Unexpected Night-Time Interaction (Entry 9)

 While I was gathering footage for the final course video, the sun began to set at a much earlier time than I had anticipated. I had made it about two miles into the trail system by the time that my sight began to be shaded by the blue-grey hue of nightfall, so I knew that I had no chance of making it to the entryway before losing all visibility. This would have normally caused a bit of panic in me, but I decided to take this new adventure in stride in the hopes of coming across some wildlife that had been able to avoid me up to that point. 

Since my primary focus for this visit was the photography, I had not paid much attention to the more subtle details of the natural world I had entered. Once the light was gone and I was no longer able to capture the vivid colors of the changing landscape, I was able to rejoin nature and began to try and distinguish one sound from another. There was a slight breeze that produced a soft song among the trees, there were many crickets who were chirping in anticipation of the approaching night, and there were several large crows that were loudly flapping their wings as they flew slowly from one branch to the next. 

About halfway along the short journey, I heard an animal scurrying through a small field of grass that served as a median along this particular section of the walking trail. I grabbed my flashlight and shone the light in the direction of the noise, and I was surprised to find a frog that was a bit larger than the palm of my hand. It made a croaking noise as my light met its eyes, so I moved the light in order for it to retain its vision of me. I slowly inched forward in an attempt to grab the frog, but it hopped quickly forward and attempted to camouflage within the leaves and against a piece of fallen bark. 

I felt as though my attempts to lift it were too aggressive, so I shifted my strategy to simply petting the frog instead. I reached my hand out after it began to hop away, but I failed to make contact, leaving only about a half-inch between my finger and the lumpy amphibian. Finally, after one more reach, I was able to satisfy my curiosity and allow the frog to move on with its life in peace.

I did not come across any other notable life forms on my way back to the beginning of the trail, but I was glad to have brought my attention away from the task at hand in order to immerse myself into my surroundings. This journey served as yet another reminder of the power of nature to show us that the wilderness, rather than society, is home to what is truly wonderful and enjoyable in the world.