Jacquelyn Powell - Outside Nature Experience One

Today we had unusually warm weather considering its still winter. Unable to pass up a perfect opportunity, my roommate Rachael and I decided to walk the Noland Trail. I have only walked it once before so my only expectations were a nice walk and good conversation. Not even ten minutes into our walk the path was blocked by these giant ducks that I had never seen before. They were actually kind of scary because they weren’t letting us pass them. It made me realize how many things are out there, even just minutes from my school, that I don’t know about. I started taking more notice of things as we walked along the trail, and it was nice to just relax and walk and enjoy the good weather. As we walked, Rachael and I would stop in the middle of every bridge and try to spot different animals. There were a ton of turtles out and a lot of different kinds of birds. At one point along the main path, a smaller path crosses over it and disappears around a bend. An arrow directs you to continue to follow the main path so we did. But after a few minutes I was feeling curious so we turned back and ventured down the smaller path. The path ended up being an old boat access, and at the very end of it was water. We took a seat right there at the edge of the water and sat there for what seemed like a long time in silence just enjoying the view. The water reminded me of going to the James River back home in Richmond and sitting on the rocks. I’m glad I decided to stray from the path today because otherwise we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to enjoy that moment.