Stehekin Heritage:
http://www.stehekinheritage.com/
Beyond Words:
To Inherit a Treasure
Like a rare jewel, the value of the
unique lifestyle existing in Stehekin increases over time. In an era where
self- reliance has disappeared into rapid and fragmented living, this valley
and the people it calls its own keep alive a way of life to be treasured. Our
daily lives reflect a rich heritage of the raw spirit that has gone before us
to create today’s advanced lifestyles.
Convenience does not exist in the
mountains. Even gadgets and machines cannot overcome this simple law that
affects those who choose to live so close to raw nature. Our lives take on the
rhythms and cycles all around us. We are subject to strong elemental forces
larger than our wills. In awe and due respect we must live conscientiously and
make every move count. A modern lifestyle finds no space here… we simply cannot
move that fast, and, we like it that way.
Due to remoteness we must rely on
what is immediately around us for basic survival rudiments. This is the
difference and this is the beauty and this is the pioneer’s life. We can know
our sources of life so readily. Heat comes from the forest with firewood, water
comes directly from snows and rains, some food is grown from our own soil. The
air is fresh. Most of our homes are built from local resources, most by our own
hands.
Skills and crafts reminiscent of
early settlers, largely dependent on handwork, are kept alive in Stehekin. This
is partly due to a desire to be consistent in self- reliance and partly due to simple
need. A person learns the value of practicality in the “old ways” of splitting
wood, log work, horse packing, putting up food, butchering, spinning, knitting,
leatherwork, etc.
Community
life speaks of the old- fashioned traditions worthy of remembering and
retaining. Young and old mix at numerous potlucks for all occasions, square
dances, volleyball and baseball games, races, and graduation celebrations of
the one- room school. In times of need differences are dropped. At other times
we are as diverse in character as you can find. Like a family our arguments cry
out to be resolved because tomorrow we will need to live and work together
whether we want to or not!
The presence of a dishwasher,
satellite TV dish or VCR does not change our need to experience the ritual of
wood- gathering for survival’s sake. We still become snowed in. The river
floods, we run out of food supplies, we cannot communicate easily with our
relatives elsewhere and we must wait for mail, parts and people. We do
pay a price for choosing to live a lifestyle that requires our constant
attention. However, what we gain is priceless. Understanding life from the
foundation up, understanding cycles from beginning to end to beginning again,
respecting the mountains. Stepping outside to be filled with the humbling lessons
of nature and inspiring beauty of quiet majesty.
To live Stehekin’s lifestyle of
self- reliance keeps alive a respect for ourselves and our abilities and for
those that came before and lived this type of life completely. Stehekin is
important to the rest of the world as a reminder of values from the past worthy
of passing on. Like a rare jewel, Stehekin holds a wealth untold for those who
keep its unique way of life polished.
http://www.stehekinheritage.com/Stehekin Heritage:
