Eric Stoll - Lion's Gate Bridge

I realized that the majority of my fellow students have decided to use their experience at the Lion's gate bridge as a topic for this blog. In the spirit of conformity, I have decided to follow suit and address my opinion on this location. The thing that caught my attention at the Lion's Gate was not the natural landscape that surrounded me. Instead it was the people that I encountered while walking along the Noland Trail that led me contemplate about man's relationship with nature. The majority of individuals who I ran into on the trail appeared not to be there in order to experience nature or expand their relationship with wilderness. The people I encountered typically were runners, complete with their ipod headphones in their ears and a completely oblivious look on their faces. I didn't want to be too judgmental, but I couldn't help wonder if these people viewed the park as a true piece of nature, or as just another place for their own benefit. I suppose the value of a location is in the eye of the beholder, but I felt as if the lion's bridge was not true piece of nature, but instead a man made facility given a facade to make it appear as if it were a natural setting.