I discovered the idea of primal landscapes in  this wonderful essay by Charles Finn in High Country News. The concept refers to the land that a person most identifies with, the land that is never far from their heart. For me, that primal landscape has always been the West, and I’m sure it always will be.

I’m a Westerner by birth and by choice. An urban Westerner, no doubt, but I’ve never been far from either snowcapped mountains or the salt tang of the Pacific. I love this region’s rivers, its forests, the wide open spaces of the Great Basin. I love its soaring peaks, its scorching deserts, its wild coasts.

And the funny thing is, I didn’t realize how strongly I identified with the West until I left it. At the age of 18, I headed east to Kentucky for college. While I wouldn’t trade those four years for anything, I felt nothing but relief when I returned home for good.

I don’t know where my future will take me, but I do know my heart will never stray far from this land.

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