Her First Elk Analysis

As a child, I unraveled nature’s beauty and existence. Each new experience brought me feelings of excitement and joy, sparkling my imagination and igniting my curiosity. It all seemed so large back then. Oceans appeared endless as they reached towards the horizon. Treetops seemed to make friends with the puffy-looking clouds as they soared to the sky. Over the years however, as I have grown older and life has become more complex, I am beginning to think less and less about the natural world around me. I glimpse sunset stuck in rush-hour traffic trying to return school after debate practices and only listen to the pitter-patter of the rain when there’s a storm outside. Forests and oceans seemed less appealing as they became intertwined with the urban development. In a way, I was becoming more and more distanced from the so-called nature. So, with an overwhelming desire for adventure and to escape the masses, my family and I drove to Big Bend National Park in Southwest Texas last summer.

Nature is the playground for every human. It is essential that we include nature in our lives; it keeps us on our correct path. However, if we dismiss ourselves from nature, we begin to stray from our correct path. We become engulfed in the distractions from the modern world . The only approach to appropriate this quandary is to break our pervicacious ways and return to peaceful serenity known as nature.

In his 2008 novel, Last Child in the Woods, journalist and natural idealist Richard Louv demonstrates the effect that separation from nature has on children. Using a variety of rhetorical strategies, Louv reminds the different parents, as agree cohort which adapted alongside new technology, of the benefits they received from nature prior to the technological revolution. Louv persuades them to instill an appreciation of the natural world in their children, even if such appreciation deviates from societal norms.

I confess, I all too well know that living in the digital age, I have hindered my opportunities to immerse myself in nature like Henry David Thoreau. There is rarely a day that passes by that I do not use my cell phone or computer. Too often I forget that the outside world is more enigmatic and dynamic than anything that can be found on the computer or in the concrete jungle I enter when I go back home. I crave the mesmerizing and reflective space that nature has always provided since the dawn of time. Nature allows me to feel alone, but also become a part of something at the very same time. Thoreau beautifully claims, “We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all

The outdoors is hidden to many people around the world. All many see is the huge skyscrapers and whitewash walls of the cities. These people don’t tend to be as happy because there isn’t a stress reliever, or a place to get away to. They need this place so that they can have some time to just relax, learn, and develop true happiness. The outdoors is an escape for those who know it and are available to experience it on a regular basis. These places can be the Great Redwood Forests and Lake Almanor in California, to Canada’s vast river and lake systems, to the fields of Kansas, and the mountains of New Zealand. All of these places have one thing in common, the freedom to live. So many city dwellers don’t get to experience these things, which rural people hold to so dearly. The constant hustle and bustle of the city tends to keep people from their happiness. The stress of city life has a way to go “out the window” when you spend time outside with yourself and nature. The ones who can experience the life in the

Throughout today’s society there are several different cultural perspectives which form theoretical and practical understandings of natural environments, creating various human-nature relationship types. In this essay, I will describe and evaluate different ways of knowing nature and the impact of these views on human-nature relationships. From this, I will then explore my own human-nature relationship and reflect on how my personal experiences, beliefs and values has led me to this view, whilst highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each and reflecting upon Martin’s (1996) continuum.

My brother hopped out and got a few rods and a tackle box out. “Come on, Jay is already at the end,” he said as he rushed to the entrance and paid 18$ for both of us to fish until 7 the next morning. I stepped onto the pier and was shocked to see so many people of all ages, sizes, races. The pier was old and worn out, creaking with each careful step I took. The shine of the moonlight reflecting off the pier and the water gave the pier a somewhat scary but welcoming feeling. We walked down to the very end and met up with Jay. He had a giant cooler filled with squid and other types of fish to use as bait, and a gigantic battle rod. “What’s up man?” Mitchell exclaimed and hugged Jay. “Ready to try to teach this little one how to fish?” my brother laughed as they both looked at me awkwardly standing there not knowing what to do. It was around six at night and the pier was still pretty packed, but people were starting to pack up and

“A walk in the Woods” is the story of two men setting out on the AT trail. They come across what not only they are missing but the disconnect in nature. The book helps to expand on what aspects are missing from our culture in order to incorporate nature in our daily life.

In turn, this allows the visitors to experience the natural beauty, charm, and spiritual significance of the “true world” in almost the exact same light as even the earliest of environmental philosophers, such as Henry David Thoreau. Being exposed and actually walking through these lands allows people to go beyond their desktop screensaver aesthetic admiration for the natural world and really connect to and feel in their own individual way the majestic powers of the wild. One example, among many, of these powers would be the opportunity for extreme solitude, time for personal reflection, and an outlet for escape. The benefits of such introspection could entail an increased sense of vitality, self reliance, confidence and moral strength. “New Englander Joseph Knowles proposed setting aside ‘wild lands’ and establishing outdoor communities where Americans could retreat from the ‘commercialism and the mad desire to make money that have blotted out everything else leaving us not living, but merely existing.”’ There are no advertisements trying to persuade one to buy this, or upgrade to this new form of “must have” technology in the wilderness. There is no boss or professor demanding work or assignments, there is just pure bliss. When people get out and really smell the pollutant free fresh

The mystery and beauty of nature are some of the greatest phenomenons to ever exist. There are no limits to what you may discover and witness while outside and exploring. The advancement of technology has strayed today's youth far away from nature and the outdoors. Today’s prototype of success has caused people to move away from nature and instead follow laid out paths that will ensure a large income. Many brave and courageous people, such as Chris McCandless, have abandoned society and began their own pursuit of happiness. But what about nature and the wilderness is it that draws so many people to it?

The two articles help readers understand that when man and nature are together they create knowledge and emotions. Both writers describe feelings that one might feel when in touch with nature; in different ways, both elaborate on the fact that if man and nature were to disconnect then an imbalance would occur. “The river was

Having a bond with nature is key to appreciating simple aspects of life more. Walking instead of driving and stopping to look at the scenery every once in a while will get some one that much closer to achieving that bond. However, people have become accustomed to depending on machines to do their work and ignoring nature or feeling that they are too busy to stop and smell the roses. A strong connection with nature will allow people to open up relationship with themselves and nature can help build bonds with others and the

Nature sets out to inspire a sense of reverence for nature through exploring the interdependence between

To return to nature and learn while doing so, is to live purely. A pure lifestyle is my ultimate understanding of happiness. This past summer, I was able to achieve this state of bliss by attending a fifteen-day backpacking course with the Colorado Outward Bound School where I explored the Elks Mountain Range. I was gifted with the amazing opportunity to meet ten like-minded individuals who came from all over the world and experience a way of life away from our typical lifestyles. Living out of backpacks, sleeping under the stars, and cooking meals for one another at the top of mountains were just a few of our daily activities that allowed us to come to know each other, our surroundings, and ourselves. A core aspect of this program is participation

As I left behind the somber forest, I now recognized an appreciation for nature that I did not realize I had. I now knew there was more to nature than just trees and animals, but also I found the