"Wake up, drink coffee, eat oatmeal, break camp. Walk, walk, climb, walk, walk, descend, walk, climb." -- Karen Berger, Hiking the Triple Crown. When beginner hikers think about hiking for the first time, they may think of all the walking and climbing, what to eat, & a place to sit. But what is the ultimate goal of a hiker--what gives them the motivation to go the extra mile, or the extra day? The fulfillment of it all, the sleeping, cuts scrapes bruises, the will to keep going. The beauty, and the horror of it all, the will to keep going gives a sense of accomplishment above all other things. The goal of the hiker may very well be to expand the essence of their individualism--in a sense to be as free, and persistent as the trail itself. The Continental Divide Trail (CDT) stretches from Mexico to Canada with a distance of 3100 miles. Its enthralling scenery include Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks. There are many deadly forms of wildlife from poisonous plants, to aggressive animals such as rattlesnakes, bears, and wolves. Though it is not fully established, this trail is suitable for an experienced hiker--who may have already hiked such trails as the Appalachian Trail. "In 1978, Congress amended the National Trails Act of 1968 to form the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, but more than 30 years later the trail is still unfinished"(Boyer 1). The lack of clearly defined trails poses immense difficulties; therefore, maps are highly recommended--in order to help hikers find the safest path, with respect to their independence. Another main objective for maps is to navigate through the unfinished paths. For decades, the CDT was an obstacle in America's westward migration. Given the infamous obstacles,... ... middle of paper ... ... hikers to experience the wilderness the way it was initially intended. With unpredictable weather, wildlife, etc. Where hikers are granted the freedom to make their own decisions. As much as the tangible dangers hinder the journey one may face during the trail--the desire, attitude and the love for hiking are perhaps what keeps them yearning for the next level. Given the circumstances, the trail is really an invitation to the endless freedom one may experience from being away from the rest of the world, and devoted oneself to nature. Works Cited Berger, Karen. Hiking the Triple Crown. Seattle: The Mountaineers Books, 2001. Print. Boyer, Mark. “A Guide to Hiking the Continental Divide.” Learn How Everything Works, 12 June 2012. Web. 26 March 2014. "Continental Divide National Scenic Trail." The Bureau of Land Management. N.p., 14 June 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
The Oregon Trail is a 2000 mile long wagon route and emigrant trail made by fur trappers and traders from 1811 to 1840. The trail was then only possible on foot or horseback. By 1863, the trail was cleared from Independence, Missouri, to Fort Hall, Idaho. The trail later kept being cleared until Willamette Valley, Oregon. Improved roads, cutouts, and bridges made the trip faster and safer every year. The Oregon Trail had three offshoots: the California, Bozeman, and Mormon trails. The eastern half of the trail spanned future Idaho and Oregon. The western half of the trail spanned part of future Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Modern highways pass through the same course as the Oregon Trail. It was sometimes called “The Highway of Hope”.
No one makes wise choices all the time, but those who follow their own aspiration makes a person feel more alive. In fact, the people who go out and follow their dreams are explorers or achievers, but the vision of their dreams can become fatal. The reason for this is because they are following their own dreams. Chris McCandless was a hitchhiker who went out into Alaska to get away from society and follow his “‘great Alaskan odyssey.(Krakauer 45)’” Unfortunately, he died, but along the book Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, he takes his readers through Chris’s journal entries and journeys before he heads to Alaska. Naturally, Chris had the ability to be independent through his way into Alaska but had some flaws that caused his death; one
In the 1800’s into the early 1900’s a man named John Muir began to explore the western American lands. He traveled down South and up North. But, when he reached Yosemite Valley, his life changed. As said in John Muir’s Wild America, written by Tom Melham, “Following the forest-lined mountain trails, Muir climbed higher into the Sierra Nevada: suddenly, a deep valley enclosed by colossal steeps and mighty water falls yawned before him. Spell bound, he entered Yosemite Valley” (79). Muir’s travels and adventures, highlighted in Melham’s book, explain this man’s love of the wilderness. Yosemite Valley was like a wide, open home to Muir, who, lived alone and discovered new landings and important later landmarks that create the aura of Yosemite National Park. Yosemite Valley was given to the state of California in 1864, part of the continuous idea of Manifest Destiny, later, in 1890; Yosemite became one of the first National Parks (“World Book”). Uniquely, the longer Muir stayed the more that he...
Chris McCandless, all throughout his Alaskan adventure, showed the transcendental quality of striving to live closer to nature. One great
"The Santa Fe Trail Lives On!" Welcome to SFTNet, the latest manifestation of the Santa Fe Trail saga. This service is designed for trail buffs, students, researchers, travelers on the trail--in short, anyone with an interest in historic or contemporary developments along the Santa Fe Trail. What Is The Santa Fe Trail? As many who read this introduction will know, the Santa Fe Trail is an ancient land route of communication between the desert Southwest of what is now the United States and the prairies and plains of central North America. In the Southwest it was also part of a longer route that ran down the Rio Grande into what is now northern Mexico. American Indian peoples used the route to trade the agricultural produce of the Rio Grande Valley and the bounty of the plains, such as jerked buffalo meat and buffalo hides. When the Spanish conquistador Onate came to New Mexico in 1598, he and his soldiers followed this ancient route as they explored the plains and traded with the peoples there. During the next two centuries the Spanish gained an intimate knowledge of the plains and the routes between the Mississippi-Missouri river systems and the Southwest. Then, in 1821, a trader from Missouri, William Becknell, came to Santa Fe along what was to become known as the historical route of the Santa Fe Trail. He opened the Santa Fe Trail as a commercial route between what was then ...
Is Bill Bryson, the author of a Walk in the Woods, an Appalachian Trail hiker? To most people, the only type of AT hiker is someone who hikes it all at once, also known as a “thru hiker.” Bryson has hiked a large amount of the AT, along with Katz, and has come across many obstacles along the way. He has encountered a bear, obnoxious hikers, and especially harsh weather conditions. None of these hurdles have seemed to stop Bryson. They have reduced his progress but have not stopped him completely by any means. Critics have expressed their irritation with Bryson and his negativity towards all of the impediments on the trail. For example, one critic said, “As a hiker laying in a strategy to thru-hike the AT in a couple years, I was looking forward to a light and lively tale. Boy was I disappointed. Grumping about the cold, rain, mud, vermin, tourons, monotony, ugly people and places, and an inept hiking partner didn't let up.” (Anonymous: A Protracted Whine. Book review of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. November 2, 2007) Although many tough critics do not consider him to be an AT trail hiker, he should be considered an AT hiker because he has hiked most of the trail and has written a best-selling novel to inform people of his long, vigorous journey.
Karlinsky, Neal. "'Into the Wild' Inspires Adventurers, but at What Cost?" ABCNews.com. ABC News Network, 15 October 2007. Web. 12 February 2012.
The bus came to a halt, and one by one we filed out into a parking lot. We grabbed our canteens and began the one-mile trail to the top of one of the mountains. I was one of the first people to reach the peak, and waiting for us was a notebook. We opened it to find the names of everyone who has ever reached the peak. I smiled to myself as I wrote in big letters “Kim Walton” and started back down the mountain. It was much easier and faster than going up, and everyone was really excited to see where we were going next.
Things usually do not go as planned, and most of the time, the results are unexpected. Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods is a novel about a great journey. Usually when hearing that, first thing that comes to mind is the ending of this great journey; whether it is completed or given up. However, writing a novel about an extraordinary journey, usually refers to a great ending. In this story, Bill’s inspiration and confidence truly shows ambition. He also shows that he is genuinely able to finish the Appalachian Trail. However, the outcome is the complete opposite. Bill and Stephen’s journey is a representation of how all journeys come to an end; their determination shrivelled the further they walked, by experiencing physical, friendship, and
Being in the wild is a great experience, it opens doors and bridges inside one’s mind. It allows people to be inspired, to find hope. It gives people a sense of direction and helps people conquer challenges that they never thought they would achieve. The example left behind by a young man named Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer demonstrates how living on the road and surviving off the land can prove to be a pilgrimage and help enlighten others to go out in search of their own philosophical ideals. Whether it is being away from home and travel all across America, not settling down in one place, but staying long enough in one place and have an affect on someone else, or being with your family hiking up a mountain and be able to look at the scenery that nature brought forth.
The trip began when I took a small green pencil and signed by name on the release forms needed to hike in Yosemite National Park. I and nine of my friends left the ranger station that night with a neatly folded map and a felling of excitement to what lay ahead. The long drive to the park left us tired and in need of a good night’s sleep. We decided to stay in tent city like most hikers do before they set out for their trek. Tent city was a large subdivision of tents that resembled a community of houses. Each tent was perfectly uniformed in its appearance and made up a total of fifty tents. Before we went to bead, we studied our maps and made an itinerary to the amount of hiking we would do.
With 115 miles of brilliant landscapes behind us, my father and I were halfway finished with the John Muir Trail. The day I had announced I wanted to embark on a twenty-two day trip through the Sierras; my dad laughed and dismissed what he considered a delusional episode. I made lists and itineraries, convinced that a detailed plan would ease all doubts. No amount of preparation could have prepared me for the trials of Mother Nature, though: waking up with aching muscles and then assembling a fifty pound backpack to be worn for ten more miles, fighting for breath at elevation, or existing in a state of uncertainty towards everything from the weather to whether we were even on the
Stern, Marc J., Robert B. Powell, and Karen S. Hockett. "Why Do They Come? Understanding Attendance At Ranger- Led Programs In Great Smoky Mountains National Park." Journal Of Interpretation Research 16.2 (2011): 35-52. Education Research Complete. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
The first step of my journey is to plan out and contemplate the details of my hunt. While this process is often slow and tedious, it reaps invaluable rewards down the line. This routine gives me answers to important questions like: How long shall this trip take? Where am I going, and what do I want to find there? How deep do I want to dig here,
I had always felt a love for the outdoors; my parents had raised me that way. My father had been a forest guide at Mount Mitchell Park for twenty years, it’s where I grew up. I vividly recall hiking along the trail in the late summer evenings, when the sun had begun to vanish beyond the horizon, and the glittering sunlight no longer pouring through the trees, being replaced by orange ribbons streaming across the sky.