Snyder's Sacred Place -- Jessica Schwier

In Snyder's "Good, Wild, Sacred," he recalls one of his experiences with a sacred place. A few friends of his decided to take him up a mountain and show him a special place held close to their hearts. The began climbing up the hill, all talking and laughing as usual. But as they got higher, not one of them spoke. Once one man whispered they were coming close to the special place, they all got down on their knees and crawled the rest of the way up the hill. They whispered a little at the top of the hill, and they headed back down the mountain. Snyder knew it was a sacred place at first when they only brought the adults up to see it. They made the kids stay behind because they weren't sure they would show it enough respect. Once they got half way up the mountain and began whispering, he again knew how special it was. They did not want to disturb the landscape. It was a ritual spot for young boys. This shows how people deal with sacred landscapes. Although not all are treated so sincerely, this is an example of how some are looked at. They thought it was so sacred, they had a special way of approaching the landscape and a special way of talking about it. Also, not everyone knew where it was or was aloud to see it. It was interesting to hear this story. I thought their way of approaching the sacred place was a little wierd, but it showed respect and how much they admired this place. It was really cool to read about.