Belden Lane’s work is trying to write down and describe the spiritual transcendence he sometimes experiences in nature. But he can’t just tell people at dinner parties he’s a guy who wanders around in the woods seeking transcendence. “My own particular cover is that of a university professor,” he writes. “It’s a way of looking responsible while attending to much more important things.” As a professor, he appears to be “engaged in reputable endeavors, locked into acceptable categories. I manage to satisfy my employer, meet society’s expectations, sign checks.” But his real work is up in the
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