We had ideal walking weather on Saturday for our loop through the Blue Hills Reservation—we had 70 degrees and partly cloudy skies. The trees were lush and green after all the rain and heat we’ve had. My thanks to those who joined us on this walk. If you weren’t able to join us, I wanted to share a bit of what caught our attention.
I was mentally humming my song, What Do You Notice? when, at the end of the walk, I asked people to share in summary what they’d been noticing, since we weren’t all walking within earshot of one another all the time. We noticed:
how the dead trees had caught our attention in many places.
We talked about and noticed “nurse logs”—the fallen trees whose decay provides a source of nourishment for new trees and life to grow. I thought of, but didn’t sing, the chorus from Lawrence Cole’s song, Trees Grow Slow: “Trees grow slow / and trees grow strong / and trees sway with the wind, their whole life long / and trees hold the ground as they reach for the sky / and the fallen trees still feed the seeds they cast before they die.”
We noticed that many of the trees were not very big in diameter and wondered whether this forest had been clear cut or logged sometime in its history, especially after we saw this “wolf tree” along the path. (What is a wolf tree? Emily, whose father was a forester, said it’s a tree that loggers would leave in the forest to nurture wildlife, chosen probably because its trunk was not long and straight.)
We also noticed things we didn’t expect, and how trees adapted—this living tree’s roots were exposed as it lifted itself over a marshy area.
I noticed that there weren’t many flowers, or much color besides green, brown, tan and the gray of rocks. There were bushes, but we are past flowering season and not yet to berry season for bushes in the shade of the trees. But as we left the trees and walked back by a little pond, Debbie noticed a pond full of water lilies in bloom. Is a view like this what inspired French artist, Claude Monet’s series on water lilies?
We also noticed the noises of civilization (cars whizzing by the highways and roads nearby), and the relative quiet of the woods: the rustling of leaves in the breeze, a few jays squawking, blessedly few gnats and mosquitos buzzing, and a few chipmunks chattering in the distance. We saw a couple of bugs and a seagull, but didn’t see a lot of wildlife.
By the end of our time together, as we reviewed our noticings and shared some snacks, we noticed that we felt connected, not only to nature, but also to the nascent community that we had created on the walk. It was a blessing.
Reflection Prompt
When you are walking in nature, what do you notice of life and death, growth and decay? Is your attention drawn to the usual (lots of leafy trees) or the unusual (different tree shapes or the strangely, wonderful configurations of dead trees)? What sounds or noises are you aware of? What wildlife did you see or hear? What connection do you feel to the natural world surrounding you?
What Next for Contemplative Nature Walks?
We are looking at late September for our autumn walk, and since a couple of our walkers this time came from the Worcester area, they recommended Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary for our next location. More details to come in early September. Message me if you want to get more details via email.
I am writing longer reflections that usually come out on Fridays that go out only via email. This week, I’m thinking I’ll be coming to you early on July 3, prompted by an article this past Sunday in Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper, I’ll be reflecting on dignity, contempt, condemnation, and respect. If you’re not already on my MailChimp list, you can subscribe here: http://eepurl.com/ilgIE9.
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