A Walk In The Woods

I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees. - Henry David Thoreau

It's the quintessential image of reprieve for the weary wanderer. A cool sip of water from a trickling stream, miles of previously uncharted forest behind and many more miles yet ahead. One moment for one soul to pause and connect with the natural world around them, feet tingling, neck prickly with sweat. Another sip. Another breath. Slower, slower...until the pounding in the chest fades away to the hum of the forest, alive and living. Because the two are not the same. Alive; it drinks from the earth and sleeps under the stars. Living; teeming with creatures who flutter and scurry, trees that bend and sway and groan, breezes that whisper and rivers that carry