Kalmazoo Nature Center: Part II !

As I had predicted, I made a second visit to the nature center with my girlfriend a few days after the first. I had already been telling everyone on campus about how wonderful this place was and became very excited when my not-so-environmentally-enthusiastic girlfriend said she would give the place a try. I showed her all the places I went to on the first visit and even spent some time sitting by the stream that emptied into the river. I was completely enthralled when she muttered the words “Let’s put our feet in the water!” She was obviously enjoying the area, which made me happy, of course.

We decided to take the most difficult trail the nature center had to offer: Raptor’s Ridge. Although it was barely half a mile long, the elevation of the trail made me feel like I was walking up the Sleeping Bear Dunes. Exhausted, we were astonished at what was waiting for us at the top. We could see for miles into the forests of the area and clearly saw as far as the horizon. The view was breath-taking (even with the little breath we had left) and made me start thinking about what it would be like to be a bird. I could barely imagine flying and floating over the vast amount of trees and plains, always look down upon the world. The trip was a great success and ended up being an even better experience than the first trip.

The Kalmazoo Nature Center

The trip to the nature center was one of the best stress releases I have had in a long time! It was nice to get off campus and enjoy a mini road trip to escape the stresses of school. From the instant I stepped foot into the nature center I knew I would want to come back again as a place of refuge during the school year. Although the actual nature center seemed almost childish, it brought back fond memories of field trips to the zoo and other nature centers and trails near my home. I also enjoyed seeing some animals for once rather than humans all day on campus. It reminded me of a memory last year when I noticed how intrigued everyone would be when a flock of geese would waddle by or when the Valley Pond swan swam by. Students here at Western are lucky to have such a diverse ecosystem enclosing them to act as a stress release, whether they realize that or not.

Two features of the Kalamazoo Nature Center that I found enchanting were the near-absolute silence and the seemingly “deafening” noises nature made while I was there. Once I got near the Kalamazoo River, I was astounded at how quietly it flowed. I really wanted to go canoeing down the river at that instant, or even jump in it for a split second! The silence really gave me a load of time to relax and live in the present rather than worrying about the future. Once I got back onto the trail, I noticed how loud nature was in the absence of man-made noises. More specifically, I was astounded at the intensity the leaves hit the brush on the ground. As crazy as this may sound, a single leaf made a whole lot of noise for landing with such caution. The overall experience was one that will always remain in my fondest of memories, letting me know that there is always refuge in the busiest of times.