What is this all about?
The reason for a substack just about obsevations in nature
When you pick up a book, article or blog that is about nature, it can be difficult to know exactly what it is you are going to get. Some writing on nature is a lengthy tome of someone else’s experiences. They share what it is they did in nature, venturing to the farthest reaches of the earth, in hopes to inspire. Others, may be a diatribe on the dangers of deforestation and losing public lands, meant as a stark warning of what happens if nature isn’t appreciated. There are even those that explore the benefit of time in nature, be it psychologically or physiologically, and what we stand to gain from exposure to nature.
This bit of writing will be different.
Much like my experience in nature, the writing will be vast and varied. Nature is a bit of a big topic isn’t it? There is quite a bit to cover. From the different landscapes, to just going into nature itself. With a whole notebook full of writing (that needs to get polished up) and every walk past trees brings new inspiration. Each one offering a holistic look at nature. The importance of respecting nature, and in doing so the benefit we stand to gain. As well as the ways we can do so properly. Maybe even have us rethink our reasons for venturing out in the first place
This won’t be grandiose stories of my my time in the wilds. There are people who surely spend more time than me though, those people I envy. The writing you will see here aren’t about about me, or specifically my time in nature. Rather, they are about nature itself. The observations, the nuance, the subtleties that I have seen along they way. From the vast and varied experiences from coast to coach. From the frigid warers of the New England shores, to the parched deserts of the South West. Even to the tallest peaks of rockies, and the solitude of the North West forests.
It is all with the end goal to demonstrate that there is immense benefit to spending time in nature, and it doesn’t need to be summiting the highest peaks or most secluded forests. We don’t need to venture to the spots that garner the most attention on social media, and there is something to behold even on our most local of trails. The hope, is encouraging others to write their own stories of nature, and to do it for themselves and for more than the ability to say they did.
Our Intention and Nature’s Intention
The intent is that we go into nature with greater meaning. With the purpose to get the full experience of what nature has to offer. To find a deeper understanding in our ventures into nature—both of ourselves and of the world at large. To do activities or actions with an outcome in mind, is to do them with intention. The ultimate “why” to us venturing out into nature. It is important not to lose sight of this intention as well, or at the very least to always keep it in mind. We may be gazing out over a view of the mountains, and feel the urge to make an attempt to capture the moment. So we take out our phones and do our best to squeeze the grandeur of what we see into the frame. We may flip through filters and settings to try and ensure that what our camera sees is what we see—even if the pictures never do it justice. We need to stop and ask ourselves why. Why are we trying to take the picture? Is it for our benefit? If it is, wouldn’t it be more beneficial for us to simply sit, and soak in every detail of the spectacle before us? Rather than trying to take just a fraction of it to possibly look at later?
If it isn’t for us, and merely to “share”, we need to ask why even deeper. Why does it matter? Why is that more important than being present with the view itself? Why do we go into nature, if we are just trying to show other people that we do it? When we do this, we lose that perspective nature is able to provide. In this case, we can literally be losing the forest through the trees. We get so caught up in the detail of what we are able to see on our phone, we remove ourselves from the moment itself. Unable to fully grasp the bigger picture of everything happening around us in that moment, and it can all just slip by.
So, we shift from why to how. How can we adjust our way of thinking? How can we get back to understanding and appreciating what nature truly has to offer? While still feeling as though we have something to gain from it? It takes that intention. To go into nature with purpose beyond what we think is the reason. To make an effort to be fully present in whatever natural place we are able to reach. And to open our eyes to the entire world around us, to see everything through a new perspective.
If you have read naturalists before, they all shared a genuine and deep love of nature. It’s untampered beauty, its raw power, and its true ability to astound. They wrote because of their inspiration they found in nature. I aim to capture an iota of this inspiration as they done so eloquently before.
That being said, why not close with a quote from one of the greatest?