Environmental Aesthetics

Aesthetics, specifically environmental aesthetics, are of great interest to me. Environmental aesthetics is the investigation of the aesthetic appreciation of natural environments (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2008). It is the division of philosophy that examines why and how we appreciate the environment. In some circumstances, it is even extended to encompass the aesthetics of everyday life.

Sometimes I pause, and think about what philosophy is. WordNet Search defines philosophy as "the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics." But what is it's purpose? And why doesn't something as important as the nature of reality touch our everyday lives more often? A wonderful article entitled "The Purpose and Importance of Philosophy" can be found here. Ms. Stephanie Paey goes over how philosophy "does not exist as a means to an end; it does not have a particularly defined purpose.” And yet…”there must be some question that the philosopher is trying to solve, some understanding that he is trying to reach (“Themes” 8-25)." I love philosophy - it makes me feel so intellectual! Philosophy is a sustainable resource – we will never run out of areas to examine, or puzzles to unravel.

A common problem in philosophically inclined essays is that they begin to sound like stereo instructions - or for the stereo inclined, like some incomprehensible text about a subject you've never heard of. I’m sure if you read and think about philosophy every day, things begin to seem clearer until one can’t help but string together one complex thought after another. But I will endeavor to be clear to the non-philosopher, a title I probably qualify for myself. Environmental aesthetics is where our minds open up to the beauty of the world around us, to the reality of our everyday lives, to all the wonder nature has to offer. In my next post, I will illustrate opportunities for the aesthetic appreciation of nature using photos of the outdoors I have taken over the past few years. Together we will explore the New Jersey outdoors to see the best it has to offer.

Citations:
Smith, John E. Themes in American Philosophy: Purpose, Experience, and Community. Harper Torchbooks: New York, 1970.

Hiking in New Jersey in Winter

Location: Washington Valley Park, Newmans Lane Trailhead, Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA.

Here are my thoughts on a few hikes I took around the holidays this year.

You would think no one goes hiking in winter. It is mostly a summer activity, where droves of folks hit the trails while the sun shines. I don’t know that a great many people brave the great outdoors at all after the temperature drops below 40 degrees. And even then, there is probably some great natural wonder rewarding their endurance. Yet when I hit the trail in the rain a few weeks ago, the ice had frozen over a fair number foot prints, as if a crowd (including dogs, deer and a few other animals) had walked in front of me minutes before.

On this particular Saturday, I was bundled up in many layers, with my trusty Under Armor and waterproof hiking boots on. The temperature was between 30 and 40 degrees and the rain had been sheeting down since before dawn. There was a cold dampness in the air - the cold felt like water, like I was swimming through it as it surrounded me. I remember I even had to carry an umbrella to keep from getting soaked, and that I had to watch the trail to avoid slipping on the water covered ice. Every tiny creek I passed was unnaturally swollen – we’ve had several floods and heavy rains all this year (2009).

It amazed me that so much water could fall from sky without melting the ice and snow from earlier in the week, but the cold that the ground collected each night must allow the landscape I have below.

I walked down the trail along the water, adding my footprints to the deer tracks that seem to cover the whole woods. I tried to capture with my camera the precise grey of the lake reflecting the rain-filled sky.

The downpour showed no signs of abating as I walked. I noticed that the rain, with no leaves to patter off of, was running straight down the tree trunks in interesting, vertical rivers.


I must admit that I cut short my hike on this particular weekend. After getting thoroughly soaked and chilled while attempting to take pictures with my umbrella closed, I called it a day and returned to my vehicle. However, I was lucky enough to return one week minus a day later – weather conditions had not changed much, but the rain had stopped.

A sizable snow fall had visited us on Dec. 31st. Temperature on this weekend was closer to freezing, but without wind and rain falling, it seemed much warmer than my last visit. The lack of flooded streams to cross allowed me to proceed farther down the trail.

In the fresh powder, the trails were still a bit slippery, but I always feel the snow cover makes the landscape especially beautiful.

As I commented to Aengus, my fearless companion and boyfriend of several years, it was pleasantly quiet in the woods that day. The snow makes everything seem soft and subdued under the grey roof of the sky.

I was fascinated by the shapes the ice had formed on the reservoir's surface.

This looks like an alien, right? I am a big fan of that movie.

The highpoint of every hike for me is viewing wildlife. On this trip, some ducks enjoy their own beach of ice.

I look forward to my next excursion in fair winter weather. I hope this posting made you feel like you were right out there in the cold with me. It has been very cold and/or rainy since New Year's Day. In liu of a sudden warm spell, I may work up some posts on hikes I took in warmer weather, just to pass the time this winter. That’s all for now – see you on the trail!

Got faith?

I would like to write a blog about hiking. Hiking is an excellent activity. It requires few resources - only some footwear and trail to walk down, and I have both readily available. But my interest in hiking stems from my love of nature, which is a complicated matter.

The world is filled with environmentalists these days. I went to school to study ecology, and ended up with a Bachelors of Science in Natural Resources, and a Masters degree in Environmental Science. I wanted to study ecology because I thought it was an environmental science that would incorporate the big picture - that it would include people and landscapes, biotic and abiotic parts of the earth. I thought I had hit on the part of the environmental movement that would maintain some perspective from an aloof, scientific vantage point in an emotionally charged science.

Let’s just say that things didn’t work out the way I thought. I did learn a lot about the environmental movement though, and I can confirm that there is a lot of debate both over what environmentalism is, what environmental problems there are and, of course, the best way to solve them. But this is no hindrance to writing a blog – in fact, the environmental movement has spawned thousands of blogs already. The real problem I have is whether or not to include my religious beliefs in my posts.

This is a big decision for me. I have a lot of faith, and I’d like to share it with the world. But I don’t want to detract from my environmental subject matter with constant explanations of exactly what I believe. I’ve been wrestling with this question all week and I’ve come to the conclusion that my meditation, Reiki and countless other New Age activity teachers all have the right idea: its best to practice your craft publically while leaving religion to each individual. So my personal beliefs will remain, for the purposes of this blog, undefined. This way there’s no worries about resolving every theological issue before things can move forward. I hope you don’t mind. I have it in mind to create an entirely independent blog completely devoted to alternative religion, but that is for the future. I think it’s time to hit the trail.