My experiences with the five senses.
Sound: Loud centennial brook is chugging along behind me. It drowns out most other sounds in the forest. Although, you can hear the occasional bird tweeting or cawing somewhere a bit distant from my spot. As you get used to the brook sound you begin to hear the quieter, more nuanced, sounds come forward. There’s some rumbling from distant cars on the road and quieter chickadee birds communicating with each other.
Sight: There’s a lot to see here. There’s the brook flowing around and over the rocks accompanied by some falling leaves drifting through the air. It’s fairly lit, with some bolder areas of sunlight peaking through the trees. The leaves have changed from being mostly green to yellow and oranges. There are brown leaves all over the ground in a thick layer that I know is just beginning to form. Many trees have fallen since I was last there. Everything is in a transitional stage between life and death.
Smell: As you breathe in you get a small hint of earth and soil. It’s not strong, and it’s fairly cold, but it feels grounding.
Taste: Well, there isn’t much for me to taste here. I’m not about to go try a mushroom that I can barely identify haha. But I did have a little peanut butter cup snack with me. So that is my taste for this experience.
Touch: On the walk in I noticed how much mud I was stepping in, but apparently I wasn’t paying attention enough because I had almost slipped and fell multiple times. The big rock I am sitting on is pretty cold. It’s getting to be a bit chilly here. The pine needles on the rock are dry unlike the decaying leaves and mud on the forest floor. The brook is wet and cold and the rocks in it are partially smooth. The moss is soft as always.
Changes, Changes!
So much has changed since I have gone to this spot. There are dead leaves beginning to cover the floor. The understory tree species like Norway maple have grown a bit. The vegetation has gotten better cover on the forest floor. The small speculated dewdrop plant I spotted the first time went from having leaves that were the size of my thumbnail to leaves the size of my palm. The leaves are changing to a yellow and orange color as they go through their well-known chlorophyll process. More trees are down since the last time I was there. They have begun to form a dome like shape covering trees that have fallen directly onto the forest floor in a highly muddy area. This area is the same one where I saw the bones actually, some were still there too.
