Throughout each season, there are ample gifts from nature in British Columbia awaiting those who seek them.
Often, one walks through the forest with awe, inspiration and a sense of connection, but the feeling is just that, a sense of connection, but maybe not a true one.
Everyone can relate to the feeling of relaxation and inspiration derived from the forest, but again, there is a lack of true connection.
When you participate in the ecology of the beautiful forests of B.C. by means of foraging or hunting, there is a connection to the land being developed.
Once involved in the utilization of the forest, one begins to see and feel the connection grow with the familiarity of certain areas, plants, creeks etc.
Often enough, most area resident's experience of the forest is limited to trails, quading or riding snowmobiles.
All the while the enthusiast is quickly treading over the bounty that the forest is willing to give, without knowing that the bounty even exists. Though most people will know a couple species of berries in the region, the majority of the forests' goods remain hidden by the absence of identification skills.
A few friends and I go foraging on a regular basis for the teas, berries and fungus available in the region. All the while during these forays, we learn the intricacies of the relationships between plants, climate, topography, soil and fungus.
Learning and relying on the relationships and distribution of these goods give one the primal connection to nature that many seek either consciously or unconsciously on their adventures to the wilderness, be it trail riding or other.
Many would agree that the gift of a homemade product really shows the love and thoughtfulness that one puts into the gift, as it is not a store bought, cookie cutter product.
A gift of a wilderness product can ignite a thirst to obtain this same product again. This thirst leads one to seek out the product in its habitat and learn more about both the habitat and the product itself. All of this coming from a forager's gift. Now the receiver of said gift is becoming involved in the landscape and developing a connection with it.
A simple gift of a wild product (which will take tremendously more time to acquire than a box store cookie cutter product) can provide much more to the receiver and the giver than just the nutritional benefit of said product.
So instead of jumping on the mania that is a big "sale," jump onto your snowshoes and enjoy the gifts that the wilderness gives for free in return for its protection.
Don't forget to share the gifts with others so you might spark the desire to live in the region with a deeper connection to the ecosystem that gives Prince George its identity.
Hey, who doesn't enjoy a good bottle of wild huckleberry wine?
