As you guys scrambled around on the boulders and in the trees, I kept having to remind myself that this was a school day. It's amazing to have the opportunity to learn outside, to be out in the sage scented air instead of cooped up inside a classroom worrying about homework or an upcoming test. In a normal school day, we're often too busy to play, but there are few things healthier for us both physically and mentally.
Whenever I watch Koyaanisqaatsi, I always feel like I'm trapped in a bad dream, like we're these frenetic, dehumanized, anesthetized drones... but then I get outside and things slow down a bit and start to make sense again. Suddenly I feel less like a hot dog on a conveyor belt. Suddenly I realize that life is more than city traffic and people in their billions rushing about like ants slaving away for some shadowy queen. Suddenly there's time to frolic in a mountain meadow and sing "The Hills are Alive." Yes, I'm glad you took that opportunity, David. We're all happier for it.
It's when I'm outside that I get the feeling we can rise above the rat race, that we can jog alongside it for a while, observe its craziness, and, when necessary take a little spur trail off to some isolated rock outcropping and relax for a bit. It's then I realize that there's this thing about the rat race that makes it strange, as far as races go: there is no winner.
I'm glad we all survived today, but this was the safest hike of the week and our close shaves don't bode well for the future. Chances of survival are minimal. Let's all be a little more careful... Gabe, from here on out when you're scouting photo locations, watch your step. Jake, just because a giant gulf exists is not reason enough to leap it. RB, your hands are better for catching a fall than your ribs. And to all, remember that downclimbing is often trickier than the way up. See, here are the things we learn when we expand our classroom to the out of doors.
We've got a good crew and I'm excited for the rest of the week.
Here's a Haiku I wrote on an earlier hike at Stelzer:
Green coastal sage plucked
And crushed by rock-rubbed hands
Mountain-smell lingers
a poem about the hike:
ReplyDeleteDrizzling on the way up
Cold wind at the top
The view here makes my heart stop
I really enjoyed today's hike. It was really a beautiful hike. I loved being able to explore at the top and just mess around on some rocks. i think that is what made me feel like i was 8 again. The fact that we were free to do nearly whatever we wanted and the fact that just scrambling around on some rocks could have entertained us for a good week is what resulted in that young kid again feeling. It seemed like when we were out there all the stresses in my life disappeared. It was a great feeling, and i just felt like myself again. I am very excited to experience this again tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteAh, how the elements of the scenery of today's hike united to create such an awesome sight. The magic of the environs, which gave breath and a certain levity to this day – and which by Nature's gentle touch and motherly kiss had been first begot during the creation of this place and then cradled calmly for the eons to come– was now proudly displayed before my own two eyes.
ReplyDeleteOverwhelming to write the least. The latter here cannot be denied for the simple reason that the great and literal openness of the earth, and its freedom too, defied my reality, my alienation. More specifically, my alienated existence.
I have been crafted by the want and need for private possessions/property and money, I have therefore placed – or rather even, allowed – the ownership of myself, me, my literal person to belong to my things – the products of society – and consequently I have been enslaved into an existence in which the owner of my self is no longer I but the alien object(s) I want, need , and will never truly own because those object(s) will always be owned by a the other man: his materials and his laborers, namely: in other words, the producer. I only have the physical ability to use, enjoy, apply, etc. the object(s) because money has permitted me to, money which, as a divine power, has religiously controlled the exchange of all things in my life – money that is exchanged through what ever labyrinth it is of a pathway, regardless because it carries no true importance because at the center of the maze lies this other man, this alien man, unknown to me in personal, physical form, and by reasoning of the transitive property of equality, if the alien object(s) owns me, and the alien man owns the object(s), I am therefore owned by the alien man, and my existence is an alien one.
After reading that, I realize that all of this philosophical, Marxist-esque mumbo-jumbo may read a bit esoteric, so I'll sum this up with a Vonnegut 'Hi Ho.' All I mean to write is that, life itself, for me, has been somewhat in bondage to that thing called money, that apotheosized thing, and so it feels a bit hostile, distant, alien.
And so, I write of the importance of this 'overwhelming' aspect, the pith of the day so-to-write, because, in truth, it hurled onto me a profound epiphany. I am a man and because man comes from nature, I come from nature. I do not come from man and I therefore, I am not owned. I exist as nature exists, and because I saw nature before me, open and free, and only transformed not of its own fault by the inexorable ticking of time, I had not only become consciously aware of the alienated existence of my being, but a certain sense of physical liberation took place as well. I was truly one with nature and for a moment my body transcended into the elements, and so a beautiful and organic scene was presented: the admixture of man and earth.
Inspired and enthralled, in ecstasy during this moment, I managed to scribble down this haiku, which I now fain write here. sharing it with you all, my peers:
Cumulus clouds high
Sky suffused with err'nt light beams
Crad'ling calmly: me
Totally agree. The hike was awesome, but I really enjoyed getting a chance to explore and climb whatever looked worthy. The view from the top of the mountain was pretty incredible, and from there I wrote a pair of Haiku's. Unfortunately, they are both about the man-made intrusions that seemed to upset the scene, hopefully we can get to some more remote locations later in the week. See you DMB's tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteMetal tombstones stand
ever connected sentinels
fixed upon the ridge
Helicopters break
In and out the canyon walls
Defiant, harsh wind
The hike was great and I enjoyed the writing time atop the mountain. I nestled into a secluded spot wedged between two bigger rocks. I could see cars inching along way down below and only heard the hum of their engines. The wind fluttered through the leaves around me and birds were chirping calmly. It was very peaceful up there and i hope we go to places even more remote. I would have to say that my favorite part of the day was the fall/jump incident.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a few haikus for the occasion:
Not watching my step
Faulty log slips, so do I
Kiernan cries "save him"
Jake observes keenly
The whole class is distracted
No one to stop him
The creek is quite wide
It will be very dangerous
Jake jumps anyways
Can't wait for waterfalls and sonic tomorrow!
I agree with everyone above, there is nothing like spending a day out in nature to rejuvenate and refresh one's mind, body, and spirit. To think that this technically counts as a school day completely boggles my mind. To go, in a matter of days, from a week fraught with worry and stress about homework, tests, and whatever else Francis W. Parker school throws at me to what we were able to do today, is a gift of universal proportions. I am also quite excited to progress on our journey this week with longer hikes into more remote areas of our beautiful state. I agree with my main man Mitchala (improper spelling?) that the helicopters and such were definitely more of a distraction than I would have liked them to be. However, I hope and believe that the rest of our week will be filled much more with nature in all her beauty and splendor, than with man-made distractions (except, of course, Sonic, which is delicious). Unfortunately, i do not have a Haiku yet to share, as I left my journal in the classroom, but I look forward to sharing some bomb haiku's with everyone later haha
ReplyDeleteToday I found myself reflecting on my childhood as we walked beside the creek on our way to our destination. As I reminisced I found myself becoming increasingly depressed. As I thought some more I realized I was frustrated with myself because as a kid I took more time out of my day to have fun and enjoy myself. This act of letting my mind wander and finding small obstacles to entertain me is a great way to lower the anxiety and stress levels a senior at Francis Parker seems to carry. If I take anything away from this awesome week (other than the image of Mr Aiston being pulled into the pond) Its that wasting time outside can be the most fulfilling part of my day so I need to do it a lot more often.
ReplyDelete