Into the Wild Project (Humanities)
Anza Borrego Trip Reflection:
A moment that I will never forget from the Anza Borrego camping trip is going through Slot Canyon and looking up at the sky, if visible, from the bottom of the canyon. It really made us think about how small and insignificant we are as a species. I also got that small feeling during the night, looking at the sky. There were so many stars and galaxies (though very far away) that weren't visible in the city. During this trip and it's preparations, I learned about many physics concepts. One of the most interesting was how to wire L.E.Ds to a battery pack and a switch. We had to learn all of this from either the internet tutorial given to us, or each other. I feel like I learned two things from that experience How to make the headlamp, and also a bit about researching. I also gained some new friendships (acquaintance-ships?) with the people in my car and in my tent. I spent so much time with them, just talking, I got to know them a lot better. If I could have done this project over again, I would have started my mint tin headlamp earlier so that I could do a bit better of a job on it. If I could have had our group do something different, I would have liked for us to start our solar oven sooner.
A moment that I will never forget from the Anza Borrego camping trip is going through Slot Canyon and looking up at the sky, if visible, from the bottom of the canyon. It really made us think about how small and insignificant we are as a species. I also got that small feeling during the night, looking at the sky. There were so many stars and galaxies (though very far away) that weren't visible in the city. During this trip and it's preparations, I learned about many physics concepts. One of the most interesting was how to wire L.E.Ds to a battery pack and a switch. We had to learn all of this from either the internet tutorial given to us, or each other. I feel like I learned two things from that experience How to make the headlamp, and also a bit about researching. I also gained some new friendships (acquaintance-ships?) with the people in my car and in my tent. I spent so much time with them, just talking, I got to know them a lot better. If I could have done this project over again, I would have started my mint tin headlamp earlier so that I could do a bit better of a job on it. If I could have had our group do something different, I would have liked for us to start our solar oven sooner.
Elfin Forest Photos:
(Click on the pictures for a better view) |
Artist Statement-Elfin Forest Picture:
I took this photo because the flower’s color really caught my eye when I saw it on the trail. My inspiration was one part my love of nature, and also my knowledge of composition. My interest in nature helped inspire this photo because when I saw the flower, I was curious about what it was, and thought I might be able to identify it with a picture online. My knowledge of composition helped to inspire this photo because once I decided to take the picture, I knew some of the techniques for taking a good photo. Some of the techniques that I used were depth of field, and color. Depth of field is whee there is a focus in the front, middle, or back-ground, and the other grounds are blurred. Color is important because it adds a pop to the photo to draw your attention wherever the color is. I also used a simple background (that I blurred) to make the flower pop even more. |
Anza Borrego Photos:
(Click on the pictures for a better view) |
Artist Statement-Anza Borrego Picture:
I chose to take this picture because I feel that it symbolizes how, even in protected areas, humans have an impact. When I took this picture, I was in the Anza Borrego state park, hiking up the Palm Canyon Trail. The picture shows a signpost, knocked over and on the ground. It would have led to the Palm Canyon oasis had it been standing up, however, it looked as though it had been on the ground for a while. To take this photo, I tried to leave the signpost exactly as it was until I had taken the picture. I tried to make the frame relatively simple by only including the signpost and the surrounding foliage. I think that improved the photo because it allowed the signpost to be the true focal point. The geometric shape of the signpost also made it seem unnatural, especially compared to the natural background. |
Journal Prompts from Anza Borrego:
#2-Galleta Meadows
I think that the detail put into the statues at Galleta Meadows, plus the amount, really struck me. Some questions that I had after the trip were: Who made the statues? Was it just one person or a group? Why does the state park allow the person to put the statues there in the first place? My favorite picture that I took at Galleta Meadows is one of the serpent's back spike things. I really like that picture because of the angle and the detail in the serpent's scales.
#2-Galleta Meadows
I think that the detail put into the statues at Galleta Meadows, plus the amount, really struck me. Some questions that I had after the trip were: Who made the statues? Was it just one person or a group? Why does the state park allow the person to put the statues there in the first place? My favorite picture that I took at Galleta Meadows is one of the serpent's back spike things. I really like that picture because of the angle and the detail in the serpent's scales.
“To the desert go prophets and hermits; through desert go pilgrims and exiles. Here the leaders of the great religions have sought the therapeutic and spiritual values of retreat, not to escape but to find reality.”
-Paul Shepard
#4-Quote Reflection
I think that in this quote, Paul Shepard is trying to say that the desert is incredible, and similar to no other habitat. It is also, though, harsh and very unforgiving. I do agree with what he's saying, but it mostly applies to the more uninhabited, wild desert. I feel that places that have been "tamed" as a town, tourist attraction, or even a campsite don't have as much of the harshness that a totally wild desert (or any other place, for that matter) has. They are also missing the beauty that comes with the harshness and unforgiving nature.
I think that in this quote, Paul Shepard is trying to say that the desert is incredible, and similar to no other habitat. It is also, though, harsh and very unforgiving. I do agree with what he's saying, but it mostly applies to the more uninhabited, wild desert. I feel that places that have been "tamed" as a town, tourist attraction, or even a campsite don't have as much of the harshness that a totally wild desert (or any other place, for that matter) has. They are also missing the beauty that comes with the harshness and unforgiving nature.
#5-Palm Canyon Trail
The fact that Palm Canyon Trail is the third largest oasis, and one of the few oases at all, in California struck me. I notices that there was a lot more wildlife on that trail. Birds, insects, and even more plants were very common. I also noticed that the trail was probably a small creek once, as there were many rocks and dead plants on the "shoreline". One thing that I was wondering at the end of the trip, though, was: Is the Palm Canyon Trail's oasis leftover from when Borrego valley was part of the ocean? And the river dried up more recently then everything else? My favorite picture that I took at the Palm Canyon Trail was taken very close to the actual oasis, and has water in it. The light is shining off of the water in a way that makes it seem later in the day then it really was. There are also many plants in the image, and the sun is right above the top of the frame. |
Into the Wild Lit Analysis
Kirsten Zornado
Would you ever have the guts to get rid of all of your belongings and walk into the wild? Christopher “Alexander Supertramp” McCandless did exactly that in the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. Just after graduating from Emory University with a vague goodbye to his parents and sister, McCandless hit the road and traveled across the west coast. After almost two years of living on the road, McCandless hitchhiked up to Alaska, living in an abandoned bus for the summer of 1992, then misjudging the severity of the wilderness, passed away. Chris McCandless was not a survivalist because he had little gear, was ignorant to Alaska’s dangers, and was arrogant.
He had little of the gear that some Alaskans find necessary. “Still, Gallien was concerned. Alex admitted that the only food in his pack was a ten-pound bag of rice. His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions of the interior, which in April still lay buried under the winter snowpack. Alex’s cheap leather hiking boots were neither waterproof nor well insulated. His rifle was only .22 caliber... The only navigational aid in his possession was a tattered state road map he’d scrounged in a gas station.” (pg. 5) At this part of the story, Chris McCandless (Alex) is having the last human contact of his life with a truck driver called Jim Gallien. Gallien had just picked up McCandless, a hitchhiker outside of Fairbanks, Alaska, and was thinking about how ill prepared he was. I feel that McCandless tried to push himself too hard, not bringing very many materials, insisting to get along with almost no help from civilization. “Reality, however, was quick to intrude on McCandless’s reverie. He had difficulty killing game, and the journal entries during his first week in the bush include ‘Weakness,’ ‘Snowed in,’ and ‘Disaster.’” (pg. 164) In this quote, McCandless is experiencing a very bad first week in Alaska. He either ran out of, or didn’t use his food, leading to an at least “four day famine.” Had he packed more food, he could have just eaten that. If he had packed a radio, he could have called for help, eliminating this and many other issues. Though packing a lot (and relying on others) isn’t really Chris’s style, he might have survived if he had just brought a few essentials.
McCandless was also ignorant to some of the dangers of the Alaska wilderness. “To McCandless’s inexperienced eye, there was nothing to suggest that two months hence, as the glaciers and snowfields at the Teklanika’s headwater thawed in the summer heat, its discharge would multiply nine or ten times in volume, transforming the river into a deep, violent torrent that bore no resemblance to the gentle brook he’d blithely waded across in April.” (pg. 163) McCandless, just starting his great Alaskan odyssey, had crossed the Teklanika River, which had a very low tide at the time. He was not aware that, as the summer temperatures rise up, the ice from the mountains melt and flow down the mountain, flooding the river. This eventually happened to McCandless as he was trying to leave the interior, and it forced him to go back to the bus he was staying at. This also eventually caused his death, as he was trapped inside the Alaska wilderness in a very weak state. “Alaskan hunters know that the easiest way to preserve meat in the bush is to slice it into thin strips and then air-dry it on a makeshift rack. But McCandless, in his naïveté, relied on the advice of hunters he’d consulted in South Dakota, who advised him to smoke his meat, not an easy task under the circumstances.” (pg. 166) McCandless was also ignorant because he didn’t know the proper way to cook, and keep, meat in Alaska. When he was able to kill a moose, he figured that his friends in South Dakota’s advice applied to keeping the meat. He was, obviously, wrong, and ended up wasting all of the meat, and a lot of valuable time. Although McCandless did know some things about the Alaskan wilderness, but had he known more, he might have been able to survive long enough to leave the wilderness unharmed.
He was arrogant and didn’t accept other’s help. “From then on he scrupulously avoided contacting either his parents or Carine, the sister for whom he purportedly cared immensely.” (pg. 125) Christopher McCandless had just left his home, and started traveling around the United States alone, avoiding contact with his family at all costs. It shows his arrogance because he thought he could go off and live on his own with almost no help whatsoever. He cut himself off from his family completely, and in doing so, made them worry endlessly for his safety. He also lost the help of a valuable group of people, who may have been able to teach him a few more “survivalist characteristics.” “‘Chris had so much natural talent,’ Walt continues, ‘but if you tried to coach him, to polish his skill, to bring out that final ten percent, a wall went up. He resisted instruction of any kind.’” (pg. 111) Chris McCandless thought he could do anything he set his mind to, and without instruction of any kind. Walt McCandless, Chris’s father, recognised that, but only after a few tries to teach him a few assorted sports. That shows his arrogance because he thought he could do everything alone. Chris McCandless’s arrogance was a detriment to his Alaskan journey, though it was not his only flaw.
Chris McCandless was not a survivalist because of his unpreparedness, ignorance, and arrogance. He went into Alaska with little gear or food, ignorance of the natural dangers of the terrain, arrogance about his limitations, and unwillingness to accept help from others. Had he not made some of these mistakes, he might still be alive today. Now, seeing Christopher McCandless’s shortcomings, do you think you could do what he did successfully?
Kirsten Zornado
Would you ever have the guts to get rid of all of your belongings and walk into the wild? Christopher “Alexander Supertramp” McCandless did exactly that in the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. Just after graduating from Emory University with a vague goodbye to his parents and sister, McCandless hit the road and traveled across the west coast. After almost two years of living on the road, McCandless hitchhiked up to Alaska, living in an abandoned bus for the summer of 1992, then misjudging the severity of the wilderness, passed away. Chris McCandless was not a survivalist because he had little gear, was ignorant to Alaska’s dangers, and was arrogant.
He had little of the gear that some Alaskans find necessary. “Still, Gallien was concerned. Alex admitted that the only food in his pack was a ten-pound bag of rice. His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions of the interior, which in April still lay buried under the winter snowpack. Alex’s cheap leather hiking boots were neither waterproof nor well insulated. His rifle was only .22 caliber... The only navigational aid in his possession was a tattered state road map he’d scrounged in a gas station.” (pg. 5) At this part of the story, Chris McCandless (Alex) is having the last human contact of his life with a truck driver called Jim Gallien. Gallien had just picked up McCandless, a hitchhiker outside of Fairbanks, Alaska, and was thinking about how ill prepared he was. I feel that McCandless tried to push himself too hard, not bringing very many materials, insisting to get along with almost no help from civilization. “Reality, however, was quick to intrude on McCandless’s reverie. He had difficulty killing game, and the journal entries during his first week in the bush include ‘Weakness,’ ‘Snowed in,’ and ‘Disaster.’” (pg. 164) In this quote, McCandless is experiencing a very bad first week in Alaska. He either ran out of, or didn’t use his food, leading to an at least “four day famine.” Had he packed more food, he could have just eaten that. If he had packed a radio, he could have called for help, eliminating this and many other issues. Though packing a lot (and relying on others) isn’t really Chris’s style, he might have survived if he had just brought a few essentials.
McCandless was also ignorant to some of the dangers of the Alaska wilderness. “To McCandless’s inexperienced eye, there was nothing to suggest that two months hence, as the glaciers and snowfields at the Teklanika’s headwater thawed in the summer heat, its discharge would multiply nine or ten times in volume, transforming the river into a deep, violent torrent that bore no resemblance to the gentle brook he’d blithely waded across in April.” (pg. 163) McCandless, just starting his great Alaskan odyssey, had crossed the Teklanika River, which had a very low tide at the time. He was not aware that, as the summer temperatures rise up, the ice from the mountains melt and flow down the mountain, flooding the river. This eventually happened to McCandless as he was trying to leave the interior, and it forced him to go back to the bus he was staying at. This also eventually caused his death, as he was trapped inside the Alaska wilderness in a very weak state. “Alaskan hunters know that the easiest way to preserve meat in the bush is to slice it into thin strips and then air-dry it on a makeshift rack. But McCandless, in his naïveté, relied on the advice of hunters he’d consulted in South Dakota, who advised him to smoke his meat, not an easy task under the circumstances.” (pg. 166) McCandless was also ignorant because he didn’t know the proper way to cook, and keep, meat in Alaska. When he was able to kill a moose, he figured that his friends in South Dakota’s advice applied to keeping the meat. He was, obviously, wrong, and ended up wasting all of the meat, and a lot of valuable time. Although McCandless did know some things about the Alaskan wilderness, but had he known more, he might have been able to survive long enough to leave the wilderness unharmed.
He was arrogant and didn’t accept other’s help. “From then on he scrupulously avoided contacting either his parents or Carine, the sister for whom he purportedly cared immensely.” (pg. 125) Christopher McCandless had just left his home, and started traveling around the United States alone, avoiding contact with his family at all costs. It shows his arrogance because he thought he could go off and live on his own with almost no help whatsoever. He cut himself off from his family completely, and in doing so, made them worry endlessly for his safety. He also lost the help of a valuable group of people, who may have been able to teach him a few more “survivalist characteristics.” “‘Chris had so much natural talent,’ Walt continues, ‘but if you tried to coach him, to polish his skill, to bring out that final ten percent, a wall went up. He resisted instruction of any kind.’” (pg. 111) Chris McCandless thought he could do anything he set his mind to, and without instruction of any kind. Walt McCandless, Chris’s father, recognised that, but only after a few tries to teach him a few assorted sports. That shows his arrogance because he thought he could do everything alone. Chris McCandless’s arrogance was a detriment to his Alaskan journey, though it was not his only flaw.
Chris McCandless was not a survivalist because of his unpreparedness, ignorance, and arrogance. He went into Alaska with little gear or food, ignorance of the natural dangers of the terrain, arrogance about his limitations, and unwillingness to accept help from others. Had he not made some of these mistakes, he might still be alive today. Now, seeing Christopher McCandless’s shortcomings, do you think you could do what he did successfully?
Camping Catalog
We made the camping catalog in Multimedia, to practice using Photoshop, practice taking pictures, and show our newly made products from Physics. |