October 1st, 2019. 6:24pm.

My sit spot is a place on the Hollins Greenway trail right before you surmount the ridge, directly under the powerlines. I chose this spot because it is a nice long walk away from campus, which gives me an excuse to take time for myself. I also was attracted to the great volume of foliage that inhabits this space, and the sense of height you get at this location, since it’s on the side of a ridge. When I first got to my sit spot, it was still very warm and sunny. Below is a sketch of my view:

I was facing directly south.

To the south, in front of me, I heard cars on I-81. I heard various types of cars going at varying speeds. I could hear the powerful engine of a truck accelerating.

To the west, the right of me, I saw the trees up high on the top of the ridge and the foliage on the path leading up illuminated by the dying glow of the Sun.

To the north, behind me, I heard the buzzing and crackling of the powerlines above and behind my head. I noticed that the crackling intensified when the wind blew harder.

To the east, the left of me, I heard a chorus of insect chirps, humming, and buzzing, They seemed to become more brazen and raucous as the Sun set.

 

 

There were many plants, big and small. Tall trees were the furthest away from me; vines and grasses immediatly at my feet. The vast majority of individuals were completely green. Some were a little yellow with dried brown spots– they looked parched. I remembered those plants to be the ones bearing yellow flowers that the bumblebees liked so much. Those plants no longer have their yellow blooms, only yellow leaves now. The tall tree far out is devoid of green, with just a few dead leaves listlessly clinging onto the branches. The smaller trees with two rows of large, broad leaves have some very vibrantly red leaves. I wonder what kind of plant those are, they seem tropical to me for some reason.

The ground I was sitting on was the path itself, which was very dry, pebbly, and light orange-colored. Other than the exposed rocks and dust of the path, the rest of the ground was completely masked by plants. I noticed a few dead leaves lying on the ground, maybe five– but I know that soon there will be many more dead leaves covering everything.

I watched a few flies tumbling about recklessly above the foliage. They were too far away for me to see any distinguishable features. I could hear a couple of different kinds of birds calling, but I have no idea on identifying bird calls, and couldn’t locate the birds anyhow. There was an animal that resembled a fruitfly crawling on my paper, then a mosquito on my leg (I smacked it), then an ant crawling up the other leg. I could hear crickets and many other very loud insects. I heard a bird fly overtop of my head and coo. I felt something on my neck, touched it, and found the crushed body of an insect. I heard something crawling through the foliage, I wonder what it was?

The most notable noise that was not emitted by a living creature was the hum and crackle of the powerlines above my head. It kind of sounds like a harsher verion of static on a radio or TV, but much sharper. A decidedly unique sound; but, I wonder: why does it even make sound in the first place? I would like to know.

The only smells that I could identify were the smell of dry dirt and living leaves. I know there are multitudes of scents that one can encounter when outdoors, but I really just didn’t smell them this time. It wasn’t unpleasant at all; it actually was quite pleasant, just not a particularly complex bouquet in the air that time.

I chose to focus on the dead tree, the smaller tree nearer to me with the red leaves and tropical look, and the dirt of the path.

By this time, the sky was darkening very quickly, and a large spider ran up to me on the path, imploring me out of my seat and escorting me down the path the way I came.