My Trip With Outdoor Adventure Club

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.

The idea behind Max Lucado’s Cure for the Common Life is that all people have what he calls a “sweet spot.” The sweet sport, as he defines it, is an individuals unique service for God that they were created to fulfill. Using life stories and everyday parables, Lucado offers practical, concrete ways for readers to examine their talents and passions to discover the direction God intends for their lives. Along the way, Lucado also offers gentle, welcome advice, such as remembering to rest and recharge to keep your sweet spot hitting true. Life in our sweet spot should roll like the downhill side of a downwind bike ride. Simply put, life just flows. You magnify your creator with your strengths, and suddenly your days will grow sweet.

Just east of Slide Mountain, you will come across Matterhorn Canyon. This thirteen-mile hike is very famous because you will not find another canyon in Yosemite that compares to this one. This canyon has a small river flowing in between the walls of Matterhorn Canyon. These “walls” are scattered with rocks and meadows. Its cliffs are made out of smooth granite, which are crystallized igneous rock. Hiking up the trail to the northern boundary of Matterhorn Canyon is Matterhorn Peak. This peak is very spectacular in that you are able to ascend this peak with the right gear and it is one of the highest peaks in the Northern part of the

Annie Dillard’s “This is the Life”, an addition to the publication of “A Journal of Art and Religion”, Dillard persuades the readers to ponder the purpose of their lives. Dillard provokes self-contemplation through asking and repeating rhetorical questions and phrases, illusions that support her point, and an inspirational didactic tone.

It’s the end of the school day. I finally breathe and release myself of the stress and the frustration of a normal school day. I sit on the benches outside and wait for my ride. With technology gone and no people to talk to, I just sit still. The evergreen trees gently move in some of the final gusts of the summer breeze. And as I’m looking at life’s beauty and as thoughts swim through my brain, I become frightened. Because, I have never thought of life, as a whole, so profoundly. It transforms into satisfaction. Without distractions, I sit with my thoughts and world’s alluring nature. As I relive this moment in my mind, I can’t help but think of Henry David Thoreau. How he just sometimes sat and took in everything, and absorbed everything

Thesis: Chris McCandless has found the meaning of his life with inspiration of Emerson's quote, “The foregoing generations beheld God and the nature face to face; we, through their eyes. Why should not we also enjoy an original relation to the universe (“Nature” ). He has found this by trusting his decisions, living alone in Alaska, and seeing life through his own eyes rather than the eyes of others.

It is often noted that one can never truly understand the beauty of life until they go and experience it. This idea parallels with getting to know who they really are and figuring out what their purpose in life genuinely is, which not many people cannot comprehend. Everyone has different fears, desires, and feelings, but not until you live a life of new experiences do you harness your true self. Growing through experiences and connecting with nature allows someone to more deeply reflect on their individual purpose on Earth and discover their own definition of happiness. Henry David Thoreau comments on this even further by proposing that the disconnection from a society in which we are comfortable is the only way to cultivate an understanding of ourselves. Chris McCandless sets out on an adventure in a life absent of routine to push his boundaries and prove that he could make it on his own, finding the meaning of life in the process. Henry David Thoreau’s statement “Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves”, is correct, as evidenced by Jon Krakauer’s novel Into the Wild.

Attending college, beginning a career, starting a family, and ultimately getting trapped in a daily routine are components in life that many see no means of escape. The lure of living off the grid with no responsibilities or connections to adult life are attractive but unattainable to most people. The experiences of Chris McCandless chronicled in Jon Krakauer’s book, Into the Wild, mystify the nation, along with many of the people he meets during his journey. From stories of those who meet McCandless along the way, people were able to put the pieces together and make a few assumptions for the reason he chooses to go into the wild. Individualism, living a minimalistic life, nonconformity, going into nature, and trusting oneself are fundamental Transcendentalist principles that McCandless also exemplifies. Two well-known proponents of the Transcendental movement, writers Henry Thoreau and Ralph Emerson, also have a strong connection to nature, that are also shown in Chris McCandless’s journey. This connection with nature requires someone to go into nature to clear the mind of meaningless things, and to open up their consciousness to what nature has to offer them. In doing so, a bond with their surroundings that has a direct impact on their well being and mental wellness. Chris McCandless, as described by Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, demonstrates becoming one with nature through nature’s impact on his well being and mental health.

In life, we have to make choices. We make choices on what we eat, what we wear, and how we are going to live our lives. Choices are what make us, us. As we grow older, the choices become more difficult, as we struggle to find our way on the path of life. Often we are searching for a light to lead us in the right direction. For some of us, the light shines brightly in the distance and helps us find our way along the long and bumpy path of life, while for others the light seems to never come, and we struggle along, battling the darkness. We are consistently looking for an escape, a place where we find who we are, what our role is in the world and the meaning of life. Rodrick Nash states in Wilderness and the American Mind, “Wilderness appealed

Many find nature to be beautiful and captivating, but others take it to the extreme and inhibit themselves to live on its contents. Living off the land can be temperamental while also being critical to one’s survival. Chris McCandless, according to researchers, can easily be comparable to the similar situations of John Waterman, Carl McCunn, and Everett Ruess. All of these men had one goal: To seek out a greater purpose in nature. However, complications and puzzling disappearances brought them to their fate. Jon Krakauer provides examples of men analogous to McCandless’ experience to distinguish how crucial it is when someone decides to make a delirious decision to abandon their former life for a new one.

My first trip to Disney World, now that, that was a memorable trip. That trip was one of the most magical and happiest memories of my life. It was back in 2008, I had just turned 6 years old a few months before we left to go there. It was summertime, and the weather was perfect. I remember being so bored on the way there because I am an only child so I didn’t have anyone to entertain me besides myself. My mom’s side of the family went on this trip with us, and at the time I was the only grandkid, and the only kid at all. So once we finally were almost there I remember passing the big ‘Welcome to Disney World” sign and being so excited I peed my pants--my mom was pretty mad, but my dad thought it was kinda funny so I didn’t get in too much trouble.

The author conveys a simple calm as she paints a gorgeous picturesque parallel between earth from her physical point on the map and the makings of our individuality. To demonstrate, the prairie of South Dakota represents the macrocosm for the spiritual self. Free of dogma, it is a beautifully written spiritual guide for self-exploration, the images and lessons are brilliantly simple, yet complex in their representation.

Have you ever wonder what your true purpose in life is? I myself have sometimes though about this, and there have been times when I have felt that one of the things I was intended to do was to help others in need; considering that I have participated in several community events and have even been to mission trips to help in other countries. The compassionate part of myself is something that reminds me of one of the characters from Jon Krakauer’s "Into The Wild", that character being Christopher McCandles . This novel follows the fulfilling journey of Chris's self rediscovery through nature. I will analyze Jon Krakauer's "Into The Wild", the Thoreau articles, and the London excerpts in order explain how help change the story.

Through the reading of the works of Transcendentalist writers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, one can draw multiple connections between their writing and Jon Krakauer’s story of Chris McCandless. Thoreau’s work seems to share many more themes with Krakauer’s story. Immediately, Thoreau comes off with a strong statement of “I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life,” (Thoreau par. 16). This immediate talk of wanting to live with the essentials and with purpose creates a clear trail back to Krakauer’s story through McCandless’ expression of this same mindset. Another theme of Thoreau’s writing is one of a desire for simplifying yourself and your life. The little things in

One of my all time favorite things to do is to ride the ATV. I first started riding the ATV when I was 6 months old with my Grandpa. I started to drive when I was 4 years old with my Grandpa. Then I started driving by myself when I was ten years old. Going on an ATV trip means spending time with my family and enjoying the sights in the mountains. On my last ATV trip I had a blast. It had rained so much that there was mud puddles everywhere. During a day trip ride with my Mom, Uncle John and Aunt Carmen we came across multiple puddles of mud. My Uncle John, Aunt Carmen and I drove our ATVs thru the mud puddles and got very dirty. My Mom totally avoided the mud puddles and we were all laughing at her! The last ride of that trip my Uncle John and I went on a night ride. My Mom made me promise to not drive thru the mud puddles. {I so didn’t listen!} Uncle John and I drove thru the biggest mud puddle ever. We were completely covered in mud. My Mom was very mad at me and said she didn’t want to hear any complaining if I got sick. Guess who got sick? My Mom who got a double ear infection and I didn’t even get a sniffle.