What is a Place-Freewrites July 14, 2011

Freewriting about the Appalachian Trail: I close my eyes, and take a deep sniff. I smell the first flowers of spring, beginning to bloom along the edges of the trail. I smell the floweres on the trees as they also begin to bloom. I smell a faint smell of rotting vegetation as I walk along the deeper parts of the trail as summer comes. It is the outdoors and everything becomes part of everything else. The smell of rotting vegetation is not a bad one, one I have smelled before when out in the woods. I smell a campfire, as fellow hikers prepare dinner. I smell myself as I have not had a decent shower in a week. I smell my shoes and they smell worse. I smell the coffee I have just made.
I close my eyes and open my ears and listen: I hear the birds chirping, greating each new day, and also saying goodnight as it begins to get dark. I hear the frogs calling to one another. I hear the buzz of the mosquito in my ear. I hear the snake as it slithers thru the underbrush. I hear the deer as it steps away from the trail. I hear my footsteps one after another, and the faint footsteps of others. I hear quiet conversations around campfires. I hear the rustle of tents and bedding being laid out. I hear the sound of a hatchet on wood as someone prepares a campfire. I hear the sounds of the fire itself as it comes to life. I hear the wind whistling and rustling through the leaves. I hear the sound of rain on the forest canopy and on my hat. When its quiet, I think I hear God.
I see beauty all around me, every shade of green I can imagine. I see colors, textures, the clouds against the blue sky. I see stars I have never seen before. I see the moon as it grows then wanes. I see the trails themselves, and I can imagine the people who helped to create them. I see red and orange and pink in the sunrise and the sunset. I see the colors of the rainbow after a summer storm. I see faint flakes of snow from an early cold front on the northern end of the trail.
I feel tired, I am cold and I am hot. I feel the wonder of being alone in the woods. I feel a faint hint of fear, as I know people have been hurt and killed on this trail. I feel a connection with fellow hikers, new ones and those who have traveled this way before. I feel strong, independent and alone. I feel powerful, and I feel humbled. I feel a connection with nature and with the Creator. I feel I can do anything.