At this point Glacier National Park has been our longest stop. The weather has caused our pace to slow down. We've been dealing with rain non-stop for the last few days, but the skies have changed. We're on track to have nothing but sunshine and mild temperatures for the next few days.
The last adventure we're going on in Glacier is a one and a half day horseback riding trip through a forested area south of the park. I've been looking forward to this part of the trip since I booked it a few months ago. When we got to the corral we were greeted with the surprise that we would be the only two going on the overnight trip. When the trip was scheduled I was told that we would be part of a group. So the opportunity to go riding alone was an added plus. Shortly after a quick rundown of the rules and an equipment check I met my steed. His name was Tank and was light tan in color. For the next five hours we weaved our way through the pine forest stopping from time to time at the top of a ridge to see the surrounding lands. Tank had a particular habit of eating various grasses mid stride as he walked the trails. It took a little bit to get to know his mannerisms, but after an hour or so of riding we found our bond. My lack of training riding horse does provide for fun times while on the trail. Trying to figure out the right posture and body movement is fascinating. I tried to mimic our trail wranglers the best I could. I will say though after the first five hours my knees ached and my hips were a little sore. The ride was fantastic though. Being on a horse going through a trail offers a perspective that you can't get by walking. First, you're much higher and can see further away. Second, you really don't have to pay as much attention to what's in front of you. That gives you many more opportunities to survey the land and give points of interest a much harder look as you move. The last advantage of being on a horse is that your mind is a little more free to explore ideas. The horse is making a lot of the choices for you so you can relax a little and connect to the environment more. This freedom lead me to the following thoughts.
During the ride and time at camp my mind was focused on the question "What is nature?" and the idea of how people experience nature differently. This concept has been a driving force to much of my mental rumination on the journey. It's also an idea I thought about in college a great deal. As a science teacher this concept is also important. By having a better understanding of how someone has an authentic experience in nature I can construct better more personal lessons, but how does one have an authentic nature experience? I think for most people their experiences are connected to how far away from home they are. The greater the distance from a known environment the greater the experience will be. I think a lot of that is due to the romanticism of wild and raw nature. To me this belief is detrimental. The more and more we remove ourselves as a species from nature the less and less we care about it. If "real" nature can only be found in distant and exotic places than people lose their connection to their local ecosystems. One idea I try and impart on my students is the one that nature is everywhere and is amazing. You don't have to travel thousands of miles to see something unique. If you just take the time to look around you can find the same level of natural intrigue as you would find in "raw" nature. Whether it's watching a series of plants reclaim an abandon parking lot or watching the progress of a multi-day ant war in your backyard. There are amazing things happening all around us. Once we as a species reconnect to our local environments we'll be much better off.
As we wrap up this journey I plan on spending a lot more time thinking about this concept. It's especially metacognitive for me because I haven't really thought about this in detail since college. It will be interesting to see how my ideas have changed in the last decade. Maybe when I get back I'll dig up some of my old papers on the concept of what is nature and compare them to what I'm writing now. It should be an illuminating experience.
The last adventure we're going on in Glacier is a one and a half day horseback riding trip through a forested area south of the park. I've been looking forward to this part of the trip since I booked it a few months ago. When we got to the corral we were greeted with the surprise that we would be the only two going on the overnight trip. When the trip was scheduled I was told that we would be part of a group. So the opportunity to go riding alone was an added plus. Shortly after a quick rundown of the rules and an equipment check I met my steed. His name was Tank and was light tan in color. For the next five hours we weaved our way through the pine forest stopping from time to time at the top of a ridge to see the surrounding lands. Tank had a particular habit of eating various grasses mid stride as he walked the trails. It took a little bit to get to know his mannerisms, but after an hour or so of riding we found our bond. My lack of training riding horse does provide for fun times while on the trail. Trying to figure out the right posture and body movement is fascinating. I tried to mimic our trail wranglers the best I could. I will say though after the first five hours my knees ached and my hips were a little sore. The ride was fantastic though. Being on a horse going through a trail offers a perspective that you can't get by walking. First, you're much higher and can see further away. Second, you really don't have to pay as much attention to what's in front of you. That gives you many more opportunities to survey the land and give points of interest a much harder look as you move. The last advantage of being on a horse is that your mind is a little more free to explore ideas. The horse is making a lot of the choices for you so you can relax a little and connect to the environment more. This freedom lead me to the following thoughts.
During the ride and time at camp my mind was focused on the question "What is nature?" and the idea of how people experience nature differently. This concept has been a driving force to much of my mental rumination on the journey. It's also an idea I thought about in college a great deal. As a science teacher this concept is also important. By having a better understanding of how someone has an authentic experience in nature I can construct better more personal lessons, but how does one have an authentic nature experience? I think for most people their experiences are connected to how far away from home they are. The greater the distance from a known environment the greater the experience will be. I think a lot of that is due to the romanticism of wild and raw nature. To me this belief is detrimental. The more and more we remove ourselves as a species from nature the less and less we care about it. If "real" nature can only be found in distant and exotic places than people lose their connection to their local ecosystems. One idea I try and impart on my students is the one that nature is everywhere and is amazing. You don't have to travel thousands of miles to see something unique. If you just take the time to look around you can find the same level of natural intrigue as you would find in "raw" nature. Whether it's watching a series of plants reclaim an abandon parking lot or watching the progress of a multi-day ant war in your backyard. There are amazing things happening all around us. Once we as a species reconnect to our local environments we'll be much better off.
As we wrap up this journey I plan on spending a lot more time thinking about this concept. It's especially metacognitive for me because I haven't really thought about this in detail since college. It will be interesting to see how my ideas have changed in the last decade. Maybe when I get back I'll dig up some of my old papers on the concept of what is nature and compare them to what I'm writing now. It should be an illuminating experience.