“Every mountain has its steepest point, which is usually near the summit, in keeping, I suppose, with the providence that makes the darkest hour just before day. It is steep, steeper, steepest, till you emerge on the smooth level or gently rounded space at the top, which the old ice gods polished off so long ago” (Burroughs 29).

I really like this quote from Burroughs because I think it is actually a metaphor for something much greater than just the experience of hiking. The image it paints to me is this idea of a personal problem, or challenge and being able to eventually push past it and find yourself on the smooth part of the mountain. This notion also goes in line with Thoreau as it really details finding, or solving one’s self in nature.

“The ordinary citizen today assumes that science knows what makes the community clock tick; the scientist is equally sure that he does not. He knows that the biotic mechanism is so complex that its workings may never be fully understood” (Leopold 205).

I have read the land ethic before, and this quote really caught my attention this time round. The commentary, Leopold uses is beyond his time and really relates to the current problems facing society’s fight against anthropocentric climate change. This arrogant perception, or as Leopold puts it “assumption” that technology will fix everything is simply a misconception that people refuse to acknowledge. Science is always discovering new niches and information to better understand the physical world, but that does not mean we should continue putting all our eggs in one basket; that would be senseless.

In our second trip over to the park, we took along Professor Brandes to help us investigate the area. Our trip began on the opposite side of the area to where there was no obvious trail, or bike path. What we first saw was a lot more geese and a waterway that in our previous trip was not seen (photo below).

The section of the waterway that was closest to us was not all that clean and really unappealing compared to the rest of the river. Using the aerial photos provided to us by Professor Brandes, this portion of the river in particular has gone through many changes over its history in Forks Township and it will be critical in telling our story of place because it has served so many purposes from trolley stop, to potential dam, to bus stop, to the muck we see to day.

Further along our little trek, our group took in many different signs that surrounded the park. In particular some of the signs i give the area a very haunted appearance even though in the long run they are not the oldest human constructed infrastructure located on the property (Below).

Continuing the discussion from my last comment, throughout our trek multiple times we witnessed remnants of old bridges, mills, or dams (below). It was also interesting to see just how much influence the older construction materials had shaped the river bed and its surrounding area; It was clearly evident that much of the sand and erosion occurring was from these materials.

Another great example of trying to define what is nature and what is not.

With this second trip now behind us and a little investigative work done, our group has a new target/ person to interview about the history of our area to go along with the history we saw in nature. Hopefully, with our next post we can have a better defined understanding of the two.

Vantage point taken from behind the park. A few spotted a Red Tailed Fox.

Our little excursion down the Delaware has reawakened my sense of nature. In other words kayaking the Delaware left me with a new, redesigned sense of how being in wilderness is vastly different than being in civilization, or areas of high urbanization. After a long period of time where your not in wilderness you sort of lose that sense and in my opinion is good to experience something that is not artificial.

Regarding that idea of wilderness, I felt once we went under that second large highway bridge there was something very different about where we were. The amount of infrastructure on the shores became more spread out and the forest was percievably thicker. Also there was noticeable change in sound, the buzzing of cars could not be heard and were replaced by the wind, rain droplets, our paddling and conversation. I did not know where we were, but the sound’s calmness and serenity made me feel safe.

Staying on this topic of sound and its powerful influence on the human mind and body, this NPR piece I remember listening this past spring is quite interesting and really further illustrates the benefit we get from experiencing the sound’s of wilderness. Never discredit the ability of sound.

http://www.npr.org/event/music/408184979/chui-wan-the-sound-of-wilderness

When you think of Maine, you think of its rocky beaches, picturesque mountain viewpoints, and in a sense its close resemblance to the wilderness that Thoreau wrote so much about; however, in my first trip up to Maine about a week ago I was sorely disappointed at the nature that was presented to me because it was nothing of what I expected. Old Orchard Beach, ME was closer in appearance to Seaside Heights, NJ with the amount of trash and traffic congestion littered throughout than the wilderness haven I was expecting. I was generally disappointed with the nature that was presented to me. I didn’t travel to Maine to see wilderness, or experience nature that was essentially identical to that of what I experience in my backyard of the Jersey Shore.

Out of all the characteristics, the one that disappointed me the most was the fact the beach was made out of sand (Pictured Below). That may sound weird, but when you live so close to a white sand beach at home you travel to experience something new and I didn’t. I was looking forward to walking the cobbled beaches I was told so much about from my parents, but it never happened.

Only white sand here.

I was told by a fellow tourist that to experience the real Maine I had to go further north, but my stay was short and really just unsatisfying. I understand I may have been in the wrong area and my expectations a bit too high, but still I can’t get over the fact that Maine’s so-called wilderness was so unspectacular. The next time I go up and have more time to donate to adventuring I will have to travel futher north up to Arcadia and really experience the real Maine.