As we walk down the hill towards Brown’s Bog my eyes scan the landscape. I am looking at the trees rising above me, the flowers off in the distance, and the grass at my feet. A glace to the left and a beautiful wooded area is visible. A glace to the right there is a farm field, just as beautiful in its own right. Standing in the open looking at the world around me for a moment I feel alone and at peace. As we step onto the wooden boardwalk and walk into the woods I begin to feel something different. I walk forward in line with the person in front of me. My pace is set by the leader and matched by everyone else in the line both in front of and behind me. The sounds of the woods are muffled under the constant march of feet on the boardwalk. I feel trapped. I can’t move ahead or fall behind for I am in the middle of the line. When we reach the bog my view is muddled by all of the people around me. I don’t know what to look at or what to listen to. The serenity of nature is lost, buried under the voices of people. It leads me to wonder how is nature best enjoyed? Can more be taken away from a solo journey, than a small group; a small group more than a large one? I would consider myself to be a solo hiker. The only company I am used to is that of my dog or occasionally one other person. The nature of Brown’s Bog was lost for me somewhere in the footsteps and voices.
Leave a Reply