Nature Essay

Painful briars and relaxing noises seem quite contradictory don't they? Well, both were encountered in the "nature walk" that I attended with the rest of my class this week. We walked down to a small patch of woods and went into the dense foliage. A small path opened out into an open area, where a ropes course was located. We split off into small pairs or groups and went to explore the many paths. Empty bottles and trash littered the green ground that the paths cut through. It was a glimpse into the way that people had changed a small place of relaxation. The cars passing by on the highway were constantly battling with the peaceful sounds of the woods. Briars were everywhere. Many people were attacked by the pointy vines. Quite a few injuries were sustained by people getting stuck by the green trap. Other than that, it was somewhat relaxing. The break from the normal brick walls of school that I was used to was nice, and I was able to not think about my US History test later that day, which had been a source of worry. I think the nature walk actually did help me relax.
In many ways, I agree with Emerson and I agree with Thoreau. Emerson said, "Standing on the bare ground-my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space-all mean egotism vanishes." On the nature walk, I felt somewhat the same. When I was out in the woods, "I" was not important anymore and in a way "I" blended in with all of the world around me. I was there, and yet I wasn't. Life inside the school went on the same as if I had never been there at all, and yet I was in nature, affecting the ground where I walked when I left footprints in the dirt. My thoughts strayed not to myself, but to what I was seeing. Nature and the web of life that I had stepped into upon walking into the woods were my main thoughts. It was like being a "transparent eyeball".
I liked how Thoreau said "It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves." It is true. School is a very strict schedule that repeats itself daily with little or no variation as to where we go to attend class and when we go to each class. The trip to the nature walk was a change that was eagerly welcomed. As soon as I stepped outside, I felt the sun and noticed how the light was much more cheery when noticed from outside rather than through a thick window. The windows seem to somewhat mute the effect that the sun's light and heat has on people. It's as if the glass only lets a tiny sliver of the large amount of light pass through. I enjoyed the change of schedule from what I normally had for English. Walking somewhere new seemed to give new life into my legs. I walked with a renewed vigor down the slope towards the trees. Thoreau had a point when he wrote that quote.
The nature walk helped me understand how Emerson and Thoreau thought about nature in many ways. It was a way for me to realize how they thought it was so peaceful and how you can lose yourself in the moment. It was strange how when I look back upon the walk, I didn't notice the things before. Normally, I ignored the sun when I was outside during practice. It was nothing more than a way to make me even hotter than I already was. But at the nature walk, the sun made me feel a little bit happier and more energized. I forgot about myself and let my mind wander to how relaxing nature was and the fact that it was it's own little circle of life, separate from the one that I came into contact with in school. I finally understood what Emerson meant when he mentioned a "transparent eyeball". That is how I was able to learn from the nature walk and relate it to Emerson and Thoreau.