technological tether. michelle slosser

The first day of class Dr. Redick mentioned an idea that comes back to me every now and than about being in the wilderness and feeling very attached to your man-made objects. My summer of 2006 had been in the desert, and I immediately knew what he meant when mentioned a backpack being a technological tether. Its no secret that my summer had been hard, and that I did not come back entirely in one piece. A lot can happen to a group of 8 people if they are left in the desert by themselves for 3 months, and I was no where near figuring out what HAD happened when i came into Redicks class. I was mesmerized from the first moment of how he explained, without knowing it, exactly what happened. On the specific subject of the backpack, I felt a little bit ashamed, because I had treated that thing like my absolute life support, as well as other things we brought with us like tents and trucks. I remember some nights, when I would be alone on top of a mountain sitting at a tracking station, I would put my feet inside my backpack to keep them warm, and that action would actually bring me comfort, or so i thought at the time. listening to a radio station, no matter what was playing on it, would be my escape from my discomfort of that strange lonely place i was in. How I regretted my actions on that first day of class, how foolish I had been when I was told what I had been doing! Will I ever get a chance to live so close to nature again? Did I waste a magnificent opportunity because I am so fearful? It wouldnt be the first time.