Guidebook writing on the third layer
I had a volcanic realization this weekend.
Or, rather, I had a normal realization while at an actual volcano.
Seeing Mt St Helen’s with guidebook-writer eyes
We were exploring Mount Rainier and Mount St Helen’s for the next edition of Lonely Planet’s Pacific Northwest book. ‘Guidebook author’ was a job I did for ten years, but I’d mostly hung up my authoring shoes 12 years ago. So, now that I’ve been teaching and coaching creative thinking for the past 12 years, could I gain some insights from being back on the road?
Yes! Dozens and dozens. Seriously. So many. This work is full-on and intense.
But here’s the one I think y’all would resonate with the most: Travel happens in three layers. Just like writing. And creative thinking.
Sometimes you show up to a place, or take a tour, and have a first-layer experience. That’s not a bad thing; there’s a lot of spontaneity on the first layer.
But sometimes you triangulate your travels. You read a book. You ask around. Or you, you know, go there.
In these layers, you uncover a destination later by layer. You draw the dots between your preconceptions (the first layer of creative thinking) with more research (second layer) and more in-depth analysis and insights (third layer).
Mount St Helen’s layer by layer
I’d been to all the destinations I’m covering, save this one. I did some research, but I also wanted the experience of seeing the mountain from the spontaneous, creativity-inducing first layer. At first, I wasn’t that impressed. It’s a long, fairly isolated road there. The Visitor Center wasn’t open yet, so we drove towards the mountain. Which was … fine. Kinda desolate maybe? (We’d just come from flashy Mount Rainier.)
Then, we ended up at a lake, having a chat with two REI guides leading a kayaking tour on Coldwater Lake. Which was entirely created by the eruption, a 43-year-old practically brand-new geographical feature. It piqued my interest: How many new lakes are formed each year? Or decade, even? And get this: The lake doesn’t allow gas-powered vehicles. How many others don’t? I suddenly wanted to come back to kayak this quiet lake.
As we drive towards the first visitor center, I could have sworn more wildflowers peeked out. I noticed the young green of all of the Weyerhaeuser trees. Was that an optical illusion, the uniformity of the new growth? And, was the mountain really that dramatic an hour ago? I dunno; maybe the light was better now.
Once we got to the Science and Learning visitors center and started learning more about the history of the volcano, the ecology of the eruption, and flora and fauna, I was hooked. It lost 1300 feet of elevation in a moment! One of the visitor centers had stories from five survivors, including one that was pulled down through a mud river and rescued via helicopter. Was that what was called a lahar? Do I need to get a book on Mount St Helen’s, or volcanoes now??
This is how the third layer of creativity is born in all of our brains. Curiosity. Interest. Depth. Questions. And a little bit of spontaneity.
So go travel and enjoy on the first layer when you need some rest. But take the time to look around for the third layer from time to time too.