I was a HUGE fan of Bill McKibben and how he portrays nature in his writing. He addresses the many impacts that the human race has on nature. He has no problem blaming himself and the human race as a whole for a lot if not all the many of the issues we face in nature. Some of these problems being greenhouse effect, acid rain, and the depletion of the ozone layer. I agree with just about everything he is saying in his novel The End of Nature. I enjoy how he backs up all the points he makes throughout the book with numerical facts and details to help inform the reader. I am a firm believer in the facts that in order for nature to continue to survive the human race needs to fundamentally and philosophically shift the way we relate to nature.

Oh how I love the smell of bus exhaust! As we stood outside the bus before embarking on our trip to Browns Bog, I became very light headed and woozy due to the heavy amounts of exhaust I was breathing in. As we approached the bog I looked out of the bus window and saw nothing but plowed corn fields, then there was a green break in the open fields. The bog itself wasn’t as breath taking as the wonderful 1/2 mile trail that branched off the man made boardwalk. It was a beaten trial that would allow you to embark on a half mile journey through the woods. Seeing several towering trees and wildflowers was a sight to see, but what really struck my attention was all the dead trees that had fallen and coated the forest floor. It was natures graveyard. These trees had been transformed into houses for several different species of insects and plants. I find it very interesting how nature never lets anything go to waste. I was walking towards the back of the group trying to allow myself to get lost in nature, not have to listen to my classmates heavy footsteps and casual conversations. While walking I thought what is the ideal way to enjoy nature? Is it going on hikes with a group of friends and enjoying each others company or is it going into a unknown place by yourself and getting lost in the beautiful sea of green. I guess thats all up to personal preference. I don’t believe there will ever be one perfect way to view and experience nature.

I am writing this while sitting on a bench marked number four in Johnson’s Woods located about twenty minutes away from the town of Wooster, Ohio. There is a group of chipmunks running in and out of their burrows, rustling the leaves, disturbing the silence. Mosquitoes, bees, flies and everything between buzzing in my ears. As I look around I notice a beautiful oak tree standing alone surrounded by various sorts of orange and red wild flowers. It extends taller than any of the other trees, watching over everything below. There is a marsh that seems to be forming underneath the boardwalk. The boardwalk is essential to allowing visitors to comfortably walk thru the forest. It is nice to be able to escape from the rustle and bustle of my everyday life and just sit here and reflect on the natural world.