars above.

Numero Dos:

The other option round these parts consist of beautifully remote wilderness areas, however conveniently blocked on all sides by private land. Access to these areas is often so difficult folks who rarely have more than a weekend for exploration (myself included) don't spend the time going through proper channels for permits and permission. Now, I cherish folks like Ed Abbey, who wouldn't allow something as simple as private land and no trespassing signs to hinder his progress into the desert he rightfully owns. However, I've made a place for myself as an educator, and a job so easily put in danger by being on the wrong side of a fence wreaks havoc on my otherwise nonchalant conscience.

Numero Tres:

I know I said that you usually find one of TWO options, but I suggest a third. I try to find places that may not necessarily be Wilderness, but are certainly more wild than some of those in option 1. The wild can exist in your own backyard if you don't clutter it with bermuda grass and oleander. It can jump out at you on a normal day hike in the Tucson Mountain Park (as in my experience with a rattler or two!) Or, you can find places not designated as wilderness, but no four-wheelers care to access, making them an oasis of wild near some sleepy town basking in the desert sun. Who knows, your neck of the woods may look like a concrete jungle that's as wild as any Walden Pond.

"In wildness is the preservation of the world" - Henry David Thoreau