Yukon-Charley: The Shape Of Wilderness By Barry Lopez

940 Words4 Pages

Since the day a child is born they’re instantly exposed to natural world around them. Over time the child will start to develop a relationship with nature. Whether the experiences are good or bad will shape their experiences that they will have with nature. Nature shapes us more then we realize, or that we are willing to admit. We learn to appreciate different natural objects such as the animals, riding bikes, or swim, all inside of nature. Our childhood memories are created by spending time in nature and exploring the world around us. Nature allows us to be ourselves because it doesn’t judge us or have any expectations from us. You can create your own paths, roll around in the mud, or dance in the rain without anyone looking at you weird. …show more content…

The one lesson I took away from it was that nature can make you happier inadvertently. When he goes out into wilderness, he finds peace and new discoveries. “What is stunning about the river’s banks on this particular stormy afternoon is not the vegetation but its presentation.”(Pg. 3 Lopez). He was able to realize that nature can present its self, while it also can be breathtaking. It seems that when he’s in the wilderness, his problems inflicted from the outside world tend to be put at a halt. While this piece does talk a lot about wilderness preservation, what I took away from it is how he was able to find happiness so simply. It reminded me of myself in first grade when we went on a class trip to look for butterflies in the field. I remember being so happy when I finally caught one. Another one I remember was when he talked about the presentation about the river bank, and it reminded when I painted a rock. I thought the rock was ugly and wanted to make it pretty, so I did. Sometimes just the presentation of nature itself can be powerful. My mother always told me that if I was feeling down, to simply just go for a walk. I became more protective of the rock that I painted and showed it off to all my friends. While this piece sucked me in, certain pieces brought me back to some of the happiest times during my childhood. There was another piece that brought