The last walk... for now

December 5th, 2019. 

I set out on my final sit-spot walk at 5:30, after dinner, when I realized that I had this last blog due the day after. I knew from the beginning that this would be a dark and cold walk. I was dreading it at first because it’s scary walking alone at night, but then I remembered that I had already done this hike at night with Renee on a previous date. So, with all the courage I could muster, I set out on the greenway trail. 

It was already dark at the outset of my walk. I had a small keychain flashlight with me to illuminate my path (at least to some degree), a water bottle, and my heaviest coat. I still wasn’t thrilled about doing this walk, and set out at a brisk pace in an effort to get it done. I do have to admit part of the reason for my hastened pace was my fear of being attacked by a murderer in the shadows (it’s not a silly fear anyway, I’ve seen weird people on the trail). I actually was so scared that I facetimed my sister on the walk there and back to keep my mind off of the fear, lol.

When I got to my sit spot, I was very winded and took a seat right on the dirt of the path, which seemed dry enough, but not as dry as it was the previous times I’ve visited. I began to regret my decision to not walk during daytime so I could get pictures for comparison throughout the change from autumn to winter. So, I’ve included some of my favorite pictures from previous visits to the greenway at different times of the season. Anyways, I sit down and begin to tune in. I heard the cars on 81, the wind in the trees, the low buzz of the power lines, and a few insects and bugs. 

summer
summer
summer
fall
fall
fall
winter
winter
winter
DSCF0662

Then, I had to look for my three objects of interest. I couldn’t get good photos of them because they were so far away unfortunately. I suppose that the trees I focused on had mostly lost their leaves, as the rest of the trees around here already have. This entire experience reminded me so much of the hiking class I took during J-term my first semester at Hollins… It was a really good experience for me, albeit very difficult. It was very hard on me physically, but it felt so good to “beat” the cold weather and still get to the top of the mountain. It was during that class that I got oriented with the Hollins Greenway trail… and since then I have walked the trail countless times. I am so appreciative of the fact that I was encouraged to spend more time on the trail this semester, and grateful that we even have this amazing retreat into nature so easily accessible from campus.

Then I remembered that I had to look at the sky. Thankfully it wasn’t too cloudy out so I could see some stars out. I had no idea what I was looking at. It reminded me of laying on the dock with my grandma and watching meteor showers. It’s cool to know a lot about stars, but I also relish my ignorance. the mystery is exciting! I got to watch the blinking lights on an airplane traverse the black sky. I wished those people on the plane well. 

I remember walking the greenway in January, seeing all of the dead grasses, barren trees, and frozen streams and wondering to myself how beautiful it would look in the springtime. When it warmed up, I found that my suspicions proved correct, but my affection for the stark beauty of the wintry seasons remained. I feel as though, through this semester-long assignment, my relationship with the greenway, the changing of seasons, and even myself have became strengthened. I very much enjoyed the opportunity to earn class credit for sitting on the ground and watching insects crawl about.