>>...belittling the willpower and determination that these woodsmen possessed.   ...what they were capable of in the 
realm of toughness...

I grew up in suburban Poland which essentially put me in the 'city' category.  I had a chance to spend more than one summer with my cousins in the country.  I marveled at how much stronger they were and what endurance they had.  A case can be made, for a childhood in the country where children from the start were fed basic (back then fairly pesticide-free), fresh food and spend most of their days outdoors in one sort of physical activity or another.  Broken bones or ankle sprains were quite unheard of, too.

They were not inflated body builders, they were just strong in body and convictions.

The acuity of their senses could not be beat, either.  When we'd go into the woods mushroom picking or just observing wildlife, they would be the first ones to spot camouflaged mushrooms or pinpoint the location of birds or their nests.

It's hard to find people like this in developed countries these days.  Even the farmers today seem to be 'just agricultural workers.'

Waldemar 

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