The south end of the creek with the western rock bed

In modern society, finding a secluded, natural spot is no easy task in a city like Roanoke. Nonetheless, nestled between the banks of a creek, a nature deprived college student can remove any major traces of the city and regain touch with their senses. When looking for my sit spot, I highlighted the idea that it should be mainly nature, so when I found this easy to get to spot on campus where you couldn’t see any people or touches of people, I knew that I could fully immerse myself into observing this creek. Additionally, this spot seemed to come to life where its characterization centered around the arching willow that hangs over the shallow, slow-moving creek that reminded me of the camping trips I used to take with my family.

A very rough sketch of my sit spot

The spot itself has a few inches deep creek that runs in between a rock bed on the western side and a steeper rock ledge on the eastern bank, each side telling its own story of how it ended up as it is presently. Along the top of the east bank is where the willow arches down next to the liriope bush and the thicket that sits next to a tall patch of grass that adds to the isolation of this spot. To the south, the creek slopes and picks up in speed to make noise that drowns out the sounds of the city. The sky itself is blocked by the thick canopy that envelopes the stream like you’re in a cave. A relatively thick forest stretches along the west side of the creek.

Eastern Bank where I sat

Upon arriving at my sit spot, it came to life filling my senses with the ever-present sound of cicadas followed by the soft trickle of the creek. At one point, a group of blue jays began calling to one another, one of them from the arch of the willow. In the background, you could hear the humming of the cars on the highway and the occasional car passing on the road behind me to the east.

The reflection of the sky and the canopy on the water with the water striders I will also be observing

Sunlight occasionally breached the thick canopy revealing an added life to the creek, where the sunlight seemed to go, so did the water striders bouncing across the top of the water chasing after its warmth. Not only did the sunlight influence the water striders, but it also seemed to change how the trees grew. The trees on the west bank all seemed to chase the light on the east side of the creek by arching over the creek towards where the light was unimpeded by the forest. In particular, the willow tree would have normally had branches spurting up from the top but instead, they came from the side of the tree nearer the base.

 

A lilirope bush I will be observing

The sunlight that had at one point dominated the life of the area had blown away by the shifting wind from the north bringing with it a rain cloud that darkened the area. The life that had once emanated from the creek bed with passing dragonflies, singing birds, and leaping water striders had been drowned out by the occasional raindrop bringing back the silence to this once lively place.

This experience, in my opinion, was a great chance to distract myself from various other stressors in my life. Being able to tune-in to my surroundings so vividly changes my perspective for the better and I am looking forward to being able to spend more time observing nature.

The east bank where the willow arches down that I will be observing