Second Entry: Royal National Park George Weiss
Image #1)
-
My “home town” (which I’ve put in quotation
marks because I only go to college here but I consider it my home) of
Burlington Vermont has it’s own unique landscape and is very much connected to
the natural environment that it’s built upon.
Burlington is situated right next to one of the most famous lakes in the
United States, both historically and naturally, Lake Champlain. Surrounding the
Burlington area is an incredible display of the green mountains, which can be
hiked, climbed, and simply appreciated aesthetically. Even across the lake
resides the Adirondacks, which are a series of geographic formations that are
equally as mesmerizing in beauty as the greens. There are several things that I
was able to see similarities in with the Royal national park and my home area
of Burlington. One was how you can be in what feels like a totally different
world of isolation and environmental immersion, with only an hour’s drive out
of the city. The other was how well kept everything was in-terms of
cleanliness, not a single piece of garbage was seen throughout the duration of
my trip. This is the same way in Vermont, people who go to these places are
usually the ones who enjoy seeing the system thrive and thus abide by the
“leave no trace” policy.
Image #2)
- Some differences include the many
different attractions you can stumble upon throughout just one trip. For
example in Vermont if you go on a hike up let’s say Camels Hump which is one of
the most popular hikes, you can expect to see maybe 10-20 different rock-types
and vegetation throughout your day, the same could be said for animal and
insect species. However on our hike through the RNP we went from a shrub
environment (view image #2) to beach, to rocky cliffs (image #3) and to another
area that was similar to that of a jungle. Another astounding difference was
the biological diversity that that one can expect to encounter in the RNP. I
stumbled across a red belly black snake, several arachnid species, bees, and
many other insects. In Vermont, these species exist (i.e. snakes, spiders,
bees, ect…) but I assume not in such dramatic numbers because your chance of
encountering one are slim to none.
Image #3)
This brings me to my final point, which is the
evidence of anthropogenic influence on the systems. Unfortunately, human
influence is prevalent in both areas but in different ways. For example in
Vermont you know you’re on the right trail because it’s where there no longer
is any vegetation due to the constant friction of hiking boots on the ground.
While here at the RNP there is an actual plastic base walkway with rails built
on the landscape through the vegetation which I found both interesting and
comforting [comforting because the snakes could pass underneath my feet]. As a
final point I can definitely connect to the Royal National Park and my home
environment in Vermont as I’m someone who has a need and a want to be closer to
the natural world, I’m convinced that if I don’t get out into nature
periodically then I’ll get sick. The RNP was an experience that I’m going to
recommend to anyone who enjoys the outdoors and a bit of adventure, overall I
would give this hike a 9/10 for adventurous beginners as it’s not very
challenging and the scenery is spectacular.
*Below I've attached 3 photos of Burlington Vermont for you to get a visual*
[Burlington, Vermont birds
eye view. Green Mnts in background]
[The Green Mountains in the Fall Season]
[Camel's Hump Peak in the Summer Season]
