As with most any experiential environment present today, nature has many facets. Usually when I enter the wilds, it is with a purpose, that being to enjoy the experience while retaining the ability to survive it. Nature is not all that tranquil, and my feelings about seeing a cougar in the wilds, or a grizzly, have a lot to do with the context in which I encounter them. I've had my hair on the back of my neck raised more than once by an undesirable encounter with big cats, and feel real fortunate that the only bears I've come across have been black bears that were as a'feared of me as I was of them, and politely excused themselves from my proximity without undo encouragement. I've been nearly run over by cow elk and wholly annoyed by a certain squirrel whom I will be all too happy to shoot the next time I see him. Then again, it feels pretty good to wake up in the middle of the big forest to the smell of a fresh pot of coffee coming to a boil.

Likewise, there've been occassions such as while sitting on the #2 express southbound subway through Manhattan while enjoying a fresh bagel and admiring a most beautiful female specimen sitting across from me (dark sunglasses can be a blessing) that nothing in the wilds can compare to. That same ride a day later can be annoying as hell.

It is all situational. Standing in the middle of a still, quiet 40 acre snow field surrounded by forest at 6,000 feet at 3:00 am in the middle of November with a clear sky and a full moon with the temp at about 2 is definitely one of those "Joe vs. the Volcano" moments.