Tray Norman Noland Trail

After taking the time to appreciate what the Noland Trail has to offer, it helped me fully understand how places participate in the perception that is made of them, as Lane suggests. Before I opened my mind to the wilderness, it was hard for me to believe that nature actually speaks to people in many ways. As long as the time is taken to be “involved in touching and being touched by its particular array of rocks, trees, animals, and geographical features,” each object will have its own message.
After walking on the trail for a while with many stops along the way, I noticed a tree that was all alone, and had a distinct shape with many twists and curves. As I went to check it out, it was like it was offering me a seat. Its roots were sticking out of the ground from all sides making it a perfect rest place, and it was overlooking a peaceful lake. As I sat there, I began to take notice of each of my senses. The spot offered a distinct smell, different from what I had smelled throughout the hike, which reminded me of my house at home on the river. I am not sure exactly what the smell was, but I assume it was a mix of the fresh air and water, and the flowers and grass surrounding the lake. I began to watch birds flying in numbers around the lake, how the water looked when the wind blew, how the trees around were all different colors and sizes, and the reflections in the water from the sun and trees looked like a painting. Each individual aspect of nature that I took notice of all brought a peaceful feeling to my mind.