Exploring Outdoors

5/8/17 Own Experience Golf Day Off      On Monday, I did not have to attend school. The golf team was playing in the district and regional tournaments. There are a lot of schools that participate. 14 teams with 5 players each on the boys side. We had been good all year only losing one match out of seven. It was a beautiful day when I arrived at Brainerd Golf Course around 7:45 to tee off at 9:00. It was the typical golf morning. A little bit colder and more moist than in the day time. This weather called for pants to begin with. It got warmer and warmer throughout the day and there was a ton of wildlife present. From the ducks and turtle atop the ponds to all the birds and squirrels in the dryer areas. My group finished around 1:30 and had to wait for all of the other groups. I was anxious because my score was the best in so far. While waiting, I sat down alone and appreciated all that nature has to offer and how great it was to get a day of school off enjoying what I ...

5/5/17 Photograph Nature Pictures       One day in class, we went outside and had a contest. The winner of the contest was the person who could take the best picture on our 50 minute hike. During this hike, you really had to pay attention and notice spots for good photography. I took three pictures. One of the pictures was a look upstream on a creek. The other picture was of colorful flowers, but my personal best photo was of the tops of trees looking straight into the sun. I thought this photo was the most unique out of my three. We got back to the classroom and we had to choose the best picture taken from our group of 4. Then, we went around to each table to decide the best overall photo. This made all of us realize how beautiful nature is in the process. There were so many good pictures taken and we knew we had been right there in the same spot as a winning photo.

5/2/17 Litter Bad Habits       Littering is a huge problem in the United States. Unfortunately, this problem can not be solved unless people start to do something about it. Yesterday, I went outside on a walk and I observed many pieces of trash along the roads and in the outskirts of the forest. I ended picking up about half a garbage bag in about 30 minutes time. Littering can easily kill many organisms and it also just looks bad in our environment. Our class did not get to go on the adventure of picking up trash, but I would estimate we could fill up multiple bags in about an hour. This is a problem that needs to be fixed not just in the zunited States but around the world as well.

5/1/17 Forest Bathing Adventure through the Outdoors       Today, I took an adventure through the outdoors. It was my first time ever going forest bathing. We started walking on a trail through the woods. The key to forest bathing is to remain quiet and really let nature speak to your soul. While on the walk, I observed many things. If you pay attention, you will find many smaller organisms that are pretty cool. I found plants that were unique and new to me. My friend and I took a slow approach and really soaked up the beautiful day. The weather was sunny and 75 degrees which felt perfect because we were shaded by the trees of the forest. Overall, I really enjoyed my first experience with forest bathing. It was relaxing and it made me feel fresh.

4/26/17 Sounds Armadillo Noises      It was a dark, stormy Friday night. I was walking through the forest on a back route to end up arriving at my house around 9:00. It was only about a 10 minute walk and a fourth mile through the woods. I was familiar with a lot of the brush and surroundings, but that night I ran into an unexpected thorn bush. I was carefully removing each and every thorn from my khaki shorts. After a few minutes, I started focusing on the thorns less and steered my attention to an unusual sound. This was a sound that I had never encountered before tonight. It was dark, but there were two dim streetlights in the distance that made it easy enough to see where the sound was coming from. My first thought was an injured squirrel or a bizarre bird. I kept listening and listening closer. Finally I came to a conclusion of what object the noise had been coming from. There was a rock looking shell about 12 feet away from where I was still trapped in the th...

Wildlife Speaks Nature surrounds me as I listen to the birds sing. The Woodpeckers hammer on the trees nearby. The leaves rustle from the turkey marching along. The Hummingbirds are humming at the feeder. It is an evening still without a breeze, wildlife speaks. Peaceful, as the darkness of night settles in upon us. All that I could hear while I waited for the bear to return. It had visited with a cub earlier in the day. It sat on my lawn near the porch, breathing heavily. A stunning site to see, led me to this evening simplicity. Waiting, watching, listening to other things nearby. As it didn’t return, but others visited here instead. Lifting me from daily routine, landing me in the moment. Peaceful, oh so grateful for these gifts around me. Heidi Sands Reflection: I think this poem really tells the story about how you should approach nature. Heidi Sands made me imagine sitting in my backyard with no distractions. She is telling us that you should appreciate nature more and real...