Eric's Nature Blog

Eric Haacker Dr. Williams HCOL 40023 18 December 2019 The Canyon of Grandeur             Last year, it was decided that I would be taking a long-awaited road trip to the Grand Canyon. By decided, I mean by me, it was my decision. Although, the forging of this journey began long before the long road trip began. I suppose it really all began back in high school, sophomore year to be exact, and it would take another five years, half a decade, before that fateful dream became enacted upon. The reason for the idea first appeared in my physical education class as I sat on the floor of the gymnasium floor with my brother Walter. We were discussing bucket list vacation ideas as a way to pass the time before the bell rang and I mentioned the Grand Canyon. I had half mentioned it as a joke, having never really thought about the place before. It seemed too boring to be so engrained into the iconoclasm that it belonged too. I mean, ...

Grand Canyon             I went to the Grand Canyon in the Spring of 2019 with my two brothers and my friend Michael. It was a trip that the four of us had been planning for quite a long time and were all extremely excited when the plans were finally coming to fruition. We arrived at the Grand Canyon relatively early in the day and it was absolutely breathtaking. The rocks seemed to be shining from their surface. They looked as if the sun had painted each edifice with its own gemstone gleam without changing the outer look of the rock itself. I did not know that something so exteriorly dull could fill the world with so much color and light. However, there was something else striking about the canyon besides the obviously radiant beauty of it. The canyon seemed dignified as if its majesty was demanding a sense of reverence from all who dared to look upon it. The canyon seemed to be reminding me that there was more to nature than s...

Nature Appreciation             Lopez critiques the average American by claiming that they have no knowledge of geography and by doing this he raises an interesting question: Can one appreciate nature without knowing it? After all, a person can enjoy a delicious meal without knowing each ingredient and amount. A person does not need to where the vegetables were sourced not the exact seasonings employed to fully enjoy and appreciate a meal. Nor does a person need to know all there is in order to enjoy a painting. One can see the beauty in a painting without knowing the history of art of the style of painting. A person does not need to know about the brushes employed or the techniques mastered over a lifetime to know if the painting that they are viewing is one they like and appreciate. Is this the same of nature appreciation? What is it to appreciate nature if not just the recognition of its striking beauty and glorious power? On...

Landscape Paintings             Yesterday, the Treks and Texts class took a quick field trip to the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth to look at the nature landscape paintings. At first, I was concerned about the whole expedition because I know and understand little about art and was thus concerned about my ability to truly appreciate and admire the artwork. I also was skeptical of the overall experience because I was not sure how just staring at brushed oil on a canvas would bring me any greater understanding of our natural world. Could I not just google some actual photographs of nature or perhaps watch a documentary and see some film of a gorgeous landscape in order to better appreciate nature and landscapes.             As I walked through the gallery, I was not immediately impressed. I just meandered from frame to frame trying to fill the time. Then I stumbled upon a p...

Storm             There was a large thunderstorm on campus the other night. It was the first time I had ever actually heard the wind howl. Now, I have heard the wind before, but this was the first time that it actually frightened me. It seemed angry and cruel. I felt as if it was trying to blow the bricks away just so it could try and strangle me. Then it paired itself with the rain, the icy, quick rain that seemed to be tiny beads thrown at the world by some higher power. There were brilliant streaks of white lighting piercing the dark void of night and that was immediately followed by the clapping of a cacophonous thunder. If the wind was the howling, then the thunder was the bark and I was there to stare down the wolf because there was no escaping the pack.             The beauty of the natural world is only challenge by its power. The beauty of nature is easy to discus...

Nature and the West             I must admit that when I first saw the reading list for Treks and Texts, I was worried about the idea of reading things about the great outdoors. More specifically, I was worried about reading the works of Edward Abbey and the other authors who talked about the natural beauty of the American West. I thought this because the West always seemed so alien and distant to me, being from Louisiana. Thus, I never liked hearing stories about how great that vast frontier was and how the real nature in America lies out there in the great unknown. There just always seemed, to me at least, an implicit bias towards the western United States, touting it as the best place in America for experiencing wilderness. It is the home to the great American deserts, the Rocky Mountains, the large forests of the Pacific Northwest, the Sierra Nevada mountains, miles of salt flats, beautiful beaches, and gorgeous valleys. The...