Diego Zavala ENGL 1A Essay 1 “Nature’s Lover.” Where to go when Nature is everywhere? The choices are plentiful enough that it is difficult to make a choice; instead, I decided to take a drive up north without a clear destination, and stop here or there at my own leisure. This opportunity was apt to practice two of my favorite things in the world, wanderlust and photography, and, at the same time, ponder about Nature and Solitude. I woke up before sunrise, to catch the best light, and started to drive north on the freeway. While crossing the Golden Gate Bridge I noticed that sunrise was in less than forty minutes, there and then I decided my first stop: Slacker Hill. Twenty minutes later, sweaty and out of breath, I reached the top of the hill, wondering why it was called Slacker Hill, since the hike was for no slouch after all. I had my gear unpacked and ready in a few minutes, and started to shoot a few long exposures. A soft wind blew from the Pacific while I gazed, mute, over the horizon. The Sun raised over Earth’s crust, making the light shift from a soft blue to a bright orange, while bathing the Bay Area with its light. Seen from this distance houses and buildings and highrises appeared as mere toys; the view, nonetheless, is breathtaking at sunrise from this side of the bridge, one could get lost in the features that makes the Bay Area’s landscape. Our capability to cram so many buildings within such a small area never ceases to amaze me. However, as I observed
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 mountains are a beautiful adventure. As you walk up the incline, trees overhang, animals run wild, and rivers roar. All of these are things that keep me coming back to hike. On my most recent hike, while it may have been 100 degrees back home, where I was it was a chilling 40 degrees. As we walked around ten miles up and over the mountain, I took many breaks to catch my breath and take in the majestic scenery. There are also the snow skiing vacations. While you can’t see anything besides snow and trees, the adventure of cruising down the slopes is full of adrenalin. The mountains have always signified an adventure for me. Just like the mountains, life is a beautiful adventure. I do not know yet what adventures are in store for my life, but I look forward to them. I strive to see the beauty in everything.
Do you ever think about your relationship with nature? With all of the technology that we have now, it can be easy to forget how beautiful and fun nature can be. Taking just a few moments to be alone in nature can support mental clarity and uplift your mood. William Wordsworth and John Muir use diction and syntax in I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud and Calypso Borealis to ultimately illustrate their love and appreciation for nature.
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.
Paths and nature trails are able to give people a sense of peace, relaxation, a place to exercise, and bring back memories from years ago. Different seasons make you feel a different emotion each time you visit the trail. Due to the change of surroundings, you may feel merry in the winter time, but energetic in the summer time. On the Thomas J. Evans Trail, you get a mixer of a well nourished landscape along with a historical background. City life can be busy and stressful without a break now and then. Visiting a childhood trail can bring forgotten joys that are just waiting to be dug up again. Taking a walk on the trail with the trees high above you and the cement path below gives the impression of openness and freedom. With many animals seen scampering around and the aromas can catch your attention from the various plants that thrive here. Along with the wildlife, numerous people are seen enjoying the scenery along side you. Whether they are riding their bikes or jogging along to the beat of their music, an arrange of activities take part in the
The scenes journey along the Appalachian Trail captures the true magnificence and greatness of the eastern U.S. of wilderness. Starting in the Deep South at the foothills of the smoky mountains, this journey overwhelms one with southern beauty while also making one experience the South’s legendary simplicity and retreat from the urban gridlock of modern society. The Appalachian Trail’s scenery attracts many people from all over the world to witness it for them. Causing many people to come with their families and possibly volunteer.
There are many national parks and monuments that can be explored on your next adventure. Picturesque views can be found close to home, on the coasts, or on the high plains and mountains of the west.
In today’s society the landscape of the city is constantly changing to accommodate for technological innovations, greater populations, and economic opportunity. As the skyline of cities across America are changing at a rate faster than ever seen before, one immense community is being left in the dust. The suburbs of America have refused to change, allowing a great resemblance of what they looked like 50 years ago. The stubbornness of the suburbs to change has led to many issues economically and environmentally. In her essay, “Seventy-Five Percent”, Ellen Dunham-Jones puts forth that 75% of construction in the past decade occurs in the suburban landscape. Yet, in today’s society much of the architectural community contains a strong bias against the suburbs. However, with over half the country’s
When I was staring out at the valley, all my problems seemed to drift away. Standing at the top of Glacier Point, I take in a panoramic view of my surroundings. Huge bundles of tourists walk around, taking photos and gasping at the breathtaking view. I stand with my sister, 25-lb backpacking backpacks sit heavily like a bag of rocks on our backs as we chew our green apple sour gum. My dad leads us down
I’ve always thought that I’ve had an abundance of defects, enough for no one to like me because of my appearance. Once in awhile, mostly when I look at myself in the mirror, I question if there is some way to purge myself of these disfigurements. Hawthorne illustrated a short story similar to my complication, in which he believed that there must be some flaws to the human condition and losing those said flaws would cost someone their life. Aylmer, the loony scientist, Aminadab, Aylmer’s laboratory assistant who is really the personification of the devil, and Georgiana, the ideal woman who has only one physical flaw, were the only 3 characters Hawthorne needed to use to get his point across. Aylmer saw her one physical flaw and saw this as not only a monstrosity that must be abolished, but also as a challenge from Mother Nature herself. In “The Birthmark” Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates numerous themes and symbols of nature. Hawthorne uses these symbols, as well as Aylmer’s decisions to demonstrate that life is full of imperfections and people shouldn’t frantically obsess about exterminating them.
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?
As we neared Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming, we beheld the majesty of the mountains with snow interspersed between jagged protrusions of rock . We pulled into our camping spot about a half hour later, with an assortment of spectacular pictures with gorgeous mountain backgrounds. I sprung out of the car to observe our beautiful campsite.
On a cold, breezy fall day Kayla, Connor, and I went for a long tiring hike. The trails seemed never ending and you could not see the top of the hills.
As one drives up the California coast, they will begin to notice several things. First, the general atmosphere shifts. The further north they travel from Los Angeles palms and golden beaches, the cities begin to lose their positive, sunny vibes. They go from beach villas to industrial apartments to suburban neighborhoods to run down harbor towns. The positive emotional vibrations emitted from such architecture slowly surrenders its grip on its surroundings to a grim, hopeless one. As new, booming cities fade into sleepy and ancient villages only occupied by drunken sailors and lost tourists, the traveler will soon realize they are in a much less pleasant place as where they originated their journey.
Former president Theodore Roosevelt had much to say about wilderness, and what it can reveal. “There is a delight in the hardy life of the open. There is no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy and its charm.” They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For some they have a dislike for the wilderness and prefer an urban setting, while other love, live, and breath it in various degrees.