Rockwell Kent "Wilderness" Centennial Journal

ROCKWELL KENT WILDERNESS CENTENNIAL JOURNAL 100 YEARS LATER by Doug Capra © 2018 “Why do men love the wilderness? For its mountains? – there may be none. For its forests, lakes, and rivers? It might be a desert; men would love it still. Desert, the monotonous ocean, the unbroken snowfields of the North, all solitudes, no matter how forlorn, are the only abiding-place on earth of liberty.” Salamina by Rockwell Kent, p.22 Kent arrives in Vancouver today. One of the qualities I admire most about Rockwell Kent is his appreciation of solitude. No – “appreciation” is not the right word. A better word would be “need.” Solitude was essential for Kent. Not that he was a recluse or loner. He thrived in cities like New York as well. He needed that kind of intellectual stimulation. But there are other intellectual stimulants. Notice that his Alaska book – Wilderness – includes in its subtitle the phrase “quiet adventure.” One of the themes of Wilderness is that adventure doesn’t have to ...