It’s hard to say that going to Washington Park is truly going out into nature. The park is filled with people on bikes, skateboards, roller blades, etc. The lining of the park is paved roads with modern, eclectic homes all around. It is one of the closest things to true nature around us. Comparing this place of nature to those we are studying in class is hard to do because it’s simply a local park. The pond and luscious trees are gorgeous, natural aspects of the outdoors, however, it doesn’t feel like I’m really out in nature when I go.
In comparison to the nature that Chris McCandless was looking to find and adapt to, this is nothing. He was looking for bare, real nature. No technology, no bustling crowds of people lurking everywhere, that’s what he craved and found. A wanderer of the world searches for the most pure beauty in the world. I can’t deny my appreciation of the beauty within Washington Park, but I wish it was more bare-bones and less touched upon by the human hand. In an eco-critical lens, I believe Washington Park maintains a wonderfully sustained cleanliness. Those who roam the park keep it looking healthy. I can’t wait for the wrath of fall to actually make its mark upon the park. Being a Chicago kid, the weather here perplexes me so much. It can maintain fairly high temperatures throughout the day, and then drop to very cold levels once the sun goes down. The absence of humidity is quite pleasant considering humidity basically ruins sunny weather. Every time I have gone to Washington Park the weather has been amazing. I think for my next expedition to the park I’ll try and go on a day when the weather isn’t so good. I’d like to see what differences in the park’s scenery I can notice.
Washington Park Expeditions 