As a Boy Scout, I took a week long trip to Maine with my troop. Among other things, we summited Double-top mountain and hiked about two thirds of the way up Katahdin before having to descend to avoid coming storms. Despite the fact that it rained almost every day of the week, some of the views there were unimaginably beautiful. Nothing beats standing a few feet from the edge of a thousand foot drop and looking out on the miles and miles of untouched territory. I came back from the trip having seen for the first time what the world looked like with a minimal human footprint. It changed the way I viewed environmental issues and was even enough of a taste to whet my appetite for a through-hike of the AT. After seeing how much fun Dr. Redick has had on the AT, I'm sold and hope to make the journey sometime in the near future. Upon returning to my suburban home, I realized the value and significance of the wilderness - which I learned in this class is basically the definition of sacred place. I find it interesting that even today I still feel something of a connection to those few campsites where I spent only a few hours during the trip in Baxter State Park. It's not the same connection one might have to their home, but it's not that different either. I can only describe it now as a feeling of being in a place where things make sense. Things make sense at home because it's home, and things make sense in the wilderness because it's natural out there.
Can anyone else relate?
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