I go into the woods to experience nature directly. Away from the noise and demands of everyday life something shifts. My mind quiets and I feel more grounded. Nature speaks to me through my senses. No words.
This past Thursday I spent the night camping in Shenandoah National Park with Devi, my young dog.
It was her first night sleeping in a tent.
For the first few hours after it was lights out she was frightened. She pressed close to me seeking reassurance.
Unfamiliar sounds filled the darkness. The wind was rushing all night in bursts, loud and incessant. A coyote called in the distance and was answered by a chorus of howls. Strange birds clucked and cooed. Devi listened, hyper attentive.
Sometime after midnight she relaxed. By morning she was rested, confident, and eager to explore. In the picture she has climbed up onto a fallen tree and literally out onto one of its protruding large limbs.
It was great to be with nature in the relative absence of a constructed landscape and to witness Devi’s first wilderness overnight. I was reminded that I don’t have to understand everything to be at peace with and enjoy it.
The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”
— John Muir
