Jenna Wall: Noland Trail

Jenna Wall - 4/23

As the class walks through the woods on the Noland Trail it is obvious that there is communication through the nature. The class is here on a windy day, so it is almost as if you can hear the trees speaking to you. The leaves whistling through the wind, the water crashing against the rocks, and the animals running through the sacred landscape; it all speaks. It is interesting to see the dead trees with new vines growing over the worn out stumps. To me, it is a parallel to a spiritual journey. Old, tired life must die in order to gain new, fresh, clean life. The tree that has been through storms, animals walking all over it, lightning striking it hard when least expected, periods of joy and periods of sorrow; not it has been revived. To take time away from the stress of everyday life and the independence society tells us we need is a breath of fresh air. To be bale to take time to ponder on the greatness of our God and to marvel at the beauty of natural spaces untouched by man is unlike any other journey one can go on. When in the wilderness one is able to experience the space and touch it with all senses. The Noland Trail is a location so close to the students at CNU yet we so often feel distant from it. The opportunity the students have to take that time to communicate with nature should be considered a blessing, and should be something that is taken advantage of more often.