My place is in Centennial Woods near the hemlock clearing. My spot is near the brook on the path, in-between the cleaning and the stream. To get there, I walked from my dorm, Harris, down to Main Street and turned onto East Avenue. I walked for a block and then I turned down Catamount Drive and walked past the Centennial Court Apartments to the main entrance to the Woods. From the entrance, I walked down the main path over the wooden slats until I reached the hemlock clearing near the army bunker. Then I turned left and walked down the small hill to the brook to my spot.

I know when I’m in my place because I can see the hemlock grove and the brook at the same time. Along the path to the water, there are many small hemlock saplings. The hemlock saplings in my spot have little blue ties around them which distinguish them from other trees. Three downed logs lay over the brook. Two of them lay a few feet above the water, but one tilted far above the ground and rests on the branches of trees on the other side. There is a grouping of several mature trees growing extremely close together nearby. There are many hemlocks in my place, but there are also several varieties of maples. There are also ferns and other woody understory covering about forty percent of the ground. The ground is covered with a thick layer of pine needles and dead leaves which makes it very soft.

My place is extremely peaceful, and I can hear and walking the bubbling and babbling of the brook while I sit. The air smells sweet and earthy, and when I visited, the sky was blue and clear following a couple days of rain. The large mature trees make me feel small and safe, while the saplings constantly remind me of the cycle of life and new growth. During my visit, the leaves were just starting to change color and the majority of trees were still green, but some yellow leaves gave inklings of fall.