Intimate Encounter

The sun was beginning to set and I had been wandering aimlessly through the forest for about two hours. This did not feel like home, I had never ventured out into the woods for as long and as deep as I was now. Everything was foreign, the overwhelming sense of adventure was all around me and I couldn’t get enough of it. Winding paths lead me to more of the same scenery; my mind was still racing with excitement about what I could find around the bend. Making camp at night was not an option for me and my inexperience so I decided t... ... middle of paper ... ...ed and focused my eyes as best I could but couldn’t distinguish what was causing my momentary blindness.

Deforestation is a serious issue in today’s world. What once was a green Earth is now becoming a desolate land mold that is losing one of its main attributes: forests. Similar to Rachel Carson’s perception, the Earth was once full of lavish forests and is slowly deteriorating into empty, unappealing land. Centuries ago, Earth was covered in forests. “…The whole country, full of woods and thickets...” (Bradford) was the average for settlers in the 1800s.

An unfortunate traveler slowly backed away from the tree he had been sheltering under. Raindrops the size of bullets and slabs of sleet slapped onto his back, but were immediately shaken off by his shivering. He cursed his ill-fortune under his breath as he stumbled to the edge of the forest. A vast field lay beyond the trees. The gale was causing great waves of grass to roll across it.

The asphalt of the parking lot was ugly and covered the ground like a blanket of death for all the plant life on the hills. This “welcome” back to civilization made us yearn to climb back up the stairs to our heavenly view and escape civilization once again.

We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but since dinner . . . the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and rain so penetrating, that further outdoor exercise was now out of the question. I was glad of it; I never liked long walks, especially on chilly afternoons: dreadful to me was the coming home in the raw twilight, with nipped fingers and toes, and a heart saddened by the chidings of Bessie, the nurse, and humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John and Georgiana Reed.

“In honor of our one year anniversary, we are going camping!” “Camping? Where? We live in the middle of the city!” “We are going to drive to the Appalachian Mountains, about forty-five minutes from here! It will take about 4 days: two days up, two days down.” Jack seemed so excited, Taylor could not possibly say no. She had always loved adventure, so she thought she would give hiking a try.

However, I quickly learn that the Peeper's Pond trail at the local nature center offers more than the pleasure of its name. While the sights and sounds of the trail provide the opportunity to witness portions of the environment not available to those living in the city, what makes a visit to Peeper's Pond highly enjoyable is ultimately the wonder of the view and the intriguing fear of what remains unseen. A large Maple forms a natural archway over the entrance to the trail, as I pass from the penetrating heat o... ... middle of paper ... ...ough the Maple entryway, I resume my frantic flight. Still fearful of the wild turkey I was sure would hunt me down, I returned to my car, started the engine, and quickly pulled away from the parking branch. Upon completion of a swift 180-degree turn to leave the wonders of the wild, I took another habitual glance through the rearview mirror.

I am reminded of all the camping and hiking trips I went on as a child and I feel at peace. But something in the sky keeps bothering me, the fog. I was expecting to be able to stand on top of Poly Mountain and see the entire city of San Luis Obispo. I brought my camera along hoping to take beautiful pictures of the city and send them home to my family. But the thick fog above my head reminds me that this probably will not happen.

This parallel between the cruelty and healing ways of nature is shown when we see Victor climbing the mountain, on his way back to Geneva. He was on his way home, attempting to enjoy nature and clearing his mind. It is shown that Victor gets lost in nature when he thinks to himself “the sight of the awful and majestic in nature had indeed always the effect of solemnizing my mind and causing me to forget the passing cares of life.” (93) and slowly starts to relax. It can be considered pathetic fallacy when directly after this “rain poured from the dark sky” (93) and seemed to mock Victor. As the monster appeared it shows the irony between the beautiful day that he had before climbing the mountain and then running into a storm with the monster appearing.

I carried a backpack with pen and paper, a sweatshirt, and cynicism heavier than the fog we drudged through. Campus housing structures disappeared behind us, and we were on a road winding around hills. I observed sprinklers watering dead grass, telephone wires cutting through trees, and a dumpster full of waste, worsened by a car passing through our ensemble. We had a ways to go before we could get away from civilization. My pessimism deepened as I listened to my classmates chatter in awe about deer on the hillside and heard our professor mention a toxic waste controversy.