Desire Lines

Desire lines are defined as: an informal path that pedestrians prefer to take to get from one location to another rather than using a sidewalk or another official route. The paths in the photos I included are trails that have been created due to constant though not designated usage. The trails have been created by people who wish to get to the top of a hill, Duey Hill, in order to look out over the small town of Spring Lake, MI. It is a way to pass the time, but I thought it was interesting that these desire lines support a desire to create entertainment for ones self, as well as serving as a path created to quench that desire.

I thought that it was interesting that there was not simply one path to get to the top. There were paths through areas that were dense with vegitation and trees, and then there were paths that were closer to the road (like the one pictured above). I also thought it was interesting that some of the paths were formed becuase there was no where else to walk. Some went straight through trees, but others seemed to be curvy for the simple purpose of wandering the area. In the photo pictured above, it seems as though the path is curvy not becuase of obsticels, but becuase of some other reason. Perhaps people were simple too wrapped up in the veiw to realize they weren't walking in a straight line.

It seems to me that sometimes desire lines are created out of a convenience that is not provided with sidewalks. Sometimes a sidewalk does not provide the fastest way to get somewhere. However, what I enjoyed more about my exploration of desire lines was the fact that they seem to also commonly represent a desire for freedom. A desire to explore. A desire to venture a way from the conformity that sidewalks provide and explore the unknown. A desire to walk in a line that is not straight. That is what I liked about desire lines, the fact that they don't seem to always have to serve as a means to an end, but can sometimes simply represent a desire to be freed from the conformity that life often presents us with.