The trip to Hawk Mountain and Cabela’s over the weekend was certainly an enlightening experience, as well as for me, my first time bird watching. From walking into the main center at Hawk Mountain, you see that there is an appreciation for nature as well as efforts from staff to try and sustain their effort through merchandise and charging to walk the trails. Nature there is both depicted as honest but also as fragile, needing assistance for preservation, and this is why you can see the staff of Hawk Mountain trying to fundraise to support their efforts.

When I walked the trail and began to speak to our host and even fellow birdwatchers, I got the sensation that there was an “us against the world” mentality, and I would believe this to be true. This small sanctuary, where vital work is being done to try and understand migration patterns and the strength of bird populations, is trying to exist in a nation and a world that is still mostly tone-deaf when it comes to issues of the environment and supporting sustainability efforts. I felt out of place at Hawk Mountain; I felt as if the fellow birdwatchers on the North Lookout were scoffing at my presence there, as if it were just another college tour, and not someone who could possibly appreciate nature as much as they could. When Erik and I tried to strike up a conversation with a fellow taking pictures of passing birds, I quickly got the feeling that he did not want to talk to us, distract him from his task at hand, and that we were taking away from his experience. This “crossroads of naturalists” was seen nearly everywhere at Hawk Mountain: the gift shop more for the casual tourist, as they tried to raise funds, versus the museums, which were more for the avid bird watcher, the raptor show, where some people could understand that the bird was in duress, but others thought it was cool how an eagle was being controlled by a human. I always loved an approach to nature that was similar to Walt Whitman’s “Learn’d Astronomer”, and one that Professor Brandes discussed at his conference in California, where everyone regardless of experience was given a seat at the table. I did not get this feeling at Hawk Mountain.

I believe that if I had to pick one lasting mental image of Hawk Mountain in my brain it would be the look on everyone face when the first eagle flew past us. Being in that space with everyone and sharing in the sense of awe and amazement was a special experience, because there is nothing better than experiencing something incredible for the first time, and a lot of our class were doing this together. None of us were that cold yet, some were wondering if we would even see a single bird, and having that Golden Eagle fly past was a truly special experience. The picture for me that i will hold onto in my head is not of the actual bird, or the scenic overlook, but rather the look of amazement that all of us had. “Oh cool!” and “wow” were popular phrases being shared amongst the class, and I am glad that I was able to be a part of this.

I enjoyed in my experience in Hawk Mountain greatly, so long as I was able to make it my own. On our first hike at Great Ledges, every group we walked past said hello, conversations were struck, and even one group took their picture with us. Unfortunately at Hawk Mountain, I felt no such camaraderie, but I was happy I was able to share the experience with the professors and the class.

Cabela’s was a fun contrast to Hawk Mountain, and I am glad that the two were paired with one another on Saturday. I believe that there is a respect for nature in Cabela’s that, though it may be different than our class’s respect for nature, is certainly still existent. If I had to sum up Cabela’s in a sentence this is my best shot: Cabela’s is a reflection of our American culture, rather than our American culture being a reflection of Cabela’s. It is a destination for such people to travel to, to shop in, to even see all the different animals and feed the fish because it is an institution in our society, as it is easy to forget that there are other places in the country besides the Northeast. The taxidermy and all of the different animal landscapes were fascinating; the attention they derived was hopefully a healthy appreciation for seeing new species and animals that a person is genuinely interested in, as I was. Most of the questions I heard kids asking their parents in these sections were anatomical questions, or just where these animals live; natural, exciting kid questions that reflected a genuine interest in the animals and nature, though they may be depicted in a much more dramatic scene than is the real world.

I almost found Cabela’s more welcoming than Hawk Mountain simply based on the people who were there. For me, there was a sense of elitism at Hawk Mountain, where some people could somehow enjoy the experience more so than I could because I was less knowledgeable about birds than they were, but there was none of this at Cabela’s. I agree with almost none of the political or social views of the people who tend to work at or frequent Cabela’s, but I felt as if it was a welcoming place that revolved around people’s love for the outdoors.

Cabela’s grew out of an appreciation for nature, for sportsmen, and although the type of person who goes there to shop has changed, the store has tried to remain true to its roots. There is no doubt that its business model has adapted to try and remain relevant with its customers, such as with the 2nd Amendment signage as well as the funny slogans, but there is certainly at its core a nod to nature in nearly every corner of the store. I would say that most of the store is designated to products that would help people out in nature, to get out into the wilderness, and experience the great outdoors. For me, Cabela’s is much better than a video game store such as Gamestop, because it promotes an active relationship with nature, even though that relationship may evolve around hunting or other activities that are frowned upon by the general naturalist community.

If I had to select a lasting image of Cabela’s it would be the welcoming man at the door. His job is to say hello to every group who walks through those doors, and to ask them if they have any questions regarding their experience at Cabela’s. I felt that at Cabela’s, there was something for everyone; it was almost a great equalizer, in the sense that everyone had their own space, and could take away from the experience whatever they wanted to. The welcoming man at the door was not only welcoming you to Cabela’s, but also welcoming you to experience nature, one product at a time.