Today’s world is filled with stress. We are all in need of ways to sooth away this tension to find healing inner peace. Some people meditate, garden, walk the dog, read or just spend time in quiet solitude. With quiet time to offset the noise, deadlines and chaos, there is balance.
Nature and the arts are both ways to help achieve this balance. The physical community is stark and harsh without the presence of trees, gardens and green-spaces such as parks. The emotional community is tense without the balancing influence of nature.
Today was nature day.
I spent most of the day in the woods on an esker (I will call it that until someone comes along to correct me) in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park clearing out the troughs behind "water bars" and shoring up "check dams." Jim, a fellow member of the Buckeye Trail Association, was the other half of today's crew, and the source of the "how to" knowledge through his many years of volunteering for this kind of work for the organization.
We had a surprise visit from the Goodyear Blimp while we were on our hill in the woods! It glided right over us then made two turns in our area before disappearing from view.
I have hiked on trails in the woods for years but had no idea of how they came into being until I volunteered for a Buckeye Trail Work Party two years ago. It was a four-day event with camping, a chuck wagon, and 20 to 60 volunteers per day, and coyotes answering the call of revele in the morning. What fun!
In addition to learning how to build and repair trails, I learned trail etiquette. Trails do not deteriorate from erosion alone. People-habits can have an even greater negative impact. The most responsible thing to do when hiking is to stay on the middle of the trail, even if it is wet. Walking to the side or on alternate parallel trails eventually destroys vegetation, encourages erosion, and ruins the natural habitat.
All parts of life are connected. My early love of nature is connected to my art, and my art background has helped me to create the Art Experiences program.
Today was a return to my roots ... And we chopped quite a few of them, too!
The Buckeye Trail Association has a website at www.buckeyetrail.org where you can learn more about the Trail, see photos, learn about hikes and work parties, visit the store, post on the forum, become a member and/or make donations to help fund trail maintenance.
©2006 Kristen S. Boyesen
Free program for parents and children
13 years ago
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3 comments:
(The) hill (you worked on) is not what is commonly referred to as a Kame or Esker. Both the above are formed by water pouring through a hole in the retreating glacier. Debris from the surface of the glacier is carried beneath where it piles up. Only the heavier material - think sand, gravel, boulders - remains and the finer stuff continues on its way to some quieter location. If the hole remains stationary, a kame is formed. If the the hole melts its way back, an S-shaped mound is formed. S = esker. These formations can be conceived of as a negative space since they reflect the manner in which the melt water drains the glacier surface. Of course, to we present day humans, the kame or esker is very definitely a positive structure. Many of the low gravelly hills in Portage and Summit Counties are kames and eskers.
I have read what the nature of the deposits in the valley are but I forget what or where. I do not believe that they are lake deposits although the matter is quite unsegregated. Whatever, it can be described as dissected plateau although you must keep it separate from the dissected Appalachian Plateau, a term used to describe much of eastern Ohio.
Greetings from the Bluewarp. I may have already answered your comment that was in my Blog but so what. I have looked through your Blog but didn't find and samples of you art. I wonder what you do. I was in D.C. awhile back and saw some incredible art.I was really impressed with Andy Goldsworthy. He likes to do things that are impermenant. I believe its about the pleasure of adoing the art not having it be around forever.
Peace, groundhogger
Hey, groundhogger! Good to hear from you!
I miss blogging. There is only so much time in the day. :)
My art can be seen by hitting the links for "wilderness art", Guild" amd "Art Marketing" that are at the top of this blog.
Glad you had a great time in DC! Experiencing lots of different kinds of art is what it is all about: being open expands your mind, awakens awareness to new ways of thinking and tolerance for others.
I have started doing art with a lot of chance involved. I will post some on the art blog by next week.
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