I came upon this bluff in a state park in Door County, Wisconsin. The first time I came to it, I was content to let the wind blow through my hair, and enjoy the beautiful view of Lake Michigan down below.
But the second time, two days later with some others I had brought along to see the view, I wanted to see some more. We ducked around the edge of the bluffs, where the tree is in the picture above, and set off on the most amazing trail that I’ve ever experienced, or ever will experience.
The wind whipped all around us as we pushed on across barren rock formations. Boulders of all shapes and sizes were strewn along our path, and we traversed them all. Small pools formed as quickly as they disappeared. Nature was doing exactly as it wanted, without any human involvement in the process. It was inspiring to bear witness to it all.
There were some primal, elemental forces at work on the fringes of the Niagra escarpment. It was the sort of a nature lesson that, had it come about 30 years earlier, would have led me to think of ways to be doing something with nature for a living.
As it is, however, I’ll just put a few words about it here, and marvel at the beauty and the power of nature. The further we get away from it in everyday life, the more important an experience like this–and the testamentary role of these words–becomes.
Let’s always appreciate our planet, with at least as much care and respect that we give to the places where we live, shop, and work. Nature provides us with everything, and we must remember this. After all, we won’t get another planet if we mess this one up.
Blue Batting Helmet 