A second look at the great outdoors
Ilove getting out into nature. I hike all the time with my dog, Banjo. I love to post photos of our hikes on social media to share with my friends all the cool things we come across — not anything monumental, I might add — but the small things that show how beautiful and amazing nature is.
I post unusual bark on trees, I post little crawfish in creeks, I post especially green moss or brightly colored flowers.
I’d like to think I really appreciate the beauty of nature.
Well my sister is visiting from out of state. She wanted to enjoy some of the spa treatments at Barnsley Resort so she’s staying there for a couple days and booking some of the spa services there.
One of the services she booked was a nature hike.
Obviously my sarcasm got the better of me and I gave her hell for PAYING somebody to escort her through the woods.
Well then she informed me that she had booked the nature hike for she and I to do together.
As I said before, me and Banjo get on local and area trails all the time. So the idea that we’d pay a stranger to walk us through the woods did not sit well with me.
So on Monday morning I show up at Barnsley and my sister and I meet a lady named Natalie Ruddell at The Outpost.
Natalie’s got a bag for each of us and it contains a book and a pencil and colored markers and some tissue paper. Not only were we going for a walk in the woods, we were going to do some “journaling.” As someone who writes for a living, you can imagine how well this sat with me. I just saw absolutely no point in it.
But I started seeing things a little differently when Natalie opened her own “journal” and showed us some of what she had done. It was incredibly beautiful. There were pressed leaves and flowers, drawings of trees and plants and even animals. What I thought would be a book full of her feelings was actually sort of a natural science book of the things she had observed while out in nature.
She took us on some trails at Barnsley that showed off the properties gardens and some water features. I’ve been to Barnsley for dinner or for special events but I’ve never just walked around the property before. They’ve got quite a variety of trees, flowers, shrubs and other natural features.
What struck me immediately was Natalie’s appreciation for the natural world. She encouraged us to take moments during our walk to sit quietly and soak in the sights, sounds and smells of the woodlands around us. As I’ve said before I really enjoy being out in nature. But to be reminded to really listen and take in the environment was something I appreciate.
Natalie pointed out a variety of native and nonnative trees, flowers and plants for us to observe, she gave us some Barnsley history as well as lots of interesting information about the local landscape.
One cool exercise she had us do was to use the tissue paper and pencils she provided to get “rubbings” from some of the different textures we encountered. It gave us a chance to really get our hands on the trees and rocks around us. I know that might sound a little cheesy, but it gave another dimension to my appreciation of the outdoors.
Usually when Banjo and I hike, a lot of my enjoyment is visual. But Natalie reminded me that there is much more to nature than simply what we see. If you stop and soak it in, you’ll realize there are dozens of different sounds from birds chirping to animals jumping around and even insects crawling on the forest floor. There’s the smell of water and moss and decaying leaves. And there are a hundred different textures to experience as well.
As I’ve said I thought I really enjoyed the outdoors. Living in Rome affords me the opportunity to experience nature all the time. Me and Banjo love to camp and hike.
But thanks to Natalie, I realize I can appreciate it even more, and on various levels. And as silly as it sounds, I’m actually excited about using my “journal” to sort of document my hikes. You don’t always have to use words to document your experiences. You can use drawings and colors.
So if you enjoy being outside and learning about the natural world, I highly recommend one of Barnsley’s nature hikes at least once. And you don’t have to be a guest there to book a hike, either alone or with your family. I would imagine the spring and summer are a great time since there will be more flowers in bloom and more plants and trees out of their winter dormancy.
I always encourage people to enjoy the nature in and around Rome. We have so much to offer and I think people don’t appreciate enough all the beauty around us.
Even if a guided hike like this isn’t your cup of tea, that’s OK. A solo hike or just a walk in the woods are great too. There is something about the relative silence of the woods and being completely surrounded by natural, growing things that’s good for the soul.