Landscapes of the Sacred- Amanda Ewen

Landscapes of the Sacred- Chapter 1

            Chapter 1 describes the four axioms that make a place hoy.  The first axiom is a sacred place is not chosen it chooses.  This means that we do not choose what place is holy it reveals itself to us as being holy.  The second axiom is a sacred place is an ordinary place ritually made extraordinary.  The loca sacra is an example because it is only sacred because of the ritual acts preformed there.  The third axiom is sacred places can be tread upon without entering.  This means you don’t have to enter the place to be holy. The last axiom is a sacred place is both local and universal.  This means that a place is not only sacred to the people around it but to people around the world.  These axioms really helped me better define a sacred place.  I always thought that a sacred place was just a church or something else that religion designated.

Student Choosing- Amanda Ewen

Outside Reading- The Spirit of the Appalachian Trail: Community, Environment, and Belief- Chapter 3

            The chapter is title Today’s Hiker: Gender, Age, and Religious Affiliation. The authors of the book surveyed many hikers to find their statistics.  I thought this chapter was interesting because we never really talked about the ages of typical hikers.  I know they are of all ages but in this chapter they said they were of younger population and have never been married.  Most of the hikers were also very well educated which I feel tells us the type of people who can handle hiking the trail.  However, they did find that there was no religion that was more predominant on the trail. 

Student Choosing- Amanda Ewen

Outside Reading- The Spirit of the Appalachian Trail: Community, Environment, and Belief- Chapter 1

            This chapter starts to examine the spiritual impact of long distance hiking.  Many people have different views of the trail.  Anthropologists and historians focus on symbol systems, the connection between the hiker and the religious body, and the evolution of the hiker through time.  The second is the study of outdoor recreation as religion.  It was said that outside recreation could produce the same feelings as religion.  I thought this was very interesting because I never thought about religion in that way.  I understand know that religion is for the person experiencing it so can be anything.  The third view is that outside activity can reduce stress from our ever day lives. 

Outside Reading-Amanda Ewen

Outside Reading- Awol on the Appalachian Trail-Chapter 3

            One of the most meaningful things that I read in this book was when David said, “ In spite of the difficulties, this is where I want to be.”  Even though he has many physical aliments, the cold, and lack of sleep hiking the trail is still what he wants to be doing.  I did not realize how determined and happy the hikers are to be doing this hike.  David explains the weight loss that happens while hiking the trail. He lost a sufficient amount of weight in only three weeks.  He also describes how work for stay works.  You work around the hostel instead of paying for a night.  I found this book to be very informative and fun to read.  I appreciated the insight into hiking the trail.

Outside Reading-Amanda Ewen

Outside Reading- Awol on the Appalachian Trail-Chapter 2

            In this chapter David struggles with the everyday aliments of the trail.  He hurt his foot and has to decide if he wants to take the time to get it checked out or to keep going.  I have seen examples of this a lot in my research of hiking the trail.  The hikers are so determined to finish they will put their health at risk.  Another issue he comes across is the lack of sleep.  Sleep in one of the most important aspects in being able to complete the trail but it does not come easily.  David said he had problems with temperature, hardness of his sleeping surface, and his injuries hurting him.  He explained that he wakes up many time throughout the night so his sleep is not very good.   David struggles with the weight of his pack and trying to make it as light as possible.  I never realized how important the weight of the pack is since you have to carry it all the time.

Outside Reading-Amanda Ewen

Outside Reading- Awol on the Appalachian Trail-Chapter 1

            While reading this chapter I learned a lot more about hiking the Appalachian then I did before.  I think it was so easy for me to grasp what he was saying because of the way he chose to write the book.  It was written in the form of a story and not a journal and that helped.  I never realized how much you had to really prepare for the hike ahead of time.  David Miller trained on a treadmill for a year before he started the trail and he said it definitely did not prepare him for the trail.  Another thing I found interesting was that he said that trail names are used because when walking the trail you do it to escape so using your real name would just remind you of your real life.  I never thought of a trail name in those terms.