Trails: Recreational Tools or Cultural Artifacts?
What am I doing for my practicum?
For my McBride practicum, I am exploring the relationship between trails and human history. I am doing this by researching and physically exploring trails that are related to significant human events, and exploring how their "trail status" has affected their historical significance to its community. Through this practicum I am hoping to better understand and articulate the relationship between humanity and nature and embrace a new understanding of these paths which I have explored my whole life.
Why is this my focus for my practicum?
A few years ago, I read a book called "On Trails: An Exploration" by Robert Moor. The book dove into the intricacies of what a trail even is, and attempted to answer the question, "How do humans and other living things create order and direction from the chaos of the world?" all while using the Appalachian Trail as a case study. Examining why humans wander on trails, despite their complete lack of utility in the modern world, has been a continuing fascination of mine. I have grown up hiking, backpacking, and exploring the U.S. national parks, and as such trails have been an integral of my personal development and identity. This practicum is the perfect opportunity for me to begin to articulate that relationship, and inquire into the perspectives of others regarding the meaning of trails.
Learning Objectives:
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How do trails influence the preservation and telling of human history?
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What skills are needed to safely and ethically participate in outdoor recreation?
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How does the evolution of a trail’s usage and condition reflect the values of the people that use it?
Learning Outcomes:
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Define essential steps and materials to safely execute a short-term hiking expedition, as well as identify local trails and human events associated with those trails.
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Relate observations, documented on several short-term hiking expeditions through journaling, interviews, and photos, to the histories and perspectives of the trails in question.
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Synthesize knowledge gained from both research and the expeditions for a wider audience in a creative work to convey a new understanding of the social and historical value of trails.
