I've always thought of wilderness as a place where it is almost 100% nature, meaning that is a wild, natural place where animals and plants can coincide without human interference. And I've always found it fascinating to be out in the wild, alone and completely surrounded by nature. It comes as an escape from the busy city lifestyle, even if it is small town, because it is just me and nature with no worries or stresses. There's something about being completely isolated in the wild that is very peaceful to me; a place where I can think freely about anything I want with no distractions.
"The Trouble with Wilderness" has not changed my conception of wilderness, but it has instilled some thoughts that I found interesting. For example, how in the earlier days, people thought of wilderness as an evil place where the devil can reach you. I found that to be a completely ignorant thought because, in my opinion, "the devil" has more influence in the dense, human populated places where people and things like the media can pressure someone to go against their will. How can the wilderness pressure someone go against their will? I don't see how it can, in fact, I think it is where you go to think freely and define your own morals without any outside influence.
I also found the statements about the sublime places to be interesting. The places that Cronon mentions, although I've never been personally but seen on TV, are truly amazing features of this Earth that words cannot simply describe. Now I am not very religious, but I find it hard to fathom that a place like the Grand Canyon was formed by a river over millions of years. But I also can't agree that is God's creation. But I do agree that it is a sublime place, because it is so amazing. I find a lot of places to be sublime though. Places like Bong Hill here in Athens continue to amaze me. For those that don't know of Bong Hill, its the hill that overlooks Route 33 across the bike path by the intermural fields. After the long, steep climb up the side of it, you get a spectacular view of Athens. It is quite breath taking at first sight. And when you're up there alone, like I said before, you can think freely, escape from society for a minute, and relax and enjoy the view. And although it is just minutes from town, I still consider it to be part of the wilderness.
