Fernbrook Resonance

I step off the trail and onto a fallen tree to break the rhythmic leaf-crunching sound of my pace.  It’s a tree that ten years ago was still standing when I last visited this peaceful and natural space.

Same trail.
Same tree.
Same season.
Ten years later.

Standing motionless in mid-forest on a chilly overcast day, I begin an extended time simply absorbing the setting.  It’s a blended canvas of grays, browns, and greens… and a cacophony of sounds.  Winds rustle the few stubborn leaves still clinging to trees.  Ravens’ caws come from all directions.  Acorns randomly plunge to the forest floor.  When the wind is silent, a trickling stream across the ridge is heard.  After a while, squirrels resume their foraging, unaware of my motionless presence.  I’m no longer an intruder; I’ve been welcomed by the forest.

Eventually, my legs go numb and I need to move.  My water bottle jostles as I shift my stance, bringing unnatural sounds into the cacophony.  I’m suddenly aware of the muted sound of jet engines 30,000 feet overhead.  Boot leather creaks as movement returns to my feet.  When I attempt to capture the moment, my camera clicks, but I know full-well that no two dimensional image can capture this multi-sensory experience.

Alone in an overcast woods, just one week before Christmas, has been unabashed ruminative solitude.

Some come to the woods for its cleansing and thought provoking silence.  Today I’ve been bathed in its thought provoking resonance.

Comments

  1. Chris LedgerwoodJanuary 2, 2012 at 6:26 PM

    I grew up in a rural setting, and my family owned twenty acres of woodland. It was my sanctuary, and I miss it daily!! Be thankful for the opportunities life has given you to experience such places!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tim KoppenhaverJanuary 3, 2012 at 5:55 AM

    Thanks Chris. The woods definitely makes for a fine sanctuary. And yes, I am well aware of my good travel fortune. In fact, in my private journal, I recently wrote extensively about that very subject.

    Hope you have a great 2012.

    TK

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mike McLarenJanuary 23, 2012 at 2:18 AM

    ... and the thoughts that were provoked into resonance?

    ReplyDelete

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