Hiking the Batona Trail: The Right to a Peaceful Existence

The 52-mile Batona Trail weaves its way through the Pine Barrens with little impact on the environment. The trail is there for all the nature lovers who can't resist seeing a pristine landscape while also exerting a lot of energy to complete the trek. The hikers realize that they are now invading Mother Nature's backyard and must obey the basic rules of the environment. Having big campfires and littering will eventually lead to the death of nature. Ultimately ruining all future hikes into nature for their children and friends.

Nature has an ultimate intrinsic value that was displayed throughout the class' hike on the Batona trail. As the class traversed through what at some points seemed like the back-country, they realized the many various species all around us. All the little lizards, the black rat snake, the beetles and even the other kids in the group all added to the diversity within Nature. Although we were all present in Nature, sometimes it seems that some should not be there. But in reality it is the direct opposite because everything is intrinsic, or has the right to exist.

The trek started out in orderly fashion with all 14 hikers together and without complaints. It was very nerve-wracking because I was afraid a few of the girls who have never been hiking, would be in need of frequent assistance. I was surprised because of the willingness of all the girls to start the hike with an open mind. They did not tell of other people's stories in nature but instead set out to formulate their own dreams. In future days they could easily present on the topic of the Batona Hike and the good experiences, the breakdowns, and even the boring stops. There was nothing to be done to alter nature's effects on the girls but it was obvious they were still apprehensive about the long task ahead of them.

As Jack Johnson says in Upside Down, "I want to turn the whole thing upside down...

The first day was very long and grueling on the body whether a person was in good shape or no shape at all. It was impossible to blame others for keeping the pace slow because everyone was fatigued and at fault. The realization came that we would not have enough water for the hike out and panic set in. Only to be alleviated when arriving at camp we found four more gallons of potable water and firewood waiting for us. It was a very welcomed surprise and everyone immediately forgot about the long hike behind them and set up the tents and went for a swim. Everything around the site was there for a reason because nature has intrinsic value. The Batsto River was a place for fish and beavers and other animals to form a habitat and hunt. The tall grasses were inhabited by leeches and the trees full of frogs and beetles. It was all there living in harmony with one another because of the simple food chain. Everything had a certain order in which it would be eaten or a certain time period to remain alive. Unfortunately, humans are slowly but surely destroying nature and ruining the natural order of being within an ecosystem.

When we were swimming I felt like the class was all together as a whole team and that the bond would never be broken. It seemed to fall apart in the same trip on the way home. The class got split up with one group of eight scholars taking the correct trail while the others missed the marker. It was a scary thought to some because the second group thought they were lost while the first group believed that the second had taken a different trail without telling and was going to arrive at Batsto first. As an Eagle Scout, I saw it as my job to protect my fellow classmates from whatever fears they had. It was amazing to see how all I had to do was point the group in the right direction. Everyone immediately stepped up and began to look out for one another to make sure hydration was well and also people were not in pain. Everyone banded together to fight a common enemy, the sun. Although people began to take out frustration on one another it was clear that no one was in the correct state of mind and all insults were brushed off. When the group finally made it out of the woods it was like we had overcome the biggest blockade.

Nature has an intrinsic value and everyone must begin to do all they can in order to keep it pristine. Nothing can change from the way that it currently works out or eventually we will have to adapt to another form of living without wildlife and plants. Human beings kill about 50-100 species of plants a day and this cannot happen any longer or soon enough we will not be able to switch over the Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. As a result everything is very important and has a right to be where it is.