One With Nature

One With Nature
Dylan Jarrett

Nature is all around us. It is important that we preserve nature, protect nature, appreciate nature. It's not necessarily important that we go live in and trek through nature. If there's one thing I've learned by this experience, that's it. It's not the only experience I've had. I have a friend who's backyard is nothing but woods. All we used to do was trek through the woods, the creek, and the pasture. Let's just say that it's never really been my thing. After my experience in the woods at T. L. Hanna, I can say that my opinion hasn't necessarily been changed. I managed to run into thorns everywhere I turned. I even managed to land myself in a pit of thorns that surrounded me completely. Don't ask how because I'm not entirely sure. While stuck in my painful prison, I found that the majority of the class had already returned to the head of the woods. It was just me and Jessica, trapped so far away from the exit. My clothes were caught and I was left in an awkward position with my leg hanging in the air. I lost my balance and collapsed in the thorns. Take my word, it's no place for an afternoon nap. As Jessica assisted me out, we discovered that we were trapped behind a wall of thorns. So we continued on further to the side of the woods where I could see the welcoming sunlight. We tripped and fell and crawled and lept until we were finally out of the woods. The only problem was that we were now at the head of the parking lot with our class nowhere to be found. After we found them we examined our scrapes and cuts.
Obviously, my experience was not the ideal one, however one cannot deny the beauty of nature. When you ride past the mountains with the sun setting, and the sky, a blend of purple, pink, blue, orange, yellow, and who knows how many other shades, you can't help but sit in wonder at the beauty of it all. When you pass by a lake or stream, and the trees hang over the water with the sun shining down and reflecting off the glossy surface of the water, you can't help but lose thought of all other "priorities" and plans. When you sit in the sand and watch the waves roll onto the shore as the full moon sits high above you casting its light on the ocean, you can't help but sigh and dream dreams that you can only wish will come true. Emerson said the "Nature never wears a mean appearance." I agree with this because when looking at nature I never feel threatened or disliked. Nature does not appear mean. However, once surrounded by nature, it is not the way it appears that frightens me. It is what happens. There can be pain, as in this experience. It can be difficult to maneuver once in the woods or hiking up a mountain. I don't believe that there is no joy, but there are always different circumstances. Emerson said "The flowers, the animals, the mountains, reflected all the wisdom of his best hour, as much as they had delighted the simplicity of his childhood." When I was in the woods, I couldn't help but remember the times with my friend in the woods when I was younger. It did remind me of a simpler time. In Walden, Thoreau speaks of finding simplicity of nature. "I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand;" When in nature, all things electronic and materialistic are forgotten. I was in such a struggle to move through this jungle, that I didn't even think about the convenience of electronics, or all the homework and plans I had that week. However, I still wasn't thoroughly enjoying myself.
Emerson and Thoreau had the right idea. Nature truly is a miracle. It is peaceful, tranquil, beautiful, and majestic. However spectating and trekking are two very different things. As I fought my way through the wrath of the woods, I thought how difficult it must have been to live this way. I guess that was what Thoreau wanted us to understand. When put in this situation either voluntarily or forcibly one realizes their strengths, weaknesses, and what they have yet to see or do in this lifetime. I think nature is extremely important for many things. The experience however, doesn't always prove the point.