REMOTE LOCATION
The Isolation Blues;
reflections during covid-19
Richard Grossinger: What would you say to people who say they’re isolated?
Gary Snyder: In relation to what? Nobody is really ever isolated. The question seems to be whether or not they’re able in whatever, say, lonely region they think they’re in, to have a cooperative or semi cooperative community function…or to what degree sharing takes place with neighbors, and in that process, to what degree that circle of neighbors is able to establish a sense of its own center, its own knowledge, its own magic…or it remains dependent on news from outside, and thus feels continually in a cultural backwater. This is one of the strangest problems of this century…that business of whether or not you can feel you’re at the center or whether or not you feel you’re in a backwater. It’s paradoxical that Portland, Maine, sometimes feels like it’s a backwater, but maybe some (homesteader or) hippie commune deeper in the woods doesn’t feel like it’s a backwater at all. The exploration of consciousness itself and the unfolding recognition of the same principles which are at work in our own minds as being the exact principles that are operating around us is the most beautiful of possible human experiences, at least for some time to come yet, and something of that order is what is – what the development of human society should serve.
Interview with Richard Grossinger, editor of Earth Geography Booklets (1971)
Mid-August at Sourdough Mountain Lookout by Gary Snyder Down valley a smoke haze Three days heat, after five days rain Pitch glows on the fir cones Across rocks and meadows Swarms of new flies. I cannot remember things I once read A few friends, but they are in cities. Drinking cold snow-water from a tin cup Looking down for miles Through high still air.
This excerpt from the Gary Snyder interview in Earth Geography is one of the first entries in my journal that I started when I went to the cabin. From day one I was well aware of the isolated location I had chosen and the perceived drawbacks of living in such a remote setting. And yet for me, these limitations were part of the reason why I selected to do so. Even with the accompanying geographical, cultural and economic shortcomings of living where I was and in the manner I was, I never felt as if I lived in a backwater. I didn’t feel as if I lacked anything or was missing out on something that was happening elsewhere. I felt like I had found my place.
If you look at a map you will notice that Houlton, Maine is an out of the way location. When someone asks me for directions I jokingly say, “Get on the I-95, head north, keep heading north and take the last exit before you end up in Canada…” As the directions indicate, Houlton is literally the end of the line. With that in mind, at The Cup Cafe located in the Unitarian Society basement our signature blend of coffee beans is “Cafe 61; End of the Line.” Although people sometimes complain that there is nothing going on in Houlton, I don’t mind driving to Portland or Boston once in a while if I need to get a “culture-fix.” Living in Houlton, Maine sometimes reminds me of the old TV series Northern Exposure. You never know what cultural surprises or unexpected character arcs will develop from episode to episode. Snyder mentions that one of the key aspects of developing a culture is to establish “cooperative or semi-cooperative community function.” All this means is that you have enough people to agree about something or support something in common and then do it. If it is only twenty people, then that’s okay. It can work. You now have a community larger than just you, doing something and valuing something together. The town of Houlton has a historic theater in Market Square, several fine restaurants downtown and numerous civic organizations contributing to the cultural flavor of this community. I am always amazed by what I find and the people I run into. There is no lack.
With recent covid-conditions suddenly people are looking for isolated locations and the heated real estate market north of Bangor is an indicator of this new trend. The Haynesville Woods has always provided an effective buffer for our continued isolation but time will tell. Find your place and value community.
In the woods,
Dave
November 12, 2021
