“November is, for many reasons, the time for the axe.” (A Sand County Almanac)
I find myself once more on the path towards twin falls in this month of November. These past two weeks have been very stressful filled with midterms and projects, so it was nice to unwind under the oak trees for a while and observe these beautiful trails. I noticed on this encounter that there are significantly less animals rummaging around the woods, I only encountered 3 squirrels during my first visit of the month.
The weather is so much nicer compared to the hot summer months, it is still a little warm, but considerably better. As is customary on my treks through the woods I headed straight for the little pond to find my turtle friends. I am still puzzled by the fact that the turtles just disappear when there is no longer any water in the pond, but when the water returns they always manage to make their way back. On this visit there was still not very much water. This time autumn was continuing to spread its reach around the trails, turning once lush green trees into bright orange beacons.
This time around it is extremely cold. The weather is wet and dreary and the temperature is 37 degrees. I cut this visit short on account of the cold, and it seems so did everyone else that frequents these trails. As I jogged through I did not see any animals, no birds chirping, or squirrels rummaging about, with the exception of a dog trotting along next to a jogging human the trails were desolate. I ran up to the creek and found there to be considerably more water than the last time but it was still nothing to compare to the September months when the river was flowing with water. After a very brisk jog I retreaded back into the safety and warmth of my car.
During my last visit of November I was pleased to discover the river raging once more. Every crevice seemed to be filled with water, and the turtles were back to their pond. In this visit I was able to explore more and stay longer because the weather was much more agreeable than the last time, it was 65 degrees when I visited. Other than the spike in water levels not much has changed. Fall is in full effect and the trees are all changing colors and shedding their leaves.
I still do not see many animals running about, but I did have the pleasure of running into a large centipede on my way into the creek. It was so lovely to see the colorful trees, and with thanksgiving right around the corner I couldn’t help but think about how lucky we are to live in a world that takes care of us the way that Earth does. I passed a bush of berries and thought about how nature provides everything for us, and it is about time that we start to repay the favor. We all need to be more conscious of how are actions are affecting our planet.
