Write a description of an place that has some real meaning for you–the tree where you had a tire swing growing up, the dog park where you always take your dog, the oak tree where you sit when you just want to feel calm–any specific place outdoors that has had some meaning to you in your life. Include sensory details that show what the place looks and feels like–specific colors, smells, the way it feels.
One specific place that will stay in my mind forever is the bridge on Mead Lake at the Audubon Society of Greenwich. I grew up in a nearby town, and have always loved nature, so my dad would take me there to hike weekly. As I grew up, this love only increased. Eventually, when I was old enough, I attended the camp Audubon hosted. We would walk over this bridge almost daily, and I would always stop and just bask in the sunlight. As I aged, I got my first job as a Summer Naturalist at Audubon. I continued the tradition of bringing the kids to this lake and just letting them sit in silence and breathe in the fresh air. This bridge was made of older wood, as it used to be a saw mill. As the years went on, the smell of sulfur unfortunately got worse due to fertilizer runoff of nearby farms. In fact, one year, there was not a live fish to be seen. Every one was floating on the surface decomposing. On one side of the bridge was Mead Lake, a relatively small lake, but always teeming with wildlife. It was surrounded by trees and you could barely hear the nearby streets. In the distance was a fallen tree, which, during the hottest days of summer, was home to a bale of Red Eared Sliders. While not perfectly clear, you can still see a couple feet into the water, seeing fish & algae. The lily pads near the bridge usually had a frog or two on them. On the other side of the bridge was a sharp drop, about 35 feet down. The sides of the waterfall were rocky & covered in ivies of all kinds. If you got lucky, you could catch a watersnake or two awaiting prey at the bottom. The whole area holds a stark contrast to the bustling highways and streets of the surrounding area, and the serenity is infectious. Once over the bridge, the pathway turns rocky & a little bit of a problem to hike over. There’s poison ivy and the rocks are angled towards the lake, but getting over it is a necessity for the majority of the trails. Once over that lip, the dirt of the pathway is softer, and you can feel your feet sink slightly. Eventually, it leads to what the camp calls “Mossy Rock,” which is pretty on the nose. It’s a big rock covered in moss overlooking the lake. It smells starkly of the woods and is one of the most serene spots on the property. You can hear birds singing and even fish jumping out of the water and splashing back down. There’s a bench in this area as well, older and usually covered in spiders, but it adds to the overall feeling.