Hollie Reid Landscape #3

Lane uses three approaches to understanding a sacred place. The first is the ontological approach, which is when you use the nature of being, existence, or reality in general. It answers the questions of what entities exist (or are said to exist) and how they can be grouped and organized in a hierarchy, and compared by their similarities and differences. The second is by describing it using cultural references. The changes that humans have made to the space, or any alterations keeping it from its natural state, such as preventing people from experiencing the place on their own by implementing things such as tour guides. The third is a phenomenological approach which involves all natural aspects of the space, the environment with interconnecting surfaces, plants, birds, etc. Not only does this approach take into consideration the space as a whole, but it also dissects it as more than a mere sum of its parts. Each of these approaches are important when seeking a multidimensional understanding and accurate representation of how a sacred place functions within the human imagination. If i was to dissect the Nolan Trail using these approaches, first, i would consider the alleged spirits of the trees and plants and animals. This would be the ontological approach because im considering the entities that are said to exist. Next, i would think about the orange spray paint along the trail so that people don't trip on roots, the benches placed on the path, the bridges built, and the markers on the side telling you how far you've gone. These are all examples of our culture influencing the Trail, we have altered it to fit our standards. We need places to rest, we want to be safe, and we like to know where we are. Finally, i would take into consideration all the wildlife that exists on the Trail. The animals, the dirt, the trees, the water, the plants, etc. That would be the phenomenological approach, and would conclude my understanding of the Nolan Trail according to Lane.