Journal #2: Thoreau and Overton Park

(Photo courtesy of Mother Nature Network) 

For week five of Texts & Treks, our class embarked on an excursion to Overton Park to discuss the writings of Henry David Thoreau. Overton Park is yet another hidden gem of the Fort Worth metroplex, one I had not discovered until this trip. The place we gathered was quiet and surrounded by forestry. Texas decided to treat us to a bout of summer weather at the end of September. We found a bit of a relief from the heat under a canopy of trees, although the sun still peaked through and the humidity levels were rather high. The less than ideal weather, however, reminded me of an important aspect of nature: uncomfortableness. In our modern lives, we can find comfort almost everywhere we go. We have air-conditioned homes, offices, and classrooms. We have comfortable clothes and access to all kinds of eating and drinking options. We have become so use to comfort that even a slight departure from it seems starkly foreign. To experience nature though, in its truest and richest form, is to embrace the uncomfortable. It is to experience the ups and downs of the weather, sit on the hard ground of the earth, eat and drink what is available. Nature is not real when experienced through the shiny lenses of modern society. It is only pure when raw, and in its raw form, nature is often rough around the edges.

Seated on the ground of Overton Park, experiencing a bit of raw nature, we began to discuss Thoreau. Thoreau’s writings, largely focused on the triumph of nature over civilization, take on new life when discussed outside. Thoreau was a challenge to read, with a variety of tangents and ramblings interspersed. His insights on nature, however, were very interesting. What I noted most was Thoreau’s attention to detail. He noticed and described everything. This is evident in his lengthy discussion of a brawl between two ants, creatures commonly associated with the microscopic. Reading Thoreau encouraged me to notice the details in nature, rather than focus solely on the big picture. This idea is especially applicable to one of my favorite activities: hiking. So often on hikes, I focus my thoughts on the end goal. While the views at the top are always spectacular and rewarding, the details of the trail are just as important. Attention to said detail can assure one does not miss some of the most interesting aspects of nature. I am challenging myself to pay attention to both the details and the end on my next hiking excursion.

Thoreau’s writing offer a variety of quotes on the value of nature. I have compiled a list of my favorite Thoreau quotes as a conclusion to my post:

- “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.”

- “All good things are wild and free”

- “I love Nature partly because she is not man, but a retreat from him”

- “Man emulates Earth, Earth emulates Heaven, Heaven emulates The Way, The Way emulates Nature.”

- “Blessed are those who never read a newspaper, for they shall see Nature, and through her, God”

- “We need the tonic of wilderness. We can never have enough of nature”

- “Not until we are lost do we begin to find ourselves”