My Own Walk in the Woods

This past Wednesday, I went out on a field trip with my SWS class to Blanford Nature Center. Even though I’ve visited it several times before, it was my first time going to relax and take in the scenery. I carpooled over with several other people from class and as we started to pull into the parking lot, I got immediately nervous.

The first time I ever went to Blanford, I went on a day-long field trip with my fourth grade class. It started well, as the large group on children shuffled down the path in a disorganized line. I was one of those kids who disappeared for no reason, keeping the whole group waiting, until they found me near the creek attempting to catch frogs. As the group trudged down the pathway, the guide leading us was talking about snakes and how we shouldn’t be afraid of them. Ironically, moments later, a large garden snake emerged from under one the small wooden bridges. It hastily slithered in our direction and latched onto a nearby girl’s leg. She started shrieking, frantically trying to shake the snake from her leg. All the other children started shrieking in unison, fleeing in opposite directions.

I can safely say I was very scarred. So as we pulled up into the parking lot and approached the welcome center, I became overwhelmed with a sense of dread. I kept my eyes constantly on the ground, searching for anything that moved. As we branched off, I started to let my guard down. The calming rustle of the leaves overhead, like the mellifluous waves on an ocean shore, put my anxiety to rest. As our small group continued along the trail, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small black tail moving under the fallen leaves. I instinctually shrieked, inching toward the opposite side of the path and prepared myself for the worse.

However, the snake merely continued on it’s way, paying no notice to our small group. After that, I just tried to keep my mind focused on donuts and cider as we wandered through the woods. I was fairly disappointed that the creeks and streams were pretty dried up. There was nothing more than mere trickling. The frogs were the highlight of the trip for me. While we were strolling past the welcome center, I noticed a small pond not more than a few yards adjacent to the building. The pond was not more than maybe a yard itself, but it was filled with dozens of frogs. I observed them for a few minutes, before continuing on my way. As the trip concluded, I came to the conclusion that I would do a poor job if I had to hike the Appalachian Trail. Mainly because of the snakes. One hundred percent because of the snakes.

As I close this, what is something that would keep you from hiking the Appalachian Trail? Or, what is a mistake you would likely make if you did choose to hike it?

Response to A Walk in the Woods

Throughout my childhood, the concept of venturing out into the wilderness also appealed to me. Hatchet was my favorite book to read and I eventually went on to read all the sequels as well as several other unrelated books by Gary Paulsen. The main ideas were always consistent across his books. A young individual would get stranded or isolated from civilization. They would then use their skills to try and survive.

 My fascination with survivalist stories also applied to more than just books.

 My favorite computer game to play when I was younger was The Oregon Trail. I especially enjoyed keeping journal entries during the game. Somehow it made it feel more real than it actually was. Reading A Walk in the Woods brought back these feelings of adventure. In fact, if I had no present commitments, I would already be on a flight out to start my journey on the trail. The prospect is so enticing.

I know Bryson’s struggles of taking an individual out into the wilderness with no present experience in such a situation. I took a friend out on a camping trip several years back. It was my first trip without my parents and I was thrilled to be going camping with my friend. However, once we got down to preparing the campsite and pitching the tent, I realized what a huge mistake I had made bringing my friend along. Not only were they completely incompetent when it came to basic survival skills but they need constant management and instruction on what needed to be done, which only slowed me down. In the end, when it started raining and I couldn’t keep the fire going anymore, I caved and agreed to eat at a restaurant. He insisted on going home the following day. Lesson to be learned: never take someone into the wilderness that is unprepared.

Reading Bryson’s book revived my interest and love of the forest and reminded me why I love it so much. In contrast, it also reminded me of why I would never venture out into a forest for more than a day. Carrying my current backpack around campus for a single day is exhausting. I couldn’t even imagine trudging up and down slippery slopes and monstrous mountains carrying that much weight. Had I been in Bryson’s situation and had been faced with the challenge of trekking the Appalachian Trail, I probably would have changed my mind the minute I started thinking about what could possibly go wrong. A lot could possibly go wrong. A lot can possibly go wrong when you walk across the street, let alone into the forest for 6 months. So, for now, I will have to be content with exploring the local forests. 

Where I'm From

It’s a relatively simple question with a complex array of answers-where are you from? Some (a majority really) of people might respond with a city name or the name of their hometown. However, I delve deeper than mere names of places. There is a vast forest that expands behind my mother’s house. It engulfs it entirely, isolating the structure from civilization nearly completely. That is the place in which I live. Not behind locked doors, where my only company is the sound of television static and the blare of a Spotify playlist.

I have always had a close tie with nature. The woods are wondrous, challenging, and entice me to enter at the slightest whim. I have grown so accustomed to being surrounded by nature, I feel uncomfortable in larger cities. This past Labor Day weekend when I visited Chicago, I found the lack of trees depressing and sickening. Whenever we would drive by a small cluster of wilderness, happiness was quickly extinguished upon reading signs labeled “forest preserve”. I was more than happy to get out of there.

The woods have long represented the place I live, the place I feel most at home. It has made me appreciate nature. In fact, when I was younger, I would often escape into the forest behind our house whenever problems arose. Something about the towering red pines gave the forest a surreal feeling. The worn winding paths, barely visible through fallen trees and foliage, served as my guide. It told me stories of the forest. The paths would take me along the edge of the forest, along the sides of steep slopes and cliffs overlooking the river. From there, I felt at peace, isolated from society and technology.

From this appreciation of nature grew a desire to preserve it. Thus, later inspiring me to pursue a career in sustainability. The underlying reason for my passion for sustainability is that I want my children to be able to see the forest in the same way that I always have. The thought of my children living in a world filled with forests of skyscrapers and rivers of waste abhors me. That is why I am taking action now while I still can. Putting my entire effort into preventing what I can and promoting sustainability at every opportunity. As you follow me through my journey this semester, I will without doubt bombard you with random facts on how to be more sustainable. At this point, it has become ingrained into my being to frequently promote it. As I close this, let me ask you these two questions: what are you doing to make the world a better place for your future kids and what are you going to start doing?

Introduction

My name is Anna Hill. I am entering my fourth, and final, year at Grand Valley State University. It's hard to believe that time has passed by so quickly. The years have gone by like hours. Time is so elusive, attempting to grasp even the most precious moments in life are a wasted effort. I've been taking life in a day at a time. Enjoying all that I can and learning as much in school as I can.

 I should probably mention is that I'm a Hospitality and Tourism Management Major with an Environmental Studies minor. First and foremost, no, it is not a major for potential hotel owners. It’s encompasses so much more than that. Hotel operations is only a small fraction of the vast information that we learn. It consists of everything from event management to hotel operations to adventure tourism. The major is enjoyable and I have completed three internships thus far so I feel very prepared for life after graduation this Spring.

I should also mention that I created this blog for my college writing class Lit and the Environment. The theme of my blog revolves around nature. Hence, my writing will mainly consist of observations of the outside world, experiences that I have had in the past, and reflections regarding some of the readings. A majority of those will likely revolve around going out with the intention of either purchasing or eating food, since that is the only real reason I ever leave the house with the exception of attending class.

I was a little nervous when I heard that we were going to have to keep a blog. Honestly, I’ve never been very successful at blogging. When it comes to writing, I tend to keep a majority of my writing private or only share it with a few people. Creative writing is more my genre of writing, so starting a blog like this is a real challenge for me. I have never written from observations before but am thrilled to have the opportunity to expand on my abilities as a writer! I’m looking forward to starting this new adventure!