On the Makoshika State Park, we went on an early hike to a natural bridge. The park in general has trails that are quite fun as you have to go up and down steps and “ramps” to get to the end, which was quite interesting in this case. The 12 of us + the Profs on top the bridge made a nice photo.
It got me thinking, however, about how natural these places really are. This morning we were the only ones on the trail, but I’m sure that many humans have come before us, and many will. This is evident by the fact that there were human mande supports for steeper ramps, as they needed to be made into steps to facilitate human passage. It rather annoys me to realize how many places out there we have bent and transformed for our interest and comfort, as if otherwise we wouldn’t be able to get through it. And, perhaps, there are places we shouldn’t. On the other hand, shouldn’t this be called “nature” because we have tampered with it?
In any case, on our way to the trail, we found Canada Wild Rye, or Elymus canadensis, from the Poaceae family. It was growing on a dry and warm environment, on the side of the road. And this got me thinking as well, should this be considered part of nature?
Journal entry by Deborah
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