The Zone: Rediscovering Our Natural Self

(Paperback)

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Rob Wood trained at the prestigious Architectural Association School in London with a particular interest in vernacular or peoples architecture. He graduated in 1970 with a design thesis on villages which advocated an ecologically sustainable alternative to cities and suburbia.

His ongoing reflections on what it is that we learn when traveling in the mountains and his complete dedication to a sustainable lifestyle have elevated his stature in the mountaineering and outdoor leadership community for almost 50 years.

He and his wife, Laurie, moved to the Campbell River area in 1975 and built a self-sufficient homestead on Maurelle Island. Their pioneering attempt at sustainable living has lasted 45 years with help from various alternative and intermediate technologies.

Rob was born in England in 1945 and grew up in a beautiful village on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors. A profound love of nature developed into a lifelong passion for mountains and wild landscape.

Despite health issues and the onset of Parkinson's Disease, Rob continues to teach and mentor students year-round on wilderness self-reliance and living in alternative communities.

Interest in wilderness connections, self reliance, and living in alternative communities continues to be a major theme in 21st century society.

Mind, body, and spirit alignment with the natural world is a key element of many health and wellness practices.

Rob immigrated to Canada in 1971 and worked in architects offices in Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver.

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Reviews

"Mathematician Kurt Gdel published the incompleteness theorem in 1931. His study of mathematics had unearthed the notion that if a mathematical formula is comprised entirely of provable axioms, the formula will never be correct. For a formula to be correct there must be an element that is unprovable. Mathematics is beyond mechanistic. Rob Wood connects to this truth: the elements that are beyond being completely knowable are the pieces that make our connection to nature and ourselves whole. Furthermore, when we step into being present with this mystery, we have the opportunity to understand ourselves, others and the environment at a much higher level, so we can perform in ways we never thought possible." --Ken Wylie, author of Buried and founder of Archetypal: Mindfulness Applications for Risk Management

"Rob Wood has crafted an inspiring introduction to being 'in the zone' as an attunement to the intelligence and flow of nature. Through rich anecdotes from his decades of mountaineering, and lively treatment of selected scientists and Indigenous world views, Rob guides his readers along the path of letting go of cultural conditioning, paying attention to our surroundings, and opening up ways of experiencing nature that provide rewards for all of us, whether seeking spiritual freedom or coping with a challenging disease." --Christopher Ives, author of Zen on the Trail: Hiking as Pilgrimage and Meditations on the Trail: A Guidebook for Self-Discovery

Author Bio

Rob Wood has been a professional architect, pioneering mountaineer, organizer of ocean-to-alpine expeditions, instructor of wilderness self-reliance at Strathcona Park Lodge, and a founding member of the Friends of Strathcona Park, a protest group that helped stop logging and mining in the park. He is also the author of At Home in Nature: A Life of Unknown Mountains and Deep Wilderness. Rob and his wife, Laurie, still live on Maurelle Island, British Columbia.