Recognizing the human need for a comfortable coexistence in the outdoors is an example of what the concept of “friluftsliv” has to offer.

Despite the rigors of a daunting landscape and the inescapable and ominous winter season, Norwegians are widely known for their good cheer and positive attitudes. They are a very well adjusted race. In fact, they and their Danish neighbors are regularly regarded as some of the most satisfied populations in all of Europe.

In addition to the well-known benefits of spending time in nature, friluftsliv defines the ongoing efforts in the woods to improve our personal, mental and physical health.

Many adherents believe our health and happiness can be accelerated by traveling in and exploring wilderness areas. The phrase translates directly from a Norwegian term as the “free air life,” which really doesn’t quite do it justice.

We continue to go to the wilds to seek a piece of our past, in an effort to rediscover a primitive piece of our character that remains deeply seated in our being.

We all need a little nudge now and then, just to remind us that we still retain an indelible connection to the earth. Outdoor recreation provides us with a re-creation of our spirit and soul.

As we travel through primitive lands, it often seems as if we are traveling back in time. In one respect, we are simply recreating many of the events and activities we enoyed in our youth.

According to various reports, the term friluftsliv was coined in 1859. It is a Norwegian concept that identifies being outside as good for a human being’s mind, body and spirit. The term has long been used to describe a native way of life that has traditionally been spent exploring and appreciating nature.

In many ways, the concept parallels the current back to nature movement that has been popularized by Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and founder of the Child & Nature Network.

But there is also a twist. In addition to providing an example of the well-known benefits of spending time in nature in order to improve a person’s mental and physical health, the act of exploring wilderness areas provides participants with the feeling of traveling back in time.

Friluftsliv emphasizes the concept of going back to consider our past efforts in order to move forward. The concept seeks to advance humanity by offering proponents an opportunity to rediscover their roots while gaining a greater appreciation of our relationship with the environment.

Adherents to the concept believe human wellness can be accelerated by traveling in and exploring wilderness areas. It explains the reasons we long to travel in wild, remote places. We do so because we believe it will allow us to recover a small, yet important piece of ourselves that remains wild and primitive.

In this modern, fabricated world, which is growing increasingly detached from our roots in nature, we often need a little reminder that our species retains an indelible connection to the earth.

The concept can easily be related to a variety of current recreational and social movements, including reinactors, buckskinners, primitive skills practitioners, as well as the enduring, back-to-nature adherents who can still be found throughout the country.

The shared philosophy of the various movements is very similar. Marked by an appreciation of nature and a basic connection to the land, I believe the concept of friluftsliv is already alive and well in America.

Friluftsliv has an enduring legacy in the U.S., with roots that were originally planted shortly after the Civil War when adventurers such as Rev. Murray and George Washington Sears, aka Nessmuk, first opened up the Great North Woods to the average traveler.

The concept can be found in the tents, cabins and similarly primitive rough camps that always sprout up around this time of year. It is a concept where grown men and women are allowed to be young again.

As the woodsmoke curls slowly from a small campfire deep in the woods, current day adventurers have the opportunity to share in a primitive experience that has changed very little over the centuries. It remains as exciting and engaging today as it was back in 1815, 1915 and before.

There are very few activities that can so easily and absolutely transport modern day adventurers back in time to a world that seems as familiar to them now as it did more than two centuries ago. I believe it is the very definition of friluftsliv. The fresh air life is alive and well in the Adirondacks. Get out and enjoy it now.