The Catskills

When I was in high school, I would hike around the New York Catskills Mountains. There was one hiking trail that was my favorite because it led to a waterfall on the top of a mountain. The cliff was about 50-75 feet high and depending on the time of year the water pressure would vary. The landscape was enchanting because it was impressive to see something so beautiful that humans had no part in making. Also, I think the allure of it was caused by the fact that I never saw waterfalls in my suburban town.

It was also the combination of a lot of factors. The sun would shine through the trees which gave a golden hue to everything it touched. The water basin was clear and cool. I would drink from the stream. This was probably the most pure water I’ve ever tasted in nature because this water came from the top of a mountain in the Catskills. This in itself was a great experience because I felt connected to the natural world. At that moment, I felt like an equal to the natural world, it was unlike the usual feeling of being a parasite to the beauty the world possesses.

Once I climbed up to where the waterfall began and it was even more spectacular than I could have imagined. I was able to see everything around me and there is something humbling about looking at a large landscape. In the moment you look around you realize how small you truly are compared to the world you dominate and take for granted.

We should concern ourselves to a certain degree with saving nature. The extent to which we should concern ourselves is only to repair what we have destroyed; otherwise it would be unnatural to fix it. For instance, a forest fire started by a person should immediately be put out, but a naturally occurring one should not. As humans, we should not take it upon ourselves to play “god”, but we should be aware of our effects, positive or negative, on the environment.