Viewing Nature Interactively-Justin Mawdsley

After our walk on the Noland trail, and going home and reading through Annie Dillard's passage, I've come to the conclusion that i didn't have the same profound experience in wilderness that Dillard did. However, thats not to say that i haven't had such a profound experience in nature, i just don't think that the Noland trail was the place for me to get in that introspective mindset, given the parameters of the walk. Had i experience more of a solitary experience i think this post would read differently. Moreover, i did appreciate aspects of the walk, I really liked learning about some of the plants and hearing some background about the trail itself. Regarding Annie Dillard's interpretation of the nature around her and how to better appreciate and understand our own interactions with it, I think her approach is very removed. Although I can understand the idea that we have to in a way train ourselves to look at things in a certain light, i don't think her approach was necessarily the most cohesive. I feel that really going into nature and wilderness and completely submersing yourself is what really enhances one's appreciation of nature.