Appendix D Suggested Course Activity—
Urban Hiking
We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in. For it can be a means of reassuring ourselves of our sanity as creatures, a part of the geography of hope.
—Wallace Stegner, plaque on Forest Service sign, Maroon Bells, Aspen, Colorado
Urban hiking—what is this? It is taking skills, knowledge, and curiosity applied to the great outdoors and applying it to peopled areas. It is an extraordinary way to tantalize your senses as you:
1. See—the infrastructure of a new or familiar place, the housing stock, the stores and small businesses, the markets, the transportation system, the pharmacies, houses of worship, and so forth.
2. Hear—listen to the symphony of voices, traffic, and music. 3. Taste—new foods by eating in neighborhood restaurants. 4. Smell—food as it is prepared on the streets, in homes, or in restaurants. 5. Feel—the textures of different fabrics and objects.