Nature Observation

It was our first time out at the wilderness center and I was excited to see what was in store for our group. It was muddy that day because of all the rain so I came prepared: I wore boots, a rain jacket, and work pants. When we arrived, someone came to greet us and tell us where we would be spending our day. In the introduction, they told us how important the work that we were going to be doing was. This is a large piece of land, they told us, that needs a lot of maintenance. They haven't had enough hands until now, so it felt good to know that we are going to be making an impact.

We started to help with building a greenhouse, and laying foundation for a water well that would be able to feed plants the water that need for nourishment and growth. We first began by taking large logs and carrying them over to the building site. The logs were wet from the rain that day, and it was obvious that the wooden beams were used for some industrial purpose. I knew this because there were old and rusty nails that were embedded in the wood. It is mind provoking to think about how different parts of the earth can be used for different purposes. In this case--for a water well.

After we gathered and piled the logs, we began to dig wholes into the ground in the shape of a rectangle in order for the logs to be used as the platform for the water well. This, by far, was the hardest part of the day. The dirt, because of the rain, was turned into clay which made it heavy when digging. Each step I took, I began to sink down into the mud. I found this to be enjoyable because I could imagine the way the mushy mess would feel underneath my feet the same way that sand slips in between your toes. The clay was a reddish brown.

As I began to dig the wholes, I knew I needed to be strategic. I noticed that the wet substance was filled with rocks and chunks of earth. It took some time to dig a whole that was big enough for the logs. Eventually, though, after a lot of team work, we made a whole deep enough for the logs.

Also, because of the rain, there were bugs flying around constantly. These little critters, most likely mosquitos, caused me to stop digging every so often to swat away anything that landed on my leg or arm.