Noland Trail Pt. II

                        As it rains down again upon Christopher Newport University, as it does many many days, the drear and agony really get to you. Finals coming up, the stress, the papers, the exams, the projects. It all piles up until you just feel so tiny and squeezed and squashed. Thanksgiving break is never enough, like any break, and so you feel worn out still, even with a week's worth of sleep and relaxation under your belt. All of this put together really gets you going and feeling like nothing is going to get anywhere and that everything is just going to fall apart. You really need somewhere to go and reflect and just stay. Away from family, friends, schoolwork, homework, even sleep. You need to be away from it all. This is what sparks a lot of thru-hikers passions to commit to a hiking experience, especially when no previous interest has been put forth, like the workout intensive training, or mind set of being set apart from the world for months and months. For me, this is the inspiration that lead me to the Noland Trail yesterday. It was a beautiful getaway, cold or not, that helped me refocus and center my energy. Nothing particular about the Noland Trail, specifically, allowed me to come to such a solid conclusion, however it was the simplicity of the trees, the walking, the leaves, the breeze in my hair, et cetera. That could have happened anywhere, but it did not. The Noland Trail has become a sort of sanctuary for me this first semester of college. It has become a sort of "add-on" to the "freshmen college lifestyle" that I have made and adapted myself to. My roommate, while sweet, kind, and quiet, does not allow my room to have the same sort of silence and dignity as walking through the Noland Trail. Nature has that sort of "natural" (if you will) gift that allows the respective quietness as well as the clearing of your mind to attune to your surroundings. I think it is beautiful to walk out and about surrounded by any sort of nature setting, however the Noland Trail really brings a essence of purity that walking through trees in a random forest behind your neighborhood could never give you. You can feel every breeze blowing, every tree billowing, every leaf dancing, every soul brushing by as you venture further and embrace more. Everyone should really just take a serious time in their lives to walk at least a few feet of the Noland Trail, because trust me, you are going to want to walk a lot more than a few feet once you get started. However, that is just a small goal. See you on the trail!