Wilderness is not the end of freedom
Editor’s note: This article is from WeChat public account “Popov classmates” (ID: trip517), author Popov.
01 Endless loop
Ken Ignace is “unemployed.”
In April 2005, when he graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo, he was at the bottom of his life. He was burdened with huge debts when he left school. The $32,000 student loan, the English department of an ordinary university. The undergraduate diploma allows Ken to realize that it is almost impossible to find a decent job.
The only employment destination is a building materials supermarket that he is working on during his vacation, but this 21-year-old has been fed up with the work of cart workers, recycling carts, finishing shelves, dumping garbage, and ready to serve customers. With the handle, it’s endless, it’s the job of seeing the head at a glance.
Until graduation, Ken was born in the ordinary people, grew up in the suburbs, and received public education. He realized that every move in his life is just step by step. Reading high school is a legal requirement. Going to university is social. The mainstream, entering the workplace is also under economic pressure. Although there are many things – cars, CDs, and countless clothes, they have never really dominated their lives.
This epiphany looks so tricky.
For a long time, when he turned the globe on his desk in his bedroom, he was always attracted to one of the places, where there were snowfields, beautiful Northern Lights and running elk. Almost every spring, Ken was willing to leave for the place, but it was really summer, and in the face of part-time loans, participation in unpaid internships, and more realistic considerations, this dream was once again put on hold.
Alaska doesn’t really mean anything to Ken, but there is always a force that drives his yearning, no less than a beautiful car. Finally, a few months before graduation, Ken boarded a plane to Alaska. In the Arctic, he boarded the 5,000-foot Brooks Mountains and experienced his first outdoor walk and lost.
All those who have had outdoor climbing experience believe that there is a feeling similar to Ken: “There is always only one goal for mountaineering. It can simplify complicated life. You only need one step at a time.