Editor’s Note: The essence of freedom is poetically rooted in this reflective personal essay. It is offered as a respite from the harsh reality of our world today. Take a few moments to regard the simple beauty of the land that we love, and to appreciate, along with his proud mother, one man whose livelihood depends on it. Loggers are not only among the many pillars of our society, their work is what enables them to be created.
“In the vast wilderness of Montana, the logger’s grit and determination reflect a timeless pursuit of freedom and the frontier spirit that built a nation.”
By Maureen Steel
Special to Boston Broadside
Two and a half weeks steeped in the rugged beauty of Montana with my son Gus, a logger, has been as transcending as beauty itself.
The truest stories come from the hands of those who shape the world. Logging, much like writing, is about cutting through the noise and finding clarity, taking the raw and unformed and shaping it into something useful.
At zero dark thirty we crawl along a narrow wooded trail. The rigs headlights illumine the trees and timber, a windshield view of a world in and of itself. The Montana forest, untame, ungovernable and wild….exactly as I grew my sons. It is little wonder he feels at home here.
This is not a place for the weak or faint of heart. This is a place where men understand the value of hard work and brotherhood. These are men of grit and purpose, whose American hearts pump pine sap through their veins along with liberty.
The musky fragrance of moist earth, moss and fir is as dense as the trees themselves and every breath fills the lungs with the pneuma of freedom. If sovereignty and self determination had a scent, this would be it. If self-reliance had a face, it would be the bearded deeply tanned face of the American logger. The face of my son, the man I raised sitting next to me in the cab, driving 103,000 lb load 150 miles from St. Regis to Deer Lodge.
These men understand what it truly means to PULL a heavy load. The American logger is more than just a rugged figure wielding a chainsaw; he is the embodiment of a deeper truth about freedom and the strength it demands.
In the forest, where towering trees have stood for centuries, the logger comes as a force of nature, cutting through the timber with precision and purpose. His work is not destructive, but a cycle of renewal—much like the pursuit of freedom itself.
The logger’s daily task is to clear the way, to make space for new growth, and to carry the weight of that harvest far beyond the woods. He doesn’t just fell trees; he hauls the burden of his labor over endless miles of open road, navigating rough terrain and unpredictable weather, with steadfast determination.
It’s a thrice daily journey that mirrors the work of preserving freedom in America. The road to liberty is rugged and narrow, difficult, and fraught with obstacles, but these “dirt road cowboys” —loggers, and the great American Trucker, are the wild horse running at lightning speed to escape captivity. Standing majestic on the rise, breathing heavy, nostrils flaring, taking in the scene below from a safe distance, determined not to be seized or tamed. They are as American as the mud on their tires.
It is not the polished halls of Capital Hill that secure freedom—it is the sweat of the working man, the calloused hand of the get down and dirty men, like my son, who live close to the earth, who haul the weight of responsibility and duty over long stretches of feral road. It is these men of the deep wood, this brotherhood, that knows freedom isn’t just a word. It’s a heavy load that must be carried from one generation to the next. A road that must be traveled again and again, by each new generation; by those with the strength and will to carry it.
The American logger, with his 20 hour work day stands for Freedom.
He is Freedom itself.
Ask him….he’ll tell you “Go to the forest. It is in your roots”.
Maureen Steele’s passion for the written word is matched by her love of the country she roams. Her descriptive style has promoted and chronicled national movements, including The People’s Convoy where she also journeyed long miles in the cab of a big rig. Contact Maureen Steele of AMERICAN MADE on X @MaureenSteele_
or msteelepa@gmail.com
First in a series of personal essays on hardworking Americans who proudly live and breathe freedom in their lives and their work.
