Going Slowly

Heading north on the interstate half an hour before sunrise, my cruise control was set nine miles under the limit.  No need to crack the whip on my old, worn down car.  My destination had neither a starting time nor hours of operation, so I was taking it slow, setting the tone for my visit to the Yankauer Nature Preserve on this first day of 2011. 

I’m not a staunch conservationist, but I do appreciate a good preserve.  Especially one like Yankauer that’s lesser known, laced with trails, and protects something appealing like a towering bluff along the Potomac River.  And though the preserve is a mere 105 acres, it guards a bit of green space against growing population pressures in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle.  Yankauer is an ever-so-slight push back. 

Narrow trails are my favorite, particularly those that gently wend their way discreetly among the landscape.   At Yankauer, the undulating trail leads through a grove of cedars and weaves between soaring oaks and maples.  It rises and falls over resilient limestone outcrops and past sinkholes formed by substructure erosion.  But its main attraction comes halfway around the loop when it skirts the river’s edge atop the impressive Potomac River bluff.

It was a measured risk, but down-climbing the bluff was one worth taking.  A slow descent brought me to the edge of the frozen Potomac - the border of West Virginia and my birth-state Maryland.  Making the most of my down-climbing risk, I lingered at the frozen river’s edge enjoying the solitude and stillness for a while before attempting the climb back out.  It was a unique and peaceful place to welcome in 2011. 

Leaving the bluff, I deliberately slowed my pace.  To fully understand a place, you must experience it as a whole, with senses fully immersed.  Walking slowly was the best way to keep my senses alert, and I noticed more things:

Like a flock of wild turkeys shuffling over a ridge,

And a herd of scattering whitetail, 

And the constant cawing of ravens,

And that even the gentlest of footsteps in the woods makes noise.

I noticed too that the trail was marked by more hoof prints than foot prints.  Wildlife rules at Yankauer. 

I came, first and foremost, to see the bluff, but by going slowly, being respectful, and with senses immersed, it turned out being a holistic visit in which every step along  the way at Yankauer made an impression upon me.