Rachel Hrovat~Memories from Nature

My sister and I took a hike up Elliot’s Knob because of my parents enthusiastic review of the hike. However, Anna and I did not have quite the same review after we were done. In fact, we never were able to conquer the mountain. The trail is somewhat complicated to arrive at, and Anna and I, even after listening to my parent’s directions carefully must have arrived at the wrong place. We hiked for hours but got nowhere. The hike was not supposed to be too long either, so we knew that we had to have gone wrong somewhere. Even though the hike was a bit of a frustration, just being within the wilderness was refreshing. There was absolutely no one around or near us, so first off it was a particularly special bonding experience with her. It was just the two of us, and just being in one another’s company was pleasant. It was also neat to see how the nature and my relationship with my sister intertwined. We wandered off the trail at one point to try and get a good view because any view from the trail was hidden by the trees. We found a nice spot on some rocks, and after sitting down and looking out at the valley we noticed what kind of rock we were sitting on. It was shale. The rock reminded me of my childhood and how my brother and sisters and I would spend time breaking shale for our enjoyment. It was neat to see how the wilderness brought me back to my childhood. To a time when life was easy and not as confusing. Having my sister there was also wonderful because she experienced my childhood with me.

As we continued the hike, we passed by a carcass. Not sure what it was, but it looked very much like a dog, although I think the final decision was some large cat, perhaps a mountain lion-ish type of animal. I bent down and touch its teeth which were very smooth and still bleach white. I wanted to take one back with me but Anna did not think that that was a good idea. But seeing this dead animal in the environment also resurfaced a memory from my childhood which made me feel a connection with the landscape. When my sister got off of the school bus when I was younger, my friends and I grabbed an old deer carcass we found in the woods and tied it onto a long stick. When she walked across the driveway, the carcass swung out in front of her, causing the kids on the bus to laugh the whole ride home. It was neat to be with her while this memory was brought back into my conscious.