The Exploration of the Colorado River and It's Canyons

For John Wesley Powell's book "The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons." Powell wrote about his journey he took with nine other men. Looking at his companions, they seems to be all different and alike at the same time. Many men seem to have worked in the army or had been a solider at one point in their lives, so many of the men have common ground already. other men are simply hunters. like Dunn and Hall. One of the men, Howland, is a printer, editor AND a hunter. I liked how Powell said that the quietest man on the expedition, Seneca Howland, is every ones favorite companion.

I enjoyed to look at the different drawings that Powell provided for us. The drawings of the Indians were interesting. Looking at the drawings and photos on the canyons, you can tell that this journey must have been exhausting. There are many things that the explorers have to face, such as rough rivers and Indians. In one passage, Powell states, "The reading of the barometer taken, we start down in company, and reach camp tired and hungry, which does not abate one bit our enthusiasm as we tell of the day's work with its glory of landscape" (pg 147) The journey may have been a tough one, but in the end, the travelers are rewarded by the beauty of the scenery of nature. They may have been exhausted and tired in the end, but just looking at the scenery seems to leave them rested and at peace.

My favorite part of the book was on page 303 where the men are in an Indian Camp and they witness "the nature of a theatrical performance." It was entertaining to see it done in class, especially when classmates attempted to say the Indian names. The story was based on an Indians named Tumpwinai'rogwinump and a boy that tried to kill him. This got the class engaged in the work of the book.

Henry Thoreau

For Thoreau's Journal, there was another entry that I found interesting. In the entry on Dec. 27, Thoreau says, "It is suprising what things the snow betrays." He says this again on Jan. 1st: "The snow is a great betrayer." Thoreau said that he felt that the snow was a traitor. There are many animals that use the color of Earth to their advantage. For example, there are some rabbits and other small creatures that blend in, or use camouflage, to hide from their predators. The color of their coats are either brown, black or some other earth-tone color. Once the snow starts falling and covering the ground, these animals become more obvious and easier to prey on. "Tree sparrows are more plainly seen agianst its white ground." (pg. 243)

Not only does the snow makes the animals more obvious because of their coat color, but the snow also leaves tracks of the animals footprints, making it easier for humans to track them down when hunting. "I had not seen a meadow mouse all summer, but no sooner does the snow come and spread its mantle over the earth that it is printed with the tracks of coutless ice and larger animals." (pg 241) Thoreau feels that the snow betrays them by exposing them to their enemies; snow makes the chances of the animal surviving the winter, lower.