Thursday, November 6, 2014

Nature Walk

Dear All,

I hope you enjoyed spending some time outside in the natural world today. Please share your experiences here! You are welcome to use any genre you wish :)


14 comments:

  1. Taking the time to walk around in nature and just take in the sights and sounds is something that not many people seem to do. And yet, the experience of immersing yourself in the elements for even a few minutes is something that can benefit you in so many ways. I chose, for my walk, to take a walk through the forest near my house in Port Moody. It is such a great privilege to be able to just walk through an area of such dense foliage. The scene that I could view is something that just isn't present in many places across the globe. I could feel everything around me as I walked. I could feel the damp moss beneath my feet. The bright sun drifting through the branches of the trees. I could hear the drops of water sliding across the leaves of the bushes and plants surrounding me. It was a great feeling to be there, and to just sit, listen, watch and feel. As I waited, I found myself focusing on the rocks at my feet. I saw them glisten with water, and just stay there peacefully, unmoving. It was interesting to see how interconnected they were with the rest of the forest. I could see how they almost looked to be sinking into the moist dirt they rested in and how the ants would crawl over them and just leave them be. My experience was a very worthwhile one and I know that I will always remember the kind of feelings I get when I stand in a forest and just take everything in.

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  2. -- As a fair warning, the following observation may be stomach churning to some people. So if you do not like the words "dead animals", I strongly advise you to skip this post. (Especially if you dislike rats and other rodents) --

    I decided to wake up early yesterday morning to go look at the sun rise at Deer Lake Park. It was very foggy in Burnaby at the time, so I waited for a while for the sun to come out if its hiding. At the mean time, I coincidentally observed a part of the natural food chain.

    Just as a corner of the sky dyed pink from the peaking sun, I saw a glaucous gull approach and peck at a thing on the grass not far from where I stood. It was not until I looked closely did I see the lifeless mouse lying in the green grass. The gull was trying to carry its breakfast away by the mouse’s tail, but the mouse was half its own size. So instead, the gull pecked the mouse some more to test its weight, and cried for help. Soon, another gull landed beside me, tap dancing around the first glaucous gull and the newly found food. They both saw me watching them too, as they shuffled around me many times, but thought I was harmless, so they let me be. But when I shifted my feet to take a better photo of them, they were both frightened and swiftly flew away. Because I didn't want to interfere with the gulls' meal plans further, I walked away too.

    This observation is interesting to me personally, because it is relatively rare now to see animals eating food naturally, following the food chain. Our pets at home eat artificially packaged food, and even wild animals have been found fumbling through humans' garbage cans. So this natural predator and prey relationship, even thought the gull described above found its food, should be respected. Humans have already greatly altered the food chain, so we should not damage it any further.

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  3. I am one of the few people that enjoy the rain. Nature itself is beautiful, but isolating myself in the rain in complete silence is serene and comforting. On my nature walk, I walked to one of my favorite places, which is a forest by my house. Although being wet, nature's true beauty comes out when it's raining. I wore my rain boots, so I could squish the gooey mud underneath my feet. I observed each small raindrop accumulating into a larger raindrop, and eventually dripping off the tip of the heavy leaves. My hands soaked in natures tears, I clutched the velvety grooves of the surrounding vegetation, the colours rich in greens, reds and orange. The crisp pine, rough in my finger tips, yet smooth and delicate in character. I embraced the smell of it, putting it up to my nose. The scent reminded me of Christmas. I breathed in the heavy atmosphere, which gravitated into my lungs. The moist air sunk inside me, yet it felt so clean and revitalizing. My head was clear of all worries and thoughts at that point. The only thing I was focusing on was the pattern of the rain as it hit the ground with ease. I felt as if the clouds were washing away its anger and releasing it onto the earth gracefully. Although it was silent, standing in the rain, I felt the rain as music. Nature was alive. It was speaking to me.

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  4. So today I went to my favorite spot. It is located near Lighthouse Park in North Vancouver. I found this spot a few years ago while hiking with my ex-girlfriend. It is a little treacherous to get to but the view is astonishing. So as I sat on the end of the rock face cliff. I could hear the pounding of the water on the rocks below. I could see the water shoot up 10 feet in the air from the force of the ocean and then landing back on the rocks like a mighty rain storm. Enclosed by trees with a 3 foot area for me to sit on I take in the view of the never ending ocean that sits directly in front of me. To my left is dense forest and jagged rocks. The rocks look like they are molded by hand, sharply cut away to form unrecognizable shapes to which I let my mind create images and stories. I look to the right on the large hill which seems to go on for miles, it is covered in tress from the top until the end of the eroded cliff. I wonder to myself what animals live there and what there life consists of. I direct my neck upward and see the clouds slowly pass me by; I wonder if any other life will see what I have just seen, I wonder how there interpretation might vary from my own. The sound of the ocean catches my attention again and I stare at its endless power. I spent about another 20 minutes sitting on the cliff edge; Pondering about the ocean, dense forest, and jagged rocks, to which my mind flourishes with appreciation for its endless beauty.

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  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  6. This Saturday, on my nature walk, i went to a trail by my home in Port Coquitlam. This trail approximately took me 2 hours, but on my way home i sat on a bench by a lake that was located about 5 minutes away from this hi ke. As i was hiking up the trail it was a cloudy day with little sunshine, and absolutely no rain. Going up the trail i noticed the leaves, flowers, and trees with much affection and just putting a smile on peoples faces because of there upright beauty. However, as i was heading back home i decided to sit on a bench by this clear blue lake of hopping frogs, and flying insects everywhere. As soon as i sat down i felt a sensation of raindrop on my nose. Moments later, the one drop of water lead to a downfall of rain droplets not just hitting my nose by drowning the beautiful greenery. I watched the crunchy, sensational plants melt and fall to the ground as if they were hit by lightening. I observed that as the crunchy leaves, bright flowers, and tall trees were getting showered by the droplets of rain they were a totally different type of plants. The vibe, or the sensation being given off by the environment was not the same. Sitting on the wet bench, in my bright outfit i gradually saw the lively plants drown, and sink into the soil as if they were being put down to re-energize and come out stronger and brighter when the rain would stop.

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  7. Often we become so familiar with our surroundings that we do not recognize or rather appreciate the true beauty of nature around us each day. On my nature walk I ventured into new territory so I could truly appreciate and take in what I was seeing. Thus, I went to the canopy walkway under the trees in the UBC botanical gardens. It was amazing to see the world from a greater height and so close to school. If I did not go on this walk I would have never known that this walkway had even existed! Nor would I have been as appreciative for the beauty of nature itself as much as now. By going on this walkway, I noticed how huge the trees I had previously only been seeing from ground level really are. They must have been there for centuries! By the quietness at the top lookout of the trees I was really able to get a grasp of history in the process. UBC itself is built on a rain-forest and reserve land. I was standing in the midst of a part of the past that has been preserved at the height of an eagle, being even able to notice a body of water from a distance. At this moment everything could be taken in for its true worth and value! I could notice the smallest of animal noises and sounds, such as the chirp from a bird, and appreciate life in the process. Thus, I have come to the conclusion that the beauty of life can be found anywhere in nature, all that I need to do is pay more attention to the smaller things in life for a bigger connection to be made.

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  8. Last weekend, I decided to go on my nature walk and I brought my dog along with me. It was quite nice weather that day so I decided after our usual boring walk, I would bring her into the ravine, that is right next to my backyard. I thought this would definitely add more of the “nature” aspect to my walk. As we walked down the path, I let her off leash and we travelled down the ravine. It is really beautiful down there. Theres a small cold stream of water rushing down with the occasionally small ponds that my dog likes to jump in. The ground is full of tiny green bushes and the sky above me is full of green branches and birds tweeting. As we were walking, something strange happened. My dog just suddenly sat down and starting wagging her tail while she was starring straight ahead. I couldn't see anything ahead of us, so naturally I started getting nervous. Then out of now where my dog sprints down the hill. She's running through the water and jumping over rocks and bushes like someone has called her. I started running after her thinking maybe there was some wild animal she saw. I obviously could not keep up with her, and lost her for about minute. Then I heard a small bark from above me (keep in mind, the ravine is almost shaped like a valley) that was definitely not my dog. I start scouring the green vegetation around me and I see my dog standing on a rock with one paw suspended in the air while she's starring at something above her. I climbed up part of the hill ahead of her and found a small dog laying down in the dirt, it almost looked like it was sleeping there until she saw us. I began petting the dog and realized she was calm and friendly so I wasn't worried. My dog followed me up the hill and they greeted each other the typical way and surprisingly my dog did not bark at her. I slowly picked the small dog up and we walked down the hill to where it was stable. She was very shy and timid, she wouldn't come with us, and dog wouldn't either, almost like she was waiting for her new friend to follow. So I picked up our new friend and walked back up through the stream and bushes to my house. I gave her some water and she started warming up to us! She didn't have a contact on her collar, so we couldn't contact anyone. We washed and feed her and kept her for the night. The next morning we went for another walk and spotted a poster with her picture on it. We called the number and they came to retrieve the dog a few hours later. It was sad to giver her up, but I’m glad she was reunited with there owners. This was easily the best walk I have ever been on.


    Here is the picture of the dog we found (on the right) and my dog (on the left):
    Its crazy how similar they look.
    /Users/Rebecca/Desktop/IMG_1053.PNG

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  9. Nature Walk
    I decided to write my nature walk in a poem.

    Leaves pulled by gravity
    Red, green, yellow, and orange
    Imprinting sidewalks with iron

    Staircase winds down
    Step after step descending
    Smells of salt

    Sand crunching under
    Sounds of waves crashing
    Crisp fresh air

    Sarah Rippe

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  10. For my nature walk, I decided to visit the park of my elementary school (which I have not visited in a long time). While basking in the hot sun, memories came rushing in as I remembered the games I would play as a child.

    Just like the blog post on the importance of play, I also believe that PLAY is an important part of growing and changing. It develops our creativity and individuality as a human. One of the games I would play as a child, was imagining myself as a different character while using inanimate objects to build an entirely new and different world. It was a game that only required my imagination.

    I decided to write a descriptive paragraph of a child on the quest of discovering a magical land filled with tradition and culture (inspired by the actual playground/ natural surroundings of the day and my memories of playing as a child) :

    As I was walking down the road, I could hear laughter and cries coming from a small village. I came closer and I could see large groups of people dressed in Native clothes prancing around a fire. They held my hand and led me to a small straw hut, built with years and years of hard work and tradition. Its base was firm and sturdy, much like the values of these Natives. Once I was up close, I could see beautiful strands of yellow locks, folded and woven so intricately and impeccably. The hut shone brightly underneath the sun and it fit in perfect harmony with the rest of the village. Underneath the hut, lay green patches of seamlessly trimmed grass and flowers that bloomed and stood as high as the clouds. The Natives showed me the inside of the hut and I could feel the warmth of the fire when I entered. The sparks that flew from the flames embodied the happiness and amity I felt from these people. The laughs of the natives echoed throughout the house and I could feel the balminess of the hut protecting me from the outside world.

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  11. I took my nature walk in a park near my home in Langley. Langley is a suburban community with much development underway. I had an arguement with my father is is currently visiting BC temporarily and decided that taking this nature walk would be a good way to cool down from the argument.

    As I was walking down the park, I noticed so many changes. The last time I walked through this park, I could see a lot of trees, bushes, blackberry plants, squirrels chipmunks, wild flowers and more. This was before I had moved to UBC when I was living in Langley at the time. When I took my walk this time, everything was simply gone and changed! I even doubted if I was walking in the same park I did 3 years ago! Instead of all the trees, plants and wildlife, I saw developing townhouses near a newly constructed playground. I saw pavement pathways instead of dirt roads. I saw construction workers instead of wildlife. I saw organized planted trees lined in a symmetric pattern instead of the disorganized shrubbery that now ceases to exist. With all of these changes I started wondering how so much could have changed in relatively so little time. It was so different and unrecognizable. Things have changed over time. Instead of pondering on how this would impact my life, I started to make parallel comparisons of these changes with my life and how my life has changed over the last 3 years. I realized that time waits for nobody and will pass whether you like it or not. It made me realize its importance and how I should use it efficiently. After this realization, I started walking back home to apologize to my dad for the argument and decided to make the most out of the time with him while he is still here because I knew that things can change at any moment.

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  12. Nature Run

    Running,
    Arms pumping.
    Metronome,
    Legs moving.
    Wind,
    Threading, weaving.
    Rain,
    Pitter-patter, calm, cooling.
    Run,
    From worries.
    Run,
    From binds.
    Mind,
    Empty, blank.
    Air,
    In, out.
    Focus,
    Faster, faster.
    Run.

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  13. For my nature walk I went around my community and explored the area since i’m still fairly new to the place. As I walked outside I could feel the dewy crisp air and crunchy leaves beneath my feet. The weather gave me chills but it was definitely refreshing, I took a deep breath and walked down the pathway where I soon found a park and a school. The park was fairly old, I sat down on the icy decrepit wood and could see the possible splinters arising. However, the park gave off a comforting reminder of the old stomping grounds I would play at as a child. I carried on with my walk and could see that majority of the trees have lost all their leaves or green pigment, but it was nice to know that winter was finally starting to arrive. Even with sound of cars and traffic near by, the sound of the wind and birds flying above became so prominent and peaceful. I walked a few more blocks before heading back and it is crazy to think how fast an area can change. Although I haven't seen the community much, I would come every few summers and everything is always different with new houses, streets, and even people.

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  14. On my nature walk I decided to go for a walk around campus in the morning. My walk began when I left my Vanier residence building. The first thing I noticed was the weather. It was not a nice day. The sky was extremely dark, and it was raining quite hard, so I was glad I had an umbrella. Although, this was typical Vancouver weather. I walked up a small pathway on my way to Main Mall. There was a slight breeze in the air, which made the trees along Main Mall sway. Leaves continuously fell off their branches. There was a long carpet of leaves all the way down Main Mall. I could hear leaf blowers in the distance, and there were workers raking them up and loading them into the back of trucks. I continued my walk down Main Mall past the fountain, which was overflowing due to the rain. The campus was just starting to get busy as students arrived for their morning classes. I kept walking and looked to my left at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. I never got bored of walking by a giant whale skeleton. I walked a few blocks until I arrived at the Forestry building. I looked back at where I had come from, and I realized how far I had walked. Main Mall is extremely long. Since I had nothing better to do, I walked back down Main Mall towards the rose garden. I had never fully realized how pretty the buildings are at UBC until then. When I arrived at the rose garden, campus was getting quite busy. There were tourists taking pictures of the ocean view, which was quite breathtaking. Although, it was slightly foggy and hard to see the water. I decided to end my nature walk by walking back to Vanier.

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