A Gradual Appreciation of Walden

Walden is one of my favorite books, but my appreciation of it came slowly and not without help. I tried to read the book on my own when I was sixteen years old, but never got past the opening passages about food, clothing, and shelter. In college, I struggled through...

Apple Season

This morning I realized that I haven’t done any pick-your-own-apples this year. At least to Americans, there is a mystique associated with apple trees and apple orchards. Johnny Appleseed, apple cider, and apple pie are as much the American experience as Friday night...

Challenge and Peace

According to recent research, the most common reason for going to nature is to improve personal health. I should be nonjudgmental as to why other people go to nature (so long as they go), but this answer bothers me a little bit. Unless some of the respondents were...

Starry Night

A recurrent theme in my blogs has been memorable moments in nature. In no way is this to suggest that remarkable occurrences don’t also happen in human-made environments. As I write about once-in-a-lifetime experiences in nature, my mind often drifts to equally...
Steven Simpson