What things in nature amaze you?

[JoeSpirit]

I haven't taken the time in 3 or 4 years but I used to float a stretch on Sugar Creek at least once a year. Indians gave it the name because of the abundant Sugar Maples that grow along the banks.

I started in the mid-70s when I built a canoe. Back then I always made the trip over the 4th of July weekend and paddled only around 8 miles or so.

After I retired I gave the canoe to my son and bought a touring kayak. Then I started floating a 30-mile distance over a 5-day period, pitching a tent on sandbars each night.

Over the years I saw some amazing beauty in nature.

A bald eagle sitting on the top of a dead tree and watching me as I floated by. A beaver rolling itself in the shallow water near the bank. Muskrat swimming to and from their dens to forage for food. A doe with two fauns getting a morning drink and watching me as I floated toward them. When she decided I was too close she left the water for the woods and called back to the fawns to follow her.

Every time I float that creek I see something new. Those are the most peaceful times I've known in my life.