Traveling through the woods is not something I am accustomed to doing with groups of people. Walkling with my classmates, each at different paces, with different intentions, was a unique experience.

Physical limitations, my military training and a natural inclination towards protection kept me at the back of the group. I was grateful for two of my classmates for stating with me and assisting me when I believed I needed an extra set of eyes or hands.

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Walking with a broken foot made me extra aware of the terrain and landscape. While not intimately familiar with the school's trails, they are typical of the parks and other woods in the area. There were obvious signs of frequent human use but also of neglect of stewardship. Being one who has a love of wild nature, I was unsettled by the use of the trails as a disc-golf course. The logic behind it eludes me.

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I was pleased with the diversity of forgeable plants and trees. On nearly every stretch of the trail we followed there was some indication of shells of nuts that had been broken open by some animal, most likely a squirrel like the one I saw running along a branch in the canopy as we interrupted its day. I recognized walnut, acorn and hickory immediately. Though none were fruiting yet, there were many pawpaw trees. A rare sight was finding a few mayapple plants still standing. Usually, by this time of year, the fruit and plant are gone until the spring. There 

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was an abundance of dandelions and plantains along the sides of the trail. White barked birch trees lined a dried waterway. 

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Despite the plentitude the ecosystem could provide these woods felt depleted and drained of the vitality it once had, or at least compared to the other woods I have experienced. I look forward to comparing this path with others on the school property and with the genteral area as a whole.