My Favorite Environmental Poetry

Environmental Poetry is an easy way to get into wilderness literature. There is a range of length and content in environmental poetry, so there really is anything for anyone. Below are some of my favorites that I read early on in my environmental career. Some of these poems sparked my interest in wilderness literature and I hope they do the same for you. 

Green Mountain

By Li Bai 

You ask me why I dwell in the green mountain; 

I smile and make no reply for my heart is free of care. 

As the peach-blossom flows down stream and is gone into the unknown, 

I have a world apart that is not among men. 

Night on the Mountain

By George Sterling 

The fog has risen from the sea and crowned

The dark, untrodden summits of the coast,

Where roams a voice, in canyons uttermost, 

From midnight waters vibrant and profound. 

High on each granite altar dies the sound, 

Dee as the trampling of an armored host, 

Long as the lamentation of a ghost, 

Sad as the diapason of the drowned. 

The mountains seems no more a soulless thing, 

But rather as a shape of ancient fear, 

In darkness and the winds of Chaos born

Amid the lordless heavens' thundering

A Presense crouched, enormous and austere, 

Before whose feet the might water mourn. 

I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud 

By William Wordsworth 

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

These are just examples of some influential environmental poetry that has shaped my views and made my interest for the subject grow. Some authors specialize in this type of literature while others may only write a few pieces that fit into this category. Even you can pick up a pen and try your hand at writing environmental poetry!

Happy Trails 
Daisy 

Five Tips on Improving your Nature Trip

Through my blog posts you have learned how to pack your pack but you still feel lost in terms of getting the most out of your trip. Maybe you don't know where to start and you need guidance. Follow these simple tips to get a better idea of how to improve your trip or your hike out in the woods. 

1.  Plan it out 
 A well thought out trip is better than one put together on a whim. Decide where you are going, check the weather and conditions and pack the proper materials.  Additionally, if there is a park ranger line to call, give them a call to ask if anything extra would be necessary for your trip.

2. Don't get in over your head
If at any point during the planning process or even in the beginning stages of your trip you realize you may not be prepared, there is no harm in turning around or rethinking your plan. This aspect of improving your hike can help with practical thinking and problem solving. Figure out what are the simple problems of your trip and what problems may cause issues.

3. Know when to turn around
Going along with the previous point, knowing your limits is important for any trip. If weather gets too intense or a planned part of the trip becomes unsafe, take yourself out of the situation. Although not getting to the top of the mountain or not finishing the trail is less than ideal, it's better to be safe and try to complete the trip later on.

4. Reflect, write and remember 
Sometimes on a trip you can forget memorable moments or take the environment around you for granted. In this case, it's generally a good idea to keep a notebook or journal of your trip. You can include memorable moments or even a bullet point lists of things to remember if you do the same trip again. Any sort of hiking or nature trip is no easy feat, so try to reflect on what you do everyday and how incredible your journey is!

5. Leave no Trace!
This step is something you do yourself but if everyone had the same etiquette on the trail as you, your trip will improve! Leave no trace is the idea that when you leave a campsite, trail or campground, there should be little human impact. This means picking up all your trash, not walking off a designated trail and leaving wildlife alone.

Some of these tips may seem a bit silly and redundant,  but they are all important in staying safe and getting the most out of your trip. Most of these tips are low effort and simply require an interest in the trip you are about to take and a desire to enjoy your time outdoors.

Happy Trails!
Daisy 

Packing List For Your Trip to the Woods

So you have decided to venture out into the woods. The trees and open fields are calling your name. It's important if you are a beginner to pack effectively. This means to pack light and to use your space in your backpack or bag efficiently. For your trip into the woods pack the following. 

• water bottle filled up 

• protein rich snack 

• notebook 

• pens

• book of your choosing 

• small first aid kit (bandaids, pain reliever, tape, etc) 

• fully charged cellphone 

• important phone numbers saved and written down 

• map of the location you are exploring 

Some of these items are more important than others. Take into consideration when packing the size of your backpack and the length of your intended trip. The most important items are the ones needed for a safe trip. A water bottle, snack, first aid kit and cell phone can all be helpful in emergency situations. One item most people tend to forget is the written down phone numbers and information. This is necessary in cases of emergency if your phone dies or you run into other technical issues. The other items are mostly for fun and less necessary, especially if your pack is on the smaller side. I recommend the notebook, pen and book mostly for reflection and writing when in the woods. You never know when inspiration will strike! 

Happy Trails! 

Daisy 

Nature Writing and Wikipedia Editing

After the hike I reviewed in my last post, I was reminded of my senior year of high school when I spent part of a semester working on a project involving nature writing. Nature writing is a rather specific genre of writing that encompasses stories, poetry and other forms of writing with influence from the natural world.

While researching about nature writing, I found the wikipedia article titled "Nature Writing" to be lacking certain important aspects. While the article covered a lot of earlier influential writers, it lacked modern and 20th century nature writers. The only part that referenced more modern work was the Further Reading section, which only seemed to list the authors and titles, with no mention of their specific works or potential influence. I chose to add to this section annotation about the authors and the books. The section before my editing read as:

Further reading[edit]

• Finch, Robert, and John Elder, eds. The Norton Book of Nature Writing. New York: Norton, 1990; Nature writing: the tradition in English. edited by Robert Finch and John Elder. New York: W.W. Norton, c2002.
• Keith, W. J., The Rural Tradition: William Cobbett, Gilbert White, and Other Non-Fiction Writers of the English Countryside. Hassocks, Sussex: Harvester, 1975. This book has a useful bibliography.
• Lyon, Thomas J., ed. This Incomparable Land: A Book of American Nature Writing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1989.
• Lillard, Richard G. (April 1973). "The Nature Book in Action". The English Journal. National Council of Teachers of English. 62 (4): 537–48. 
• Mabey, Richard, The Oxford Book of Nature Writing. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.
• Stewart, Frank, A Natural History of Nature Writing. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1994.
• Trimble, Stephen, "Words From the Land: Encounters with Natural History Writing". Reno: University of Nevada Press, 1995 (revised edition). ISBN 978-0874172645.

I believe this section needed editing because although the titles and authors can provide information, the section discussing the early pioneers of nature writing went into detail about the authors. By adding even a sentence or two someone who is new to the genre could have a better idea of the information additional books and reading can provide them. Below is what the section I edited looks like now. 

Further reading[edit]

• Finch, Robert, and John Elder, eds. The Norton Book of Nature Writing. New York: Norton, 1990; Nature writing: the tradition in English. edited by Robert Finch and John Elder. New York: W.W. Norton, c2002. This book is an all encompassing guide and encyclopedia of 200 years of nature writing.
• Keith, W. J., The Rural Tradition: William Cobbett, Gilbert White, and Other Non-Fiction Writers of the English Countryside. Hassocks, Sussex: Harvester, 1975. This book has a useful bibliography. In addition, this book goes over specific parts of nature writing, including landscape, pastoral and country life literature.
• Lyon, Thomas J., ed. This Incomparable Land: A Book of American Nature Writing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1989. This book is an introduction guide to the genre. It goes over the vastness of the genre and American writing within the genre.
• Lillard, Richard G. (April 1973). "The Nature Book in Action". The English Journal. National Council of Teachers of English. 62 (4): 537–48. This textbook styled book mainly consists of the history behind nature writing.
• Mabey, Richard, The Oxford Book of Nature Writing. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995. This piece also goes over the magnitude of this genre and presents essays from varying nature authors.
• Stewart, Frank, A Natural History of Nature Writing. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1994. This books concentrates on the origins of American nature writing.
• Trimble, Stephen, "Words From the Land: Encounters with Natural History Writing". Reno: University of Nevada Press, 1995 (revised edition). ISBN 978-0874172645. This book is a representative collection of essays which goes over the contemporary part of nature writing.

By editing this section I was able to actually read parts of these books and have a better understanding of the genre itself. I think this is a positive aspect of wikipedia editing. That by editing and researching, even if they may delete it later on, you can learn more and have a better understanding of the topic you're interested in. 

Happy Trails!

Daisy 

Mount Kearsarge Review

In order to learn in the wild, you have to get out into nature. This week I hiked Mount Kearsarge with a group of older counselors at the summer camp I work at. Mount Kearsarge is located in Wilmot, New Hampshire and Warner, New Hampshire. The elevation is 2,936 ft, which is a much shorter mountain compared to the White Mountains which are also located in New Hampshire. There are two main trails to reach the summit of the mountain that form a loop called the Winslow-Barlow Trail Loop. The Winslow Trail is 1.1 miles and is significantly steeper compared to the Barlow Trail which is 1.8 miles. This loop is advertised as a "fun family loop", so it labeled as a good hike for beginners.

The group I hiked with had a wide range of hiking experience. There were girls like myself who had led several hiking and camping trips, and there were international staff members who had never been on a hike before. We hiked the Barlow Trail on the way up and on the way down. The staff at the visitors station were a wealth of information for the leaders of the hike and they were very excited to talk to the beginner hikers we brought with us!

The trail itself was in great shape. They had done trail maintenance early in the season and it seems as though they have continued to maintain the trails. The summit was well kept and clean. The structure was a bit rusted but truly no more than any other structure that has been exposed during the cold, harsh winter that New Hampshire had this year. I asked a few of the first time hikers we had with us what they thought of the trip and they said that although it was difficult and harder than they expected, it was worth the view at the top.

The final evaluation of this mountain and hike is that it is something I would definitely recommend to people in the area and that is it well worth the small price of $4 (adult) and $2 (child). The trails are well groomed and taken care of and the staff in the park are extremely helpful and eager to work with all levels of hikers. 

Happy Trails!

Daisy

Unpacking my Backpack of Experiences with Nature

I would consider myself an enthusiastic outdoors woman. However, no one starts life with thinking about the importance of the environment like I do. How I came to the conclusions I have about the outdoors was no simple path. Growing up in New Hampshire put a certain level of importance on the outdoors. Family weekends as a child were mainly hiking trips and nature walks. Like many young kids, I found myself playing outside until it was too dark in the summer. As I got older I chose a boarding high school that placed emphasis on sustainability and environmental change. Now, I am in college and an environmental studies major. I recognize the importance of getting outside and appreciating the environment and what it can teach us.

I believe that outdoor play and just simply getting outside is helpful for child development and can help aid in teaching moments. Through my years of being a YMCA camp counselor during the summer, my opinion has been formed by the interactions I have had with campers and staff. Outdoor play has the capability of teaching children about noble personal qualities. I have also worked in schools and seen the importance of rest and play that helps with attention and behavioral issues. Often times at camp being outside and learning gives education a new setting to tackle new topics. I think that although creativity can be taught in an art classroom at school, being creative and quick thinking on a hiking trip is a completely different type of creativity.  However, this does not mean that you have to go out into the field every time you want inspiration or education from the wilderness.

Wilderness literature is not something you can explore, but rather something you commit to reading and finding inspiration. My first interaction with wilderness literature actually stemmed from watching the film interpretation of the book Into the Wild. I was shocked and horrified by the story so much so I felt impelled to go to my library the next day to check out the book. Although the story of Chris McCandless in Into the Wild should support the idea that the environment is a inconsistent and dangerous place, I found myself thinking a bit differently.

I wondered how someone like Chris McCandless took so little precautions when traveling and camping. What inspired him to be careless with planning? Although the reckless and dangerous stories are the ones that can demand attention from readers, myself included, I went out to find more wilderness themed books. What I found changed how I went from a simple reader of these dangerous stories, to an interpreter of what these books could really teach us. I found that through others stories you can derive your own inspiration of how to use your environment. Wilderness literature can be a very powerful tool for making people interested in getting outdoors more and evoking a sense of wonder and need for exploring. Any piece that can inspire someone to get outside more is a piece that I would support. Especially after reading a few books I wanted to go on more trips. The pages of a book have the capability of physically moving people to become more in touch with nature.

So while I have had my awaking with wilderness literature and outdoor skills, there is always more to learn and formulate. Inspiration and education can be done with any starting point on these topics. If you consider yourself an avid outdoors man or woman like me, there are alway more books to read and trips to take. If you're a stranger to the woods the smallest bit of inspiration can act as a spark to hopefully light the fire in this topic.  We all have more to learn and I know I want to learn more, especially with all of you!

Happy Trails!
Daisy

Getting Down to the Facts: Nature Deficit Disorder and Wilderness Literature

The first topic of this blog is how outdoor skills and the wilderness can be a helpful catalysts for any type of skills. As mentioned in the previous post, Richard Louv coined the term "Nature Deficit Disorder". In his book Last Child in the Woods, "he argues that all of us, especially children, are spending more time indoors, which makes us feel alienated from nature and perhaps more vulnerable to negative moods or reduced attention span."  "Nature Deficit Disorder" is not a recognized medical term, but there is plenty of support for the possible concerns and symptoms of this issue.

So now with information about the benefits and research done on how the environment can help with personal betterment,  The other topic of wilderness inspired works are mostly contained to modern day travel and hiking biographies and the works of pioneer transcendentalists. Early transcendentalists like Henry David Thoreau wrote much of his influential writings at Walden Pond. Thoreau's philosophy linked with his philosophical ideas explored early environmental issues and questions that people faced.

These writings can be used for more than learning about writing styles, but can also inform readers about the importance and nuances of the environment over time. Modern day writings like Into The Wild, explores the reckless yet wildness inspired trip by Chris McCandless. Cheryl Strayed's Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail journey on the Pacific Crest Trail allow readers to feel more connected to the environment and influence readers interest in their personal interests with the environment.  These modern writings showcase the early start to the very popular genre of "explorer" or "wilderness literature". These pieces can be used to evoke a sense of needing a connection to the environment and appreciation for the lessons our environments can teach us. 

More blogs will go into more details of specific case studies or relevant literature. Stay tuned for my next post which will go over my opinion and personal stories in relation to these topics! 

Happy Trails!

Daisy 

Welcome to the Jungle

Hello and Welcome! My name is Daisy Bewley and welcome to my virtual woods classroom! Over the next few months blog posts will include information on how our environment and connection to nature can teach practical skills, personal behavioral development and mindfulness. Some posts will offer tips on how to utilize your environment to your advantages, while others will simply go over the history of wilderness literature and education.

This blog mainly consists of two topics. the first is how the environment and the wilderness can be informative in teaching skills and characteristics that can be used in everyday life. The other is how the wilderness has inspired works that can be used in educational settings and what you can learn from past history and stories. This blog will go into detail on both of these topics, providing a little bit of insight that will make this blog more understandable.

This blog is mostly inspired by the term "Nature Deficit Disorder" coined by Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the Woods. In this blog, I intend to provide insight as to how our environments and nature can be used for the betterment of our mental and physical states. Additionally, there will be tips and examples of how outdoor skills can teach both practical skills and life lessons on things like patience, creativity,

 This blog will hopefully answer some of the questions relating to this topic. These questions include what exactly is the purpose of using the environment and nature for the betterment of our mental and physical states? Also looking at the different pieces written by authors about the environmental and what ca their perspectives can teach us? Finally, how outdoor skills can teach practical and important life lessons.

Overall this blog should help readers find inspiration to get out of their current surroundings and get outside. Read on for inspiration and information that encourage more education in everything outdoors!

Happy Trails!
Daisy