Nature

Our last time on the trail. All of the groups in the class were working on the same trail instead of our own, individual trails. While we were all together, my group clung to each other. We could have worked with and talked to anyone else, yet for some reason we all stuck together. I found this odd but really interesting. At the beginning of the semester, we barely knew each other. However, now each other's presence was comforting. We truly bonded over the course of our time at the Nature Center. We worked together to bring about the tedious transformation of the Prairie Trial. Shoveling dirt and smoothing it down. We got better at working together as we formed a particular pattern and rotation of moving the dirt. At the beginning of the semester, it felt like we had to make small-talk to break up some of the awkward silences, but now everyone was comfortable with the pockets of silence. We grew to become comfortable in our environment. I believe being in nature had a tremendo...

In the middle of the stress that surrounds finals, Mary and I found refuge. Mary, taking the nature class with me, and I decided to stroll through the grounds right after each completing a final for one of our other classes. The air was crisp and it was a cold afternoon. 40 degrees is not a suitable temperature for a native Texan like myself, but it felt good. It felt good to get away from campus and rest the mind and soul. My eyes opened, peering all around the gardens and examining each unique tree and landscape. It was like a 10 minute drive transported me into a whole other world, one that was alive and fresh. There were soothing streams, reflective pools, larger-than-life trees, and the residual of flowers. One flower bush we passed only had one flower on it left, but it was a bright-red, flourishing rose. I couldn't help but smile. This flower was still shining even though the world around it was coming after it. Winter was upon it but the flower did not give in. Fin...

Waco, Texas. Cameron Park consists of 15 miles of twisting trails along the Brazos River. My parents and I went on a hike there a couple days before this semester started. A celebration to conclude the end of semester. A time to reflect on the upcoming semester. An experience to enjoy nature and each other's company before heading to Fort Worth. We chose a combination of three trails, which totaled around an hour and a half of hiking. The first trail was a gradual hike up and down a hill, the second was a short stroll along the riverside, and the last was a steep incline back to the trail head from the river. The tree different terrains provided three different experiences. The first trail was mostly brown. Brown from the dirt trail path, the bark everywhere, the rocky landscape. Underneath the coverage of tall trees, we followed a narrow, winding trail up to the climax of a small hill. Along the way up, we slowly and gingerly stepped across old wooden bridges, ducked below hang...

The Smoky Mountains. Enchanting as the smoke rises with elevation. Majestic. Seemingly older than history. Overwhelming. I have never experienced more difficult but also more rewarding hikes. I say rewarding because the views and memories will never be erased from my mind. Granted I have never went on a multi-day hiking trip before this and the trails we went on were beginner level, but all three days of hiking were new challenges for me. The biggest thing that surprised me was the beauty and vastness of creation. These mountains have stood for centuries and hold more stories than I could ever imagine. During my hikes I would look over the horizon and put my location into perspective. I was hiking one mountain on one path for hours and thought I had seen so much.... yet, I was experiencing just one grain of sand on a beach. The mountains encompassed much more than just my one experience. I will probably never come close to hiking even all of just one mountain, let alone all of the Sm...