Punchbowl Falls

Experiencing the Appalachian Mountains first hand is a discovery of it own reward. Ascending to the peak of the mountain peering over a pond is a feat as much as it is a reward. Many other tourists hike the trail year-round. Walking through a

The outdoors provide tremendous ways to do something that I’d never thought of doing. For example, hiking, in my viewpoint, I have never, personally, thought about hiking before. Then I came to the conclusion that it was one of the most astonishing activities to do. Hiking can be the experience to see the outside world and to discover new possibilities just by trekking up a little path

Forests, lakes, and rivers are the places I love to spend my time. No matter what I am doing outside I will always be happy. My favorite part about being an outdoorsman has to be dressing for the weather. Living in Minnesota I learned the weather can change overnight, and I am always prepared. My eagerness to be outside was influenced by my family at a young age. I enjoy hiking through beautiful forests and cross country skiing over frozen snow covered lakes. I spend so much time in nature I learn to appreciate things on a whole different level. Nature has so much beauty and mystery it cannot be

Pikes Peak is a beautiful, rocky mountain with a fantastic view. The day my family and I were going to go up Pikes Peak the day was gorgeous. Heading up the mountain is so relaxing, having conversations with my family while looking out the tinted window. Looking out my window I could see columns and rows of the most perfect looking pine trees rising up the peak. During the climb it was so admirable and calm as I was thinking in my head, what a perfect day. The view was fantastic as I got to see the world breathing in all of the fresh air. Pikes Peak has three lakes which are very inviting with its clear blue water glistening from the sun. The lookout on the very tip of Pikes Peak was very foggy and chilly. The view was pretty cool since I’ve

After a long mountainous drive, I arrived at my destination to embrace one of nature’s wonders in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park, Abram Falls Trail. Upon departing the car, a cool crisp breeze brushed my face and the aroma of bacon lingered in the early morning air from the neighboring campground. The narrow rocky footpath looked like a tedious adventure, however a gorgeous, vibrant array of red, purple, orange, and yellow wildflowers blossoming at the entrance made the trail alluring. Navigating the rocky, uneven terrain required sturdy footing, but the quiet stillness created a peaceful relaxing atmosphere. The lush pine-oak forest formed a green canopy of shelter above the trail, offering welcome cool shade, as vivid sunlight filtered through the foliage. A sweet honey fragrance permeated the air, as a stunning scene displayed a cluster of purple and pure white

He then decided to take his wife with him the very next time and named the waterfall and the cave after his beautiful wife Ruby. The cave today is nowhere near as naturally carved today as it once was. Over the last few decades Lambert has turned it into a tourist attraction. By turning it into a tourist attraction Lambert was forced to manually carve out the cave to make it more congruent to accept the large number of tourist they expected. They found a small passageway that eventually led them to the waterfall, and this passageway was then dugout in order to put an elevator to allow the tourist easy access into the mountain to the waterfall via the Ruby Falls Cave. Then as government regulations because more and more strict, the company cut out a secondary exit leading to the base of the mountain. The secondary exit is used in case of emergencies, whether it’s from natural disasters or a man created disaster. The water in the waterfall is clean ground water, which one can happily drink at their personal discretion. Although it is suggested that one should not drink the water for the reason that it contains a very extremely high amount of magnesium from the strata of Lookout Mountain. The high amounts of magnesium causes a natural laxative effect on the human body, meaning if someone were to drink the water from Ruby Falls they will end up getting the runs sooner rather than

Understanding the beauty in nature has always been a struggle of mine. In this world of iPhones, laptops, and television at our fingertips, one can become trapped in the black hole of becoming disconnected with nature. I have always planted a flower garden and watching each color try to outshine the other showed me the purest of joys in life; everyone has a pull inside their natural being to be one with nature. Looking at all the awesome creatures God has made for this Earth made me realize that He wants us to enjoy our time on this physical land while we can.

I love hiking the Soberanes Loop Trail with my dad. The first mile or two follows deep into the redwoods, with soft sunlight filtering through the canopy a hundred feet above. The creek babbles and bubbles in the depths of the valley, and birds cry out flying overhead, weaving through trees.

My connection with nature that were unveiled during my observations can be summarized in four ways, the first being memories. When I was a kid my first experiences with nature where having fun playing outside and spending time with my family. I had a really vivid imagination in my youth, along with the large property my family owned, I had a vast area to have as much fun as I desired. My family has direct connections with the Mojave Desert, moreover that allowed me to spend a decent block of time in either, the National Park, or learning about our area. During my observations, just being in that similar environment brought back several memories from my youth. Furthermore, that will be something that sticks with me for the rest of my life.

Recently this year my family went on a trip to see the Grand Canyon and ever since then I have always dreamed of hiking down into the site that millions of people visit a year. When I think of hiking I think of a mountain, I think of a long steep hike up above the

I grew up loving nature, I believe that nothing is more beautiful than God’s creations. Although all I wanted to do was spend time outdoors, I could not, because I had extreme asthma and had trouble seeing. As I grew

This the north side of Zion National Park. It was so worth the visit. There also weren't very many people there, so I was nice not to have our view of the beautiful landscape blocked. Kolobo Canyons feature amazing sandstone cliffs. They colors of the rocks are stunning! Most of Kolobo Canyons you drive through, but there are a few hikes. We did the hike at the end of the driving route. It was a one-mile round trip. It featured a slight elevation change, when you come from the Mississippi Delta region of the south a slight elevation change of a few hundred feet is a lot. They also have a longer hike that goes back to the largest free-standing arch in the world. This is a 14.4 mile round trip hike, and the National Park Service does not recommend

Have you ever wanted to experience in an environment made for camping trips or long nights around the bonfire? The lush environment surrounding the windward side of the Cascade mountains is one of the most naturalistic experiences anyone could come across. More specifically, Mount Rainer, a well-known mountain peak along the Puget Sound in Washington State. When it comes to wanting a true nature experience, it’s impossible to not recommend the national park of Mount Rainer due to its variety of sights built by nature, temperate climate, and the nostalgic scent of evergreens and firewood.

Fun things to do: If you love to take landscape photos of densely forested areas from an elevated platform then this is the place for you to visit. the trails offer hikers a combination of gentle to moderate, cool water falls, and rock ridges while they tour through the densely forested ranges.

Walking through the trail full of mud and leaves always made me think about my life. It was always there when I needed to walk and get things off my mind. Looking around watching the leaves fall off tree after tree flying like butterflies, all different colors. When they stopped, they immediately died and they were not coming back alive again. Piled leaves filled up under trees and children ran and jumped on them like they were pillows. These trees tripled the height of humans with numerous branches holding hundreds of leaves. While walking the river flows and it is such a beautiful view with the sun shining right off of it. The ducks and little birds chirping and floating through the smooth water puts a joy to my face.