Breath of Wilderness by Kristin Eggerling

Author:Kristin Eggerling
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing
Published: 2015-08-11T06:00:00+00:00

Five

The Power of Words

While Sigurd was in high school, the Ashland Chamber of Commerce sponsored an essay contest about the chamber’s values. Sig didn’t care about the organization or about the point of the essay, but he enjoyed writing, so he sat down, wrote an article, and submitted it. On the day the chamber of commerce announced that Sig had won first prize and a five-dollar gold piece, he realized that he had a gift for writing ­— or, as he said, “the ability to express myself.”

After he and Elizabeth moved to Ely, Sig realized that he could share his passion about the outdoors and its spiritual importance in everyone’s life by writing about it.

Becoming a published writer isn’t easy, though, and over the years, Sig received many rejections for his writings. Publishers told him, “This stuff won’t sell,” and said he should include more adventure in his writing. In response he said, “I have adventures of the spirit,” but, like all writers, he edited and revised his material many times before it was ready for publication. The first magazine article he wrote was turned down sixteen times, and his first and best-selling book, The Singing Wilderness, was rejected by many publishers before one accepted it. It was published in 1956 and quickly surged onto the New York Times Best Sellers list. Sig was ecstatic and proud. He was fifty-seven years old.

Over the next twenty-five years, Sigurd wrote eight more books. His second, Listening Point, recounted stories of his cabin and personal retreat. The Lonely Land was an account of the voyageurs and his own voyageur expeditions. Minnesota’s senator Hubert H. Humphrey wrote to Sig in 1962, “My young son, Douglas, age 13, has been reading your excellent book entitled ‘The Lonely Land.’ He has enjoyed it so much. He insists that his Dad take him up into the north country next summer. You better prepare for some visitors because I am confident we are going to be up your way for some fishing and good outdoor recreation. Just wanted you to know that we enjoyed your book. We are proud of you. As ever, your friend.”

Runes of the North, Sig’s fourth book, told of legends of the Native Americans and the North. His autobiography, Open Horizons, was published in 1969 and was his fifth book. The Hidden Forest combined the nature photography of Les Blacklock with Sigurd’s nature writing. Wilderness Days included photographs and drawings and compiled selected essays from his previous books season by season. Next, Reflections from the North Country showcased Sigurd’s wilderness philosophy based on his many speeches. Sigurd completed his last book, Of Time and Place, shortly before he died. It was published in 1982. In it he reminisced about his experiences in the wilderness.

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